Jewish Currents

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

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

26 Sep

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

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

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

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

Jewish Currents The Siege of Jenin - In a brutal, ten-day-long incursion, the Israeli army reduced large swaths of the West Bank city to ruin. 12 Sep

The recent Israeli military incursion into the West Bank city of Jenin, described as the largest in the region since the Second Intifada, has left large sect...

12 Sep

Jewish Currents Hero vs. Common Fate - "It is the hero’s instinct to move / in a different direction, away from the crowd—" 6 Sep

Harryette Mullen's poem "Hero vs. Common Fate" challenges the traditional perception of heroism by juxtaposing the notion of the hero against the common crow...

6 Sep

Jewish Currents Kamala's Convention - 23 Aug

The article by Max Freedman explores the Jewish community in South Florida, particularly Miami, and their firm Zionist viewpoints, examining whether these po...

23 Aug

Jewish Currents The Hösses’ Colonial Paradise - Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest disrupts the genre of Holocaust cinema by re-situating the Shoah in history. 21 Aug

Jonathan Glazer's film "The Zone of Interest" disrupts traditional Holocaust cinema by portraying Nazis not as supernatural figures, but as ordinary individu...

21 Aug

Jewish Currents Inside the Movement to Settle Southern Lebanon - Building on the successes of the Israeli settler movement, a new ultra-right group is seeking to open yet another front for conquest. 19 Aug

A new ultra-right group named Uri Tzafon seeks to settle southern Lebanon with Israeli civilian settlements, building on the momentum of the Israeli settler ...

19 Aug

Jewish Currents Chattahoochee - 14 Aug

In the poem "Chattahoochee", the narrator undergoes a transformation both in terms of gender and personal experience. The river serves as a metaphor for chan...

14 Aug

Jewish Currents Carcass - 14 Aug

"Carcass" is a ceramic installation that focuses on ocean degradation, particularly coral bleaching and plastic pollution, by featuring sculptures of endange...

14 Aug

Jewish Currents Bodies of Water - Shoog McDaniel’s photographs of queer life in rural Florida present a world where all bodies are sacred. 12 Aug

Shoog McDaniels' photographs of queer life in rural Florida highlight the sacredness of all bodies. McDaniels expresses a deep connection to the natural worl...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Searching for the Jewish Future in South Florida - Does Miami’s hardline Zionist consensus make it an outlier in American Jewish life—or a harbinger of things to come? 12 Aug

Miami's Jewish community in South Florida is described as unique and vibrant, with a strong emphasis on Zionism and Jewish identity. The community has high r...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Workers Circle Branch 692 in Miami Beach - An excerpt from a 1949 chapter history 12 Aug

Branch 692 of the left-wing Yiddish fraternal organization Workers Circle in Miami Beach, founded in 1926, faced internal conflicts during the Communist-Soci...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents The Energetic Executive - Ron DeSantis wants to make his blueprint for Florida—outlined in the rancorous memoir written for his failed presidential campaign—into a model for the rest of the country. 12 Aug

Ron DeSantis, the energetic executive, aims to replicate his Florida blueprint nationally, using his failed presidential campaign memoir as a model. Despite ...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents The Jewish Revolutionaries of Key West - In the last years of the 19th century, Jews inspired by the fight for Cuban independence joined the fray, running weapons to their comrades on the other side of the Florida Straits. 12 Aug

In the late 19th century, Jewish involvement in Cuban independence movements impacted Key West, where Jewish cigar manufacturers had ties with Spanish tobacc...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents DEATH TO DICTATORS - 12 Aug

The text tells a story of rebellion against dictators, as a young girl and her friend engage in an act of throwing a rock at a dictator's house. The girl, in...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents “No One Is Coming to Save Us” - Eight Florida activists on the experience of organizing under Governor Ron DeSantis’s far-right onslaught. 12 Aug

Activists in Florida reflect on organizing efforts under Governor Ron DeSantis's right-wing administration, which has implemented a series of aggressive and ...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents “Our North Is the South” - An experiment in radical education 12 Aug

The text recounts the author's experience with the Third World Feminist School in South Florida, highlighting their ongoing commitment to radical education, ...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Buenezas of South Florida - How plant wisdom connects Indigenous communities and the diasporas that make their homes in the region 12 Aug

The text discusses the intersection of plant wisdom, Indigenous communities, and diasporas in South Florida, emphasizing the cultural and healing connections...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents What It Means to Speak With the Dead - A session with a Florida medium in a time of genocide 12 Aug

