Tag Archives: liberalism

Liberalism & (German) Enlightenment After Weimar Germany (Ernst Cassirer)

Posted on July 1, 2012 by zjb

What is one to do with the old German Jewish liberal tradition? On Facebook recently re: a group of posts re: Weimar and post-Weimar German philosophy and political theology, YM asked me if there was room on my boat for … Continue reading →

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Israel-Palestine and Liberal Judaism in North America (response to Hayyim Rothman)

Posted on June 19, 2012 by zjb

The reason why I think Israel matters is because I’m thinking that the rightwing rot from over here rolls over there and the rot over there makes an impact over here. I think shoring up and projecting a North American … Continue reading →

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Israel-Palestine and the Future of Liberal Judaism in America (Apocalyptic Impressions)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by zjb

    What shocked me the most, and I’m not sure why it did, about the recent report about the changing face of the Jewish community in New York (less secular, more orthodox and ultra-orthodox) is how much it reminds … Continue reading →

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Freedom and Conservative Claptrap – Liberal Judaism and the Changing Face of the “New York Jew”

Posted on June 17, 2012 by zjb

I’ve been thinking about the new study by Steven Cohen about the changing face of the New York Jewish community –more orthodox and ultra-orthodox, less liberal. A part of me thinks that this is not a big story. It has … Continue reading →

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The Ceremonial Performance of Aesthetic Judaism (Moses Mendelssohn)

Posted on June 3, 2012 by zjb

What has always interested me about and drawn me to religion is theater. My theory is that in the modern period, as art turns into religion, that religion turns into a kind of art. It goes back to the 18th … Continue reading →

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Tolerant of Your Beliefs — Judgmental of Your Shoes (NYC & Enlightenment Reason)

Posted on May 31, 2012 by zjb

I would prefer to be judged by my shoes. I saw this on a drive down the FDR on the way to the Brooklyn Bridge, and thought it was funny. I like how it sums up with such concision the … Continue reading →

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Politics (Or It Looks Like This)

Posted on May 7, 2012 by zjb

For an illiberal alternative to my last post about LBJ, consider the following presented by the good people at Foreign Policy. Now there’s a fellow who can tell you a little about the friend/enemy distinction. Please (don’t) enjoy the slideshow at … Continue reading →

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Politics (This is What It Looks Like)

Posted on May 7, 2012 by zjb

Didn’t Maimonides say something somewhere about political leadership and tall people? Be that as it may, this is what “the political” looks like. Forget friends, enemies, Carl Schmitt, and all that fascist stuff, or all that claptrap he wrote about … Continue reading →

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Urban Parks and Green Space-Political Theory

Posted on May 6, 2012 by zjb

  I took these photos last Monday while waiting to get my eyeglasses fixed. I needed someplace to go for a couple of hours other than Starbucks. I had just finished reading through a BA thesis and needed a change … Continue reading →

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Particularism-Universalism (A Second Response to Daniel Gordis)

Posted on April 25, 2012 by zjb

(Danny Caravan, White Square {?})   I’m not sure what he was expecting when he extolled the values of “tribalism” from his perch at the Shalem Center. Sort of like waving a red flag at a bullring. So Daniel Gordis’ … Continue reading →

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