On the Nose

On this episode, Jewish Currents Editor-in-Chief Arielle Angel talks with her mother, Jeri Cohen, co-founder of the Women’s Emergency Network, the first abortion fund in South Florida. Cohen, who spent 28 years as a judge in child abuse and dependency court, retired two years ago and has since gotten back into the struggle for reproductive justice. But the movement has changed since the peak of her involvement in the ’70s and ’80s, rooting itself in different political frameworks and organizing cultures, and she now finds herself a fish out of water—a committed liberal on the cusp of 70, learning the mores of the contemporary left. Cohen discusses the process of reacquainting herself with the struggle that defined her young adulthood and which has subsequently transformed.If you liked this podcast, please donate to the Women’s Emergency Network, an abortion fund serving women in South Florida.

On this episode, Jewish Currents Contributing Editor Joshua Leifer talks with Oren Ziv—co-founder of the award-winning photojournalist collective Activestills and reporter for +972 Magazine and its Hebrew sister site, Local Call—about Oren’s decade-plus experience documenting protest and resistance in Israel/Palestine. Since the Activestills collective’s founding in 2005, Ziv and the group have captured some of the most iconic, and often painful, images of social and political struggle: from the demonstrations against the Israeli separation barrier in the late 2000s, to the campaign for African asylum seekers’ rights in the 2010s, to the opposition to gentrification in the Mizrahi neighborhood of Givat Amal, and much more. Ziv’s own dogged reporting has made him one of the most perceptive journalists in the field; through his camera, Ziv has opened up the injustices of the occupation to the world. Ziv discusses his journalistic method and the experience of documenting the violence of apartheid.One note: This conversation was recorded before August 18th, when Israeli forces raided and sealed the offices of six leading Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations in the occupied West Bank.Articles, Statements, and Websites Mentioned“Bil’in: Photographing a decade of popular struggle” by Activestills“Desperation and hope in the eviction of Givat Amal” by Haggai Matar“Reconstruction of Umm al-Hiran killings disproves car-ramming claims” by Yael MaromVisual investigation of Umm al-Hiran incident, by Forensic Architecture and Activiestills“Joint militias: How settlers and soldiers teamed up to kill four Palestinians” by Yuval Abraham“Sent to Rwanda by Israel: ‘We have no food or work. Don’t come here’” by Oren Ziv“At Tel Aviv rally, a Mizrahi-asylum seeker alliance is born” by Joshua Leifer“Israeli gunfire killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, U.N. says” by Bill Chappell“Secret Israeli document offers no proof to justify terror label for Palestinian groups” by Yuval Abraham, Oren Ziv, and Meron Rapoport“‘You will pay the price’: Shin Bet threatens Palestinian NGO directors” by Oren Ziv“‘We killed a little boy, but it was within the rules’” by Yuval Abraham“Netanyahu’s authoritarian rule is turning Israelis against the state” by Meron Rapoport“Peace Now is taking direct action against settler outposts. Can it succeed?” by Oren Ziv and Meron Rapoport“The End of the Green Line—Two Views” by Haggai MatarThanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Last week, Graywolf Press released Civil Service, the debut poetry collection by Jewish Currents Culture Editor Claire Schwartz. The book is a daring study of the violence woven into our world, from everyday encounters to the material of language itself. The poems unfold in three main sequences: a quartet of lyric lectures, a fragmentary narrative that follows a cast of archetypal figures named for the coordinates of their complicities with power—the Dictator, the Curator, the Accountant, and so on—and a series of interrogation scenes centered on a spectral, fugitive figure named Amira, who gives us a glimpse of another world. To celebrate the release of Civil Service, Schwartz spoke with Managing Editor Nathan Goldman and the book’s editor at Graywolf Press, Chantz Erolin, about the book, as well as poems by Paul Celan and Edmond Jabès that deeply informed it. They discussed dispersed responsibility for state violence, thinking as feeling, and the political possibilities of poetry.Works Mentioned:Civil Service by Claire Schwartz“Lecture on Loneliness” by Claire Schwartz“Mourning and Melancholia” by Sigmund Freud“The Felt House That Moves Us: A Conversation with Saretta Morgan,” a conversation with Muriel Leung and Joey De Jesus“The Concept of Character in Fiction” by William H. GassThe Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois“Death Fugue” by Paul Celan, trans. Pierre Joris“Stretto” by Paul Celan, trans. Pierre Joris“Celan’s Ferryman,” a conversation between Fanny Howe and Pierre JorisVoyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis“Robin Coste Lewis: ‘Black Joy is My Primary Aesthetic,’” a conversation between Claire Schwartz and Robin Coste LewisThe Book of Questions by Edmond Jabès, trans. Rosmarie Waldrop“Rosmarie Waldrop: The Nick of Time,” a conversation with David Naimon Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, trans. Anthea Bell“The Ga(s)p” by M. NourbeSe Philip“Fred Moten’s Radical Critique of the Present” by David S. WallaceMinima Moralia by Theodor AdornoReconsidering Reparations by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò“Assuming the Perspective of the Ancestor,” a conversation between Claire Schwartz and Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò“Perennial” by Claire SchwartzThanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