The text describes a personal experience with a medium named Lawrence, where the author connects with the spirit of their deceased friend Dan. The session ra...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Ghosts of the Groves - In Israel and Florida, violent parallel histories of citrus cultivation have set the stage for a budding agricultural alliance. 12 Aug

In a piece discussing the intertwined histories of citrus cultivation in Israel and Florida, it is highlighted how the decline of the Florida citrus industry...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Memories of A Here-and-Now Place - The end of old Jewish Miami Beach and the rise of Little Haiti, 1977–1986 12 Aug

The text discusses the influx of Haitian refugees into the US in the 1970s and 1980s, contrasting their treatment with that of Cuban refugees under various U...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents More Truth - To truly oppose the right’s attacks on education, Jewish communities must face Palestinian history. 12 Aug

The text discusses the impact of censorship on education, particularly in relation to Jewish communities and Palestinian history. It recounts instances of bo...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents The Book of Randy - How a Jewish, pro-Israel Florida state rep is building power within the “America First” right. 12 Aug

Florida State Representative Randy Fine, a Jewish and pro-Israel figure, operates in a predominantly Christian area where Jews are a minority. Fine has faced...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Florida Is Everywhere - And we’re all out of time. 12 Aug

The article discusses how Governor Ron DeSantis has transformed Florida into a testing ground for right-wing policies, circumventing democratic processes to ...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Paradis Lost - The life and death of a radical Miami bookstore 12 Aug

Paradis Books & Bread, a radical Miami bookstore and cafe, experiences a clash when a group of patrons engage in offensive conversations, prompting the owner...

12 Aug

Jewish Currents Is This Anything? - Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Long Island Compromise reproduces the nullity at the heart of contemporary American Jewish life. 2 Aug

In "Is This Anything? - Taffy Brodesser-Akner's Long Island Compromise," the novel is critiqued for reproducing a sense of emptiness within contemporary Amer...

2 Aug

Jewish Currents (How) Should We Vote? - An investigation through Jewish text on the ethics of choosing the “lesser of two evils.” 1 Aug

The discussion revolves around the ethical dilemma of choosing between political candidates seen as destroyers. One participant draws parallels to Jewish tex...

1 Aug

Jewish Currents A Legal Justification for Genocide - By expanding the human shielding charge to every inch of Gaza, Israel is using a familiar strategy at an unprecedented scale. 17 Jul

The text discusses Israel's alleged use of the human shielding accusation as a legal justification for genocide in Gaza, focusing on the targeting of civilia...

17 Jul

Jewish Currents “Any Second They Could Come” - As Israeli demolitions and settler attacks escalate, Palestinians in the village of Umm al-Khair stare down the possibility of expulsion. 11 Jul

Palestinian residents in the village of Umm al-Khair face escalating threats of expulsion from Israeli demolitions and settler attacks. Settlers exploit mome...

11 Jul

Jewish Currents The Rise of October 7th Tourism - Harrowing “solidarity tours” of Israel are reinscribing American Jews’ sense of victimhood. 3 Jul

American Jews are increasingly participating in solidarity tours to Israel, particularly to areas like Kfar Azza, in an attempt to reaffirm their support for...

3 Jul

Jewish Currents “The Law Cannot Let Itself See the Nakba” - Rabea Eghbariah on the restorative potential of codifying “Nakba” as a legal concept. 2 Jul

Rabea Eghbariah, a Palestinian legal scholar, advocates for recognizing the Nakba as a legal concept to describe the ongoing oppression of Palestinians by Zi...

2 Jul

Jewish Currents Safer in the Streets, Volume 2 - A free, shareable tool for protesters illustrating best practices for dealing with the police. 25 Jun

"Safer in the Streets, Volume 2" is a zine created by a collective of cartoonists in response to the Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd's murder ...

25 Jun

Jewish Currents Why Ceasefire Talks Are Stuck - A breakdown of the political dynamics that have prevented a ceasefire in Gaza. 24 Jun

Ceasefire talks in Gaza have been stalled despite a three-step proposal by President Biden that Hamas seems receptive to, with Israel expressing doubts. Hama...

24 Jun

Jewish Currents Examining the ADL’s Antisemitism Audit - A line-by-line reassessment of the organization’s data illuminates the flaws in its methodology. 17 Jun

The ADL's Antisemitism Audit, which tracks antisemitic incidents in the US, has come under scrutiny for its methodology. In 2023, out of 16,040 incidents tra...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents Self-Rule Without Sovereignty - Political scientist Diana B. Greenwald on the promises and pitfalls of Palestinian local governance in the shadow of Israeli occupation. 17 Jun

Political scientist Diana B. Greenwald discusses Palestinian local governance under Israeli occupation, showcasing how even at the local level, Palestinian l...

