Jewish Currents

Jewish Currents Auditing the Hindu American Foundation’s Claims of “Hinduphobia” - The group regularly misclassifies anti-Asian racism, anti-Muslim violence, and criticism of Hindu nationalism as anti-Hindu hate. 8 Jul

The Jewish Currents article investigates the Hindu American Foundation's (HAF) claims of widespread Hinduphobia in the United States, finding that many incid...

8 Jul

Jewish Currents Inside the New Group Giving Antisemitism Trainings at Harvard - Project Shema, increasingly a presence on university campuses, uses progressive language while foregrounding the "harm" of anti-Zionism. 2 Jul

Project Shema, a group using progressive language to address antisemitism, has been gaining visibility, particularly in university settings like Harvard. Fou...

2 Jul

Jewish Currents Fertility Series - 1 Jul

Ellie Lobovits' work in the Fertility Series delves into complex themes of queer feminist identity using various forms like photography, film, and text. Thro...

1 Jul

Jewish Currents Portraits of Before - Collective members create a shared origin story from their pre-immigration photos. 1 Jul

The Cheburashka Collective utilizes pre-immigration photos to weave a narrative of shared origins, exploring the impact of past experiences on collective ide...

1 Jul

Jewish Currents Hide and Seek - 1 Jul

Jenny Yurshansky uses her experience as a refugee to inform her artistic work, which delves into themes of displacement, belonging, and otherness. Her practi...

1 Jul

Jewish Currents Left Electoralism After Mamdani: A Roundtable - A strategy discussion on the opportunities and risks created by the DSA candidate’s primary win in New York City. 1 Jul

Zohran Mamdani's nomination as the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor represents a significant milestone for the Democratic Socialists of America (...

1 Jul

Jewish Currents A New Playbook for Democratic Critics of Israel - Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory shows pro-Palestine candidates how to win without abandoning their values. 30 Jun

Zohran Mamdani's primary victory in New York demonstrates a strategic approach for Democratic candidates who wish to challenge U.S. support for Israel withou...

30 Jun

Jewish Currents Zionism: A People Reborn - 27 Jun

Eli Valley's report delves into the complex dynamics surrounding Zionism and the modern interpretation of pro-Palestinian activism as potential hate speech. ...

27 Jun

Jewish Currents Egypt Cracks Down on the “Global March to Gaza” - By suppressing an effort to break the Gaza siege, activists say Egypt has once again prioritized its alignment with Israel and the US over its stated commitments to Palestinian rights. 23 Jun

Activists from the International Coalition Against the Israeli Occupation faced severe repression from Egyptian authorities as they attempted the Global Marc...

23 Jun

Jewish Currents New York Holocaust Museum Removed Trump Images From Hate Speech Exhibit - Critics say the deletion—due to a board member’s intervention—exemplifies how museum leadership has increasingly catered to the right. 18 Jun

The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York has come under scrutiny for removing images of former President Donald Trump from an exhibit on hate speech followi...

18 Jun

Jewish Currents How Support for Palestine Became a Hate Crime - A celebrated civil rights law is being used to target those opposing crimes against humanity—and ruining lives in the process. 17 Jun

Mari Cohen's article addresses the contentious issue of how legal systems are handling acts of protest and the tension between pro-Palestinian activism and c...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents Who Might We Become for Each Other? - A conversation about Black–Palestinian interconnectedness and the legacy of June Jordan 17 Jun

This compelling discussion explores the historical and strategic interconnectedness between Black and Palestinian liberation movements, drawing inspiration f...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents What's Ours - Myriam Boulos’s photographs probe the porous boundaries between everyday life and revolutionary rupture. 17 Jun

Myriam Boulos's photographic series, "What's Ours," captures the vibrant and tumultuous reality of contemporary Lebanon, particularly during the October 17 R...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents Les petites vieilles - "The other wishes she were in Beirut, / but the Beirut she thought she knew is not there" 17 Jun

Marilyn Hacker's poem portrays two octogenarian women reminiscing over their past involvements with the Middle East, particularly Palestine and Beirut, refle...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents We Need New Jewish Institutions - Sustaining the struggle will require spaces for reimagining our tradition. 17 Jun

Amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza, leftist Jewish activists in the U.S. grapple with the perceived collapse of traditional Jewish institutions tied to Zion...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents Laura Whitehorn - “We must have courage and not run for the hills.” 17 Jun

The conversation with Laura Whitehorn, a former political prisoner, explores connections between struggles against political oppression in various contexts, ...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents The Sympathy Trap - On Mohammed El-Kurd's Perfect Victims 17 Jun

Jackie Wang's review of Mohammed El-Kurd's book "Perfect Victims: and the Politics of Appeal" discusses the problematic narrative of portraying Palestinians ...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents The Gavel and the Gun - Palestinian history shows that armed struggle campaigns often catalyze gains in international lawmaking. 17 Jun

Darryl Li's analysis delves into the significant shifts in international legal responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the October 2023 Opera...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents Another Example of Repetition - "Meanwhile sanguinity is swinging / songs during smoke-filled galas / in cities that move images as Gods move mountains." 17 Jun