On this episode, Jewish Currents editor-in-chief Arielle Angel speaks with two Germany-based writers and organizers, Emily Dische-Becker and Michael Sappir, about the bizarre and worrisome ways that Germany’s understandably zealous Holocaust memory culture is playing out among Jews, Palestinians, and other Germans in contemporary Germany. An anti-BDS resolution passed in the Bundestag in 2019 has led to draconian repression of speech across German society, much of it directed not only at Palestinian Germans, but also at some critical Israeli Jews, upward of 10,000 of whom live in Germany. These politics are complicated further by the prevalence on the left of an “anti-Deutsche” tendency, characterized by strong support for the state of Israel as part of a nominally antifascist politics, and also by high numbers of German converts to Judaism who sometimes bring different assumptions about Jewishness to the table when weighing in on questions of communal concern. Recently, Dische-Becker, a German American leftist Jew, has become a target of the ongoing German anti-antisemitism hysteria. As one of the organizers of the recent Hijacking Memory conference in Berlin, which sought to explore the ways the global right is appropriating Holocaust memory, and as an erstwhile adviser to the German art fair documenta, which has been embroiled in antisemitism scandals for months, Dische-Becker has emerged as the latest bogeyman for Germans eager to prove their anti-antisemitism bona fides. In this conversation, Dische-Becker and Sappir lay the groundwork for Germany’s upside-down politics and discuss the meaning of the recent attacks.This is Part 1 of a two-part series on Germany. Part 2, featuring different guests, will cover crackdowns on Palestinian identity and political expression, particularly in German media. ARTICLES, STATEMENTS AND WEBSITES MENTIONED:“The Challenge of Defending Memory in Germany” by Joshua Leifer“When ‘Antifa’ Is the Enemy,” an interview with Michael Sappir by Isabel Frey“In Germany, a Witch Hunt Is Raging Against Critics of Israel. Cultural Leaders Have Had Enough” by Itay MashiachAbout Blank FAQ on Israel/Palestine politicsGoethe-Institut rescinding an invitation to Mohammed El-KurdHannah Tzuberi’s lecture on “Desiring Victimhood: German Self-Formation and the Figure of the Jew” at the Hijacking Memory Conference in Berlin“Documenta Was a Whole Vibe. Then a Scandal Killed the Buzz.” by Siddhartha Mitter “Rethinking empathy: emotions triggered by the Holocaust among Muslim-minority in Germany” by Esra ÖzyürekThanks to Sophia Steinert-Evoy for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Late last month, the Autonomous Tenants Union Network—a collaboration of tenant unions from cities across North America—held its first-ever in-person convention in Los Angeles. ATUN formed in 2018 to consolidate the energies of a movement that has exploded in scope in response to a deepening crisis for tenants. Over the course of the weekend, members of 20 tenant unions from Eugene, Oregon to Houston, Texas held strategy sessions on everything from organizing around climate disaster to mutual aid to political education. On this episode, senior editor Ari Brostoff—who attended the conference as a member of the Crown Heights Tenants Union in Brooklyn—spoke with Kenia Alcocer, of the Los Angeles Tenants Union; Claire Spiehler, of the Houston Tenants Union; and Danya Martinez-Spider, of the West River Tenants Union in South Dakota. Thanks to