17 Jun

Jewish Currents “In the Middle of Fighting for Freedom We Found Ourselves Free” - June Jordan’s 1993 tribute to Audre Lorde, her sister-in-arms from the ’60s student protests and beyond 29 May

June Jordan's 1993 tribute to Audre Lorde reflects on their shared activism in the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, particularly during student protes...

29 May

Jewish Currents The Complicity of Israeli Academia - Scholar Maya Wind discusses Israeli universities’ longstanding role in Palestinian subjugation. 23 May

Maya Wind discusses the complicity of Israeli academia in Palestinian subjugation and the ongoing occupation. She highlights how Israeli universities have hi...

23 May

Jewish Currents After More Than 100 Arms Shipments to Israel, Biden Withholds One - Experts say the administration’s attempt to “send a message” to Israel falls flat as it skirts legal requirements to cut off arms transfers. 16 May

President Biden announced on CNN that the US would halt certain arms shipments to Israel following civilian casualties in Gaza. While some Republicans critic...

16 May

Jewish Currents The Right’s Anti-Israel Insurgents - A burgeoning anti-Zionist strain in the America First movement looks to capitalize on popular disaffection over Palestine for its own ends. 15 May

A growing anti-Zionist sentiment within the America First movement, as exemplified by Tucker Carlson’s interview with Palestinian Pastor Munther Isaac, is ch...

15 May

Jewish Currents Yiddish Anarchists' Break Over Palestine - An exchange in the anarchist newspaper Di fraye arbeter shtime after the 1929 Hebron massacre offers a case study in Jewish discourse and political reaction after immense violence. 10 May

An exchange in the anarchist newspaper "Di fraye arbeter shtime" following the 1929 Hebron massacre delves into Jewish discourse and political reactions. An ...

10 May

Jewish Currents The Anti-Union Lobby’s Newest Weapon - Now armed with cynical antisemitism allegations, the corporate-backed effort to destroy unions is ramping up. 10 May

Anti-union forces are utilizing cynical allegations of antisemitism to undermine labor unions, as seen in lawsuits against the Association of Legal Aid Attor...

10 May

Jewish Currents Reviving the Language of Empire - Aziz Rana on revisiting the anti-imperialism of the 1960s and ’70s amid the return of left internationalism. 9 May

Aziz Rana discusses revisiting the anti-imperialism of the 1960s and 70s amidst the resurgence of left internationalism. He challenges the idea that the radi...

9 May

Jewish Currents Who Has the Right to “Disrupt” the University? - The very administrators now cracking down on student protests’ “disruptiveness” have been dismantling higher education for decades. 3 May

Administrators at various universities, including Columbia, have taken harsh measures against student protesters seeking divestment from Israel, leading to h...

3 May

Jewish Currents Campus in Crisis - 3 May

The comic "Put Up, Take Down" by Solomon Brager portrays a hostage poster diary, highlighting the theme of a campus in crisis. Through the illustrations, Bra...

3 May

Jewish Currents Anatomy of a Moral Panic - The repressive machine currently arrayed against campus protests follows a familiar pattern. 2 May

Pro-Palestine student protests on college campuses are met with violent crackdowns, justified by some mainstream media as necessary to combat alleged antisem...

2 May

Jewish Currents How Much Must We Sacrifice for Justice? - An investigation through Jewish text, in the wake of Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation for Gaza 26 Apr

This text explores the concept of sacrifice and justice through Jewish texts in the aftermath of Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation for Gaza. The discussion de...

26 Apr

Jewish Currents Weird Passover - 19 Apr

Hal Schrieve, a librarian in New York, considers Leslie Feinberg's Drag King Dreams to be their most relevant religious text. Schrieve's first book, Out of S...

19 Apr

Jewish Currents Co-Resistance at a Crossroads - As anti-Palestinian violence in the West Bank reaches new heights, a beleaguered movement gathers to reflect. 16 Apr

The article discusses a gathering of Palestinian and Israeli activists involved in civil resistance in the West Bank, particularly in the Masafer Yatta regio...

16 Apr

Jewish Currents Weeping for Babylon - Avi Shlaim discusses the factors behind the exodus of Iraqi Jews and how the concept of the “Arab-Jew” can chart an alternative future. 15 Apr

Avi Shlaim's discussion of the exodus of Iraqi Jews sheds light on the abrupt dissolution of Jewish life in Iraq following the establishment of Israel, which...

15 Apr