On the Nose

On December 2nd, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)’s National Political Committee declined to expel New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman from the socialist organization. This decision capped a weeks-long debate within DSA over how to respond to Bowman’s “yes” vote on funding Israel’s anti-rocket Iron Dome system and his participation in a recent J Street trip to Israel/Palestine. Beyond the specific issue of how DSA should respond to Bowman’s divergence from the group’s line on Israel/Palestine, the controversy highlighted broader ideological and strategic questions: What’s the relationship between electoralism and the struggle for Palestinian rights? How should the left should relate to liberal Zionist groups like J Street? In this episode, Senior Reporter Alex Kane, Editor-in-Chief Arielle Angel, Assistant Editor Mari Cohen, and Fellow Dylan Saba discuss the Bowman debate and the questions it raises for the left. 

Articles Mentioned:

“Jamaal Bowman’s Trip to Israel Sparks Debate in DSA Over Electoral Strategy” by Alex Kane

“The Resilient Fiction of the Two-State Solution” by Joshua Leifer        

“Can Minneapolis Reimagine Policing?” by Nathan Goldman

“The Taming of Anti-Zionism in the United States” by Steve Salaita

“No, DSA Shouldn’t Expel Rep. Bowman” by Hadas Thier

Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

In May, writer and activist Sarah Schulman published Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993, to widespread acclaim. In a review for the Fall issue of Jewish Currents, Vicky Osterweil argued that the book, despite offering invaluable insight into the history of AIDS activism, is marred by structural elisions—especially of trans people—and is ultimately hagiographic rather than appropriately critical of the movement it chronicles. While Schulman’s response to the review provoked a controversy, Osterweil’s critique also ignited a discussion about the book itself, sometimes tied to broader disagreements about the theory and practice of both queer history and movement strategy. In a letter to the editor, writer and organizer Kay Gabriel contested Osterweil’s assessment of the book, arguing that it stands as a sober account of what took place. In this episode, Culture Editor Ari M. Brostoff convenes a discussion between Osterweil and Gabriel about Let the Record Show, the dangers of nostalgia, and the challenges of reckoning with our political forebears.

Books, Articles, Talks, and Projects Mentioned:

Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman

“What the Record Doesn’t Show” by Vicky Osterweil

Letter on “What the Record Doesn’t Show” by Kay Gabriel

ACT UP Oral History Project

“Being Street: The Trans Woman of Color as Evidence” by Jules Gill-Peterson

“Celebrating the Role of Trans People in the Fight Against HIV” by Michelle Ross

Untitled blog post by Bryn Kelly

“Diving into the Wreck” by Bryn Kelly

Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

In October, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared six Palestinian human rights organizations to be “terrorist” groups. The targeted groups form the backbone of Palestinian civil society. Collectively, the organizations document Israeli human rights abuses and offer direct aid to Palestinians crushed by the Israeli occupation, whether it’s farmers facing Israeli settler land theft or children detained in Israel’s military court system. Gantz’s declaration placed the organizations at severe risk, making their employees potentially subject to arrest for working in a banned organization.

To learn more about what’s behind Israel’s moves and what it means for the future of Palestinian civil society, Senior Reporter Alex Kane interviews Palestinian American analyst Yousef Munayyer and Sarit Michaeli, International Advocacy Officer for B’Tselem, the leading Israeli human rights organization. 

Articles Mentioned:

“Secret Israeli Document Offers No Proof to Justify Terror Label for Palestinian Groups,” by Yuval Abraham, Oren Ziv, Meron Rapoport

“The Long Arm of Israeli Repression,” by Yousef Munayyer

“Report: NSO Spyware Found on 6 Palestinian Activists’ Phones,” by Frank Bajak and Joseph Krauss

“Palestinian Diplomats Targeted by Israeli Spyware, Official Says,” by Patrick Kingsley and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad

“Private Israeli Spyware Used to Hack Cellphones,” by Dana Priest, Craig Timberg, and Souad Mekhennet 

Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Two weeks ago, Sunrise DC—a chapter of the climate action group Sunrise Movement—announced it would not participate in a voting rights rally because of the involvement of Zionist organizations, specifically naming three Jewish groups: the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, the National Council of Jewish Women, and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. This decision prompted immediate backlash and provoked a heated discussion: Some critics accused Sunrise of antisemitism for singling out Jewish groups without remarking on the Israel politics of non-Jewish groups associated with the rally, while others argued that the move was not antisemitic but simply unstrategic. Five days later, Sunrise DC put out a new statement apologizing for having “fueled antisemitism,” while also reaffirming a commitment to anti-Zionism and Palestine solidarity. In this episode, editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, culture editor Ari M. Brostoff, assistant editor Mari Cohen, and Jewish Currents fellow Dylan Saba discuss the questions this incident raises about the politics of anti-normalization, the Jewish left’s role in Palestine solidarity, and movement strategy more broadly.

Articles, Statements, and Publications Mentioned:

Sunrise DC’s initial statement on October 19th

Sunrise’s DC’s follow-up apology statement on October 24th

The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere by April Rosenblum

“Where Did the Past Go?” by Ben Lorber

Alex Kane’s conversation with Omari Hardy about his views on BDS

Sally Rooney’s statement about boycotting an Israeli publisher

“Inside ‘the Very Secret History’ of the Sunrise Movement” by Zahra Hirji and Ryan Brooks

“The Politics of ‘Jewface’” by Rebecca Pierce

Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

The past months have been tumultuous in the occupied West Bank. In April, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas cancelled parliamentary and presidential elections; in May, during protests following Israel’s assault on Gaza, Israeli soldiers killed dozens of Palestinians; in June, Palestinian Authority security forces killed Nizar Banat, a vocal critic of Abbas, setting off protests against the PA leader. To explore some of the recent developments in the region as well as their broader political context, Senior Reporter Alex Kane speaks with Jewish Currents contributor Dalia Hatuqa and activist and analyst Fadi Quran.

Articles Mentioned:

“A Prison Break Liberates the Palestinian Political Imagination” by Dalia Hatuqa

“Poll finds nearly 80% of Palestinians want Abbas to resign” by Joseph Krauss

Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

We recently published two pieces—”On Loving Jews” by editor-in-chief Arielle Angel and “Reclaiming the Covenant of Fate” by editor-at-large Peter Beinart—investigating what, if anything, Jews owe one another, especially across fundamental political divides such as disputes over Zionism and Palestinian freedom. This episode features two conversations digging deeper into the question of Jewish solidarity. In the first, Angel and Beinart explore the places their pieces overlap and diverge; in the second, Angel speaks with contributing writer Rebecca Pierce about how she thinks about “Jewish peoplehood,” communal obligations, and organizing as a Jew of color.

Articles, Threads, and Films Mentioned:

“On Loving Jews” by Arielle Angel

“Reclaiming the Covenant of Fate” by Peter Beinart

“Listen, My Beloved Knocks” by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik

Raphael Magarik’s letter about “On Loving Jews”

Yair Wallach’s thread on “Jewish peoplehood”

No Man’s Land by Rebecca Pierce

Books Mentioned:

Leviticus: The Book of Holiness by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

As climate change-induced flooding and wildfires wreak havoc across the globe, and the Delta variant brings us into another perilous phase of the pandemic, the Jewish Currents staff is thinking about political depression—and how to cope with it. What does it mean to bring political feelings into therapy? Editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, publisher Jacob Plitman, culture editor Ari M. Brostoff, and contributing editor Joshua Leifer discuss the relationship between melancholia and the left, the difficulties of reconciling the therapeutic subject with the social collective of movement politics, and how therapy might be radicalized.

Listen to On the Nose and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Articles and Podcasts Mentioned:

“Beautiful Losers” by Sam Adler-Bell

“How to Be Depressed” from Know Your Enemy

“Feel Tank” by Lauren Berlant

“The Family Romance of American Communism” by Ari M. Brostoff

“I Feel Better Now” by Jake Bittle

“The Anti-Antidepressant Syndicate” by Jess McAllen

“Scientology’s Lonely Turf War” by Danielle Carr

Books Mentioned:

Half-Truths and One-and-a-Half Truths by Karl Kraus

Studies on Hysteria by Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer

Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud by Herbert Marcuse

The Romance of American Communism by Vivian Gornick

The Republic by Plato

Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

It’s been a rough few weeks for the “pro-Israel” establishment, from a pitiful showing at the “No Fear” rally against antisemitism (whose “big tent” excluded non-Zionists), to the release of a Jewish Electorate Institute survey of American Jewish voters showing surprisingly prevelant left-wing attitudes about Israel, to last week’s announcement that Ben & Jerry’s will stop selling ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories. Editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, culture editor Ari M. Brostoff, assistant editor Mari Cohen, and contributing editor Joshua Leifer discuss these developments, what they suggest about evolving public opinion among American Jews, and what questions they raise about Jewish institutional engagement and political education.

