On the Nose

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 KraussThanks 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 SoloveitchikRaphael Magarik’s letter about “On Loving Jews”Yair Wallach’s thread on “Jewish peoplehood”No Man’s Land by Rebecca PierceBooks Mentioned:Leviticus: The Book of Holiness by Rabbi Jonathan SacksThanks 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 CarrBooks Mentioned:Half-Truths and One-and-a-Half Truths by Karl KrausStudies on Hysteria by Sigmund Freud and Josef BreuerEros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud by Herbert MarcuseThe Romance of American Communism by Vivian GornickThe Republic by PlatoThanks 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 CohenBooks Mentioned:Politicide: The Real Legacy of Ariel Sharon by Baruch KimmerlingThanks 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,” SeinfeldBooks Mentioned:The Myth of the Shiksa and Other Essays by Edwin H. FriedmanThanks 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 CohenBooks Mentioned:We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame KabaMeir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical by Shaul MagidBlack Power, Jewish Politics by Marc DollingerSexual Justice by Alexandra BrodskyPolicing the Crisis by Stuart Hall, Chas Critcher, Tony Jefferson, John Clarke, and Brian RobertsThanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Is it worthwhile to focus our organizing on moving Jewish American public opinion on Israel/Palestine? How effective is it really in shifting the dynamics on the ground? Jewish Currents staff members discuss these questions.Then, starting at 33:58, we discuss one of the main questions we’ve received in the last week: How do I talk to my family about what’s happening? We recount personal victories and failures, and explore how people actually change their mind.Reading & Resources Mentioned in "In This Moment & Tough Conversations"Are 95% of Jews Really Zionists? by Caroline MorgantiJewish Americans in 2020 (Pew Study)Teshuvah: A Jewish Case for Palestinian Refugee Return by Peter BeinartUS media talks a lot about Palestinians — just without Palestinians by Maha NassarResponsa - How Not to Fight Antisemitism by Jewish Currents editorsA Guide to the Current Crisis in Israel/Palestine by Mari Cohen, Joshua Leifer, Alex KaneThe Palestinian Cause at a Moment of Transition, a conversation between Inès Abdel Razek, Salem Barahmeh, Dana El Kurd, and Fadi Quran Books Mentioned in "In This Moment & Tough Conversations"Jewish Power by JJ GoldbergWhere the Jews Aren't by Masha GessenThanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song "VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed)." Transcript will be available soon.

The cover of the Spring 2021 issue of Jewish Currents features a photograph that has proven controversial, eliciting a wide array of reactions, from disgust to accusations of antisemitism to schnoz pride. Editor-in-Chief Arielle Angel, Publisher Jacob Plitman, and Managing Editor Nathan Goldman sat down with Rachel Stern, the artist behind the photograph, to discuss the image, the response, and what it all might mean.Thanks to Santiago Helou Quintero for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song "VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed)."