Fady Joudah's poem weaves together themes of historical cycles, environmental gratitude, and media criticism, blending the personal with the collective. The ...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents What You Deserve - Be careful what you wish for, is the moral of the story, except when the moral is something more like: unless, what if, if only. 17 Jun

In a modern twist on Jewish mystical traditions, Jess, a struggling artist, becomes embroiled in the creation of a golem as she prepares for a critical art s...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents The Measure of the World - By attending to the vibrant specificity of Black life, poet Dionne Brand contests the cruel mathematics of empire. 17 Jun

Dionne Brand, a renowned poet, reflects on the loss of ancestral identity through her seminal 2001 work, "A Map to the Door of No Return." This exploration o...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents History Lesson - On Adam Kirsch and settler colonialism 17 Jun

Laleh Khalili critiques Adam Kirsch's denial of the settler colonialism framework as applicable to Israel by detailing historical examples from the early 20t...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents The Tangled Knot of Anti-Zionist Violence - Doubling down on the conflation of Zionism and Judaism won’t stop violent attacks. 11 Jun

Daniel May explores the complex relationship between Zionism and Judaism in light of recent violent attacks linked to anti-Zionist sentiments in the U.S. He ...

11 Jun

Jewish Currents The Era of Unconditional Support for Israel Is Ending - Trump’s redefinition of America’s imperial role is emboldening US officials to distinguish American interests from Israeli ones—and freeing European governments to challenge the Jewish state. 6 Jun

Peter Beinart delves into the evolving dynamics of U.S. and European support for Israel, signifying a departure from the longstanding notion that the interes...

6 Jun

Jewish Currents Trump’s Illegal Cuts to University Funding, Explained - The administration is using Title VI to justify the suspension of federal grants, while completely leapfrogging the legal process. 5 Jun

The Trump administration's unprecedented cuts to federal university funding have targeted pro-Palestinian activism, labeled as antisemitic by Trump. While th...

5 Jun

Jewish Currents Marketing Authoritarianism - Mimicking his Salvadoran ally Nayib Bukele, Trump is using spectacles of disappearance to project a total power he does not yet possess. 4 Jun

In a disturbing display of power, former U.S. President Donald Trump is emulating Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele by using dramatic depictions of deportati...

4 Jun

Jewish Currents The End of the Marty Peretz Era - At a controversial event at the Center for Jewish History, Trump donor Bill Ackman held his own against an exhausted brand of liberalism. 30 May

The gathering at the Center for Jewish History served as a reflection on the shifting dynamics of American Jewish liberalism with regard to education and fre...

30 May

Jewish Currents Staying in Motion - The JVP national members meeting was a show of force at a moment of alarming vulnerability to repression. 28 May

The Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) National Members Meeting in Baltimore showcased both the strength and vulnerability of the anti-Zionist Jewish movement. Ove...

28 May

Jewish Currents Unpacking the Rift Between Trump and Netanyahu - The president has sought to separate US interests from Israeli interests abroad, even as he represses Israel critics at home. 21 May

Tensions between Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have escalated as Trump's foreign policy shifts, especially concerning the Middle...

21 May

Jewish Currents The Group Forging a “Judeo-Christian” Zionism for the New MAGA Age - Israel365’s decades of outreach to Christian Zionists has made it a power player from the World Zionist Congress to the White House. 21 May

Israel365, a group led by Rabbi Tuly Weisz, is reshaping the landscape of the World Zionist Congress by promoting a Judeo-Christian Zionism aligned with the ...

21 May

Jewish Currents How Should Activists Relate to Risk? - An investigation through Jewish text, in the wake of escalating violence in the West Bank against Palestinians and their allies 14 May

Jewish social activist Aryeh Bernstein interviews Maya Rosen, a Jerusalem-based organizer who works with Palestinian communities in the West Bank, focusing o...

14 May

Jewish Currents The Destruction of Khalet a-Daba’ - The largest demolition in the history of Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank portends an escalation of Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in the region. 13 May

The demolition of Khalet a-Daba in Masafer Yatta on May 5th marked a significant escalation in Israeli actions within the West Bank. A vast majority of the v...

13 May

Jewish Currents Wrestling with Martin Buber - The Zionist philosopher couldn’t escape a colonial mindset, but his binationalist vision offers a way forward in Israel/Palestine. 6 May

Martin Buber's vision of a Zionism integrated with Palestinian national interests presents an intellectual conundrum for Palestinian thinkers. Contrasting wi...

6 May

Jewish Currents A Leftist’s Guide to Tariffs - Despite purporting to “bring back jobs,” Trump’s trade war continues the capitalist offensive of the free trade regime. 29 Apr

Exploring President Trump's tariff policy, this article provides a leftist perspective on the implications of his trade maneuvers, particularly highlighting ...

