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Why ‘beach reading’ is a joke on Jews like me

JL;DR SUMMARY The article explores the complex feelings Jewish individuals may experience when indulging in light summer reading amidst global turmoil, particularly from an Israeli perspective. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityTisha B'avIsraeli LiteratureGaza ConflictCoping MechanismsCrisisJonathan SacksEscapismSummer ReadingIddo Gefen

Places mentioned

Southern District, Israel
"Iddo Gefens Mrs. Lilienblums Cloud Factory is set in a village on the lip of a crater deep in the Negev Desert far from the bright lights of Tel Aviv and even Beersheba."
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Iddo Gefens Mrs. Lilienblums Cloud Factory is set in a village on the lip of a crater deep in the Negev Desert far from the bright lights of Tel Aviv and even Beersheba."
Beersheba, Southern District, Israel
"Iddo Gefens Mrs. Lilienblums Cloud Factory is set in a village on the lip of a crater deep in the Negev Desert far from the bright lights of Tel Aviv and even Beersheba."
New York, United States
"Gefen, who is also a doctoral student in cognitive neuroscience at Columbia University, feels remorse at times for living outside of Israel during the war."
Be'eri, Southern District, Israel
"But that doesnt mean he has been able to escape its impact. Last years anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia prompted him to write an essay for the Atlantic about his best friend, Maj. Sagi Golan, who was killed on Oct. 7 while defending Kibbutz Beeri."

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