Tag Archives: Diaspora

(Lachrymose Diaspora) Coins Jewels & Things Lost & Found (Colmar Treasure)

Posted on November 25, 2019 by zjb

With all due respect, the paltriness of the so-called Colmar Treasure, now on view at the Cloisters, is a lachrymose little testament. On loan from the Musée de Cluny in Paris, the “treasure” refers to the remains of valuables (coins, … Continue reading →

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Auschwitz + Camp (The Holocaust in American Life in the New York Times Friday Weekend Arts II Section)

Posted on May 13, 2019 by zjb

Nobody reads print anymore, but these things matter. About the new and important exhibition of artifacts from Auschwitz now on display at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the editors at the New York Times Friday Weekend Arts section made bad … Continue reading →

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Purim (Sick in the Street)

Posted on March 16, 2014 by zjb

Yes, the synagogue is a public institution. But compared to in Israel, diaspora Judaism is not really social. It’s indoors. Except here and there, diaspora Judaism doesn’t happen on “the street.” It has no “space of appearance.” As “a Zionist,” … Continue reading →

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Lithuanian Synagogue Mural Burlington Vermont (Diaspora Accidental)

Posted on February 13, 2014 by zjb

This story ran in the NYT a couple weeks back about a synagogue mural created in 1910 at Chai Adam congregation in Burlington Vermont. My interest was drawn in part because my colleague Samuel Gruber here at SU is involved … Continue reading →

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Juifs hors de france?

Posted on February 5, 2014 by zjb

It’s been too easy to pretend that anti-Semitism is just a weapon of the Jewish establishment to tamp down criticism of Israel, but I think we should reconsider with a much colder eye. On a snowy winter day, I’m reading … Continue reading →

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American Jewish Ruin (The Catskills) (Diaspora Decrepitude)

Posted on October 1, 2013 by zjb

I nice bit of American Jewish social history cum nostalgia, this article in the Forward tells the by now familiar tale about the life and death story of the once great Catskill resorts and casinos. Jump straight to the slideshow … Continue reading →

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Jewish Holidays at Syracuse University (Diaspora)

Posted on September 24, 2013 by zjb

At a certain point the holiday crush got too much at Syracuse University. Because why should classes be cancelled for Yom Kippur and then Eid al Fitr, and not for Diwali or Chinese New Year? You get the point. So … Continue reading →

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