Articles Mentioned:

Jewish Electorate Institute’s “July 2021 National Survey of Jewish Voters”

“I helped organize the Washington rally against antisemitism. It wasn’t perfect, but it was necessary” by Elisha Wiesel

“How Zionism complicated a Capitol rally against antisemitism” by Arno Rosenfeld

“No More Slogans” by Bruce Abramson and Jeff Ballabon

“Are 95% of Jews Really Zionists?” by Caroline Morganti

“The Genocide of the Palestinian People: An International and Human Rights Perspective”

“The question of genocide in Palestine, 1948: an exchange between Martin Shaw and Omer Bartov”

“What Happened to IfNotNow?” by Aaron Freedman

“Avodah Considers Stepping Out on Israel/Palestine” by Mari Cohen

“Ben & Jerry’s Tests Anti-BDS Laws” by Mari Cohen

Books Mentioned:

Politicide: The Real Legacy of Ariel Sharon by Baruch Kimmerling

Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

The recent Jewish Currents staff roundtable on “intermarriage,” “Jewish continuity,” and the fraught institutional discourse on these topics occasioned a wide variety of responses, including the question: How might the conversation look different if it included non-Jewish partners of Jews? So we decided to find out! In the second episode of our new podcast, On the Nose, editor-in-chief Arielle Angel and her husband Michael M., managing editor Nathan Goldman and his wife Bridget Bergin, web editor Nora Caplan-Bricker and her husband Tom Stackpole, and culture editor Ari M. Brostoff and their roommate Daniel Drake reflect on the intermarriage roundtable and the questions it raised for them about what Jewishness means.

Articles and TV Episodes Mentioned:

“What We Talk About When We Talk About ‘Intermarriage’” by Jewish Currents editors

“The Yada Yada,” Seinfeld

Books Mentioned:

The Myth of the Shiksa and Other Essays by Edwin H. Friedman

Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Welcome to the first official episode of the Jewish Currents podcast, On the Nose. After a brief conversation about the show’s title, editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, publisher Jacob Plitman, managing editor Nathan Goldman, and assistant editor Mari Cohen discuss the Anti-Defamation League’s recent survey of American Jews about their perceptions and understanding of antisemitism, in the wake of a reported “uptick in antisemitic incidents.” We discuss what it means that the survey suggests American Jews widely conflate anti-Zionism and certain criticisms of Israel with antisemitism. What’s the relationship between claims of antisemitism and feelings of discomfort? How does this misunderstanding relate to the left’s thinking about the authority of subjective experience and the politics of feelings? What can Jewish identity politics teach us about the power and limits of identity politics writ large?

Articles and Podcasts Mentioned:

“Survey of American Jews since Recent Violence in Israel” by the Anti-Defamation League

“Preliminary ADL Data Reveals Uptick in Antisemitic Incidents Linked to Recent Mideast Violence” by the Anti-Defamation League

“A Closer Look at the ‘Uptick’ in Antisemitism” by Mari Cohen

“Jewish Americans in 2020” (Pew study)

“The Collective Work of Abolition” by Claire Schwartz

“How Not to Fight Antisemitism” by Jewish Currents editors

“How not to think like a cop, with Naomi Murakawa” from Time To Say Goodbye

“Fears of Government Surveillance Complicate Muslim Groups’ Access to Federal Security Funding” by Mari Cohen

Books Mentioned:

We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba

Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical by Shaul Magid

Black Power, Jewish Politics by Marc Dollinger

Sexual Justice by Alexandra Brodsky

Policing the Crisis by Stuart Hall, Chas Critcher, Tony Jefferson, John Clarke, and Brian Roberts

Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”