29 Apr

Jewish Currents Training for NYPD Officers Categorized the Keffiyeh and Watermelon as Antisemitic Symbols - Experts say the training reinforced a police culture that treats Palestinians and their supporters with suspicion and brutality. 24 Apr

A contentious NYPD training session on antisemitism has drawn criticism for associating pro-Palestinian symbols, such as the keffiyeh and watermelon, with an...

24 Apr

Jewish Currents Prisoners and Activists Push Back on HALT Act Suspension in New York - The pause of a landmark state reform to solitary confinement exemplifies today’s backlash to the fight against mass incarceration. 22 Apr

New York's recent suspension of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act highlights ongoing struggles against mass incarceration ...

22 Apr

Jewish Currents “All He Draws Is Monsters!” - Understanding Zionist forefather Max Nordau’s vision of “degenerate” art and his attitudes toward diaspora Jews can illuminate our present-day crisis. 18 Apr

Max Nordau, a key figure in early Zionist thought, is known for his controversial views on art and his role in shaping perceptions of Jewish identity. In the...

18 Apr

Jewish Currents “A Void Only the Houthis Are Filling” - Yemen scholar Helen Lackner explains how the rebel group, once unpopular among its subjects and peripheral in the region, has seen its legitimacy grow due to its action on Gaza. 15 Apr

In an insightful interview with Yemen scholar Helen Lackner, Jewish Currents explores the growing legitimacy of the Houthi rebel group due to its active oppo...

15 Apr

Jewish Currents The Four Ivies - 11 Apr

Eli Valley's report examines how pro-Israel groups have leveraged Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to silence pro-Palestinian speech on campuses. This legal ...

11 Apr

Jewish Currents Against Zionist Realism - Is “Not In Our Name” Jewish organizing around Palestine inflating our culpability as Jews—and downplaying our complicity as Americans? 9 Apr

Jon Danforth-Appell examines the complexities within Jewish activism concerning Palestinian solidarity, particularly focusing on the dynamics surrounding Jew...

9 Apr

Jewish Currents Canary Mission’s Newest Funders - Two Jewish American philanthropists supported the group in 2023, including the foundation of a board member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 4 Apr

Canary Mission, an organization known for its aggressive tactics against pro-Palestine activists, continues to receive funding from influential Jewish Americ...

4 Apr

Jewish Currents Chuck Schumer Cannot Meet the Moment - In his new book on antisemitism, the minority leader offers a vision of progress without popular struggle that profoundly underestimates the Trump threat. 3 Apr

Chuck Schumer's new book, "Antisemitism in America: A Warning," has been released at a contentious moment, as its content and timing have led to criticism fr...

3 Apr

Jewish Currents The Deportation Dragnet - With universities’ collaboration, the Trump administration is targeting noncitizens on campus—and paving the way for an expansive immigration crackdown. 2 Apr

In recent years, the Trump administration has intensified its hardline immigration policies by leveraging the legal discretion of the State Department and th...

2 Apr

Jewish Currents Parsing Anti-Hamas Protests and Pro-Israel PR - Political analyst Muhammad Shehada discusses the cynical exploitation of Gazans’ demonstrations, and Israel’s investment in keeping Hamas in power. 1 Apr

In the backdrop of ongoing violence in Gaza, Palestinians protested against Israel's intensified attacks and Hamas governance. The protests, driven by desper...

1 Apr

Jewish Currents Palestinian Hostage Families’ Long Wait - For the loved ones of some Palestinian captives, the short-lived ceasefire offered a painful road to reunion. 28 Mar

The article provides a poignant account of the emotional roller-coaster experienced by Palestinian families during a fleeting ceasefire that promised the rel...

28 Mar

Jewish Currents On the Squeezing - The Parable of the Lemons 20 Mar

The article presents a metaphorically vivid and provocative narrative of lemon squeezing, likening it to a form of conquest and destruction with historical e...

20 Mar

Jewish Currents A Progressive Education Nonprofit’s Silence on Gaza - Facing History & Ourselves, which is known for its model lessons on genocide, has angered staff and disappointed teachers with its refusal to provide resources about Gaza. 25 Feb

Facing History & Ourselves, a nonprofit known for its educational resources on genocide and human rights, faces internal and external criticism for its handl...

25 Feb

Jewish Currents After the Encampments - For the student movement, translating chaos into real leverage will require a “long-haul protest” that sustains the crisis semester after semester. 26 Sep 2024

Student movements across several universities, including Northwestern, Rutgers, Brown, Columbia, and the New School, faced challenges in leveraging protests ...

26 Sep 2024

Jewish Currents PURE&LOVE - "because the/ heart can’t pump love / all day, it takes it away / for matters of living—" 20 Sep 2024

Ahmad Almallah's poem "PURE&LOVE" explores themes of grief and relational dynamics through an avant-garde poetic structure. The work challenges traditional n...

20 Sep 2024

Jewish Currents A Dangerous Alliance - UCLA students arguing that Zionism is a First Amendment-protected religious belief have joined a powerful right-wing legal project. 13 Sep 2024

A recent federal ruling deemed support for Israel as a First Amendment-protected religious belief for Jewish students at UCLA, amidst campus anti-Zionist pro...

13 Sep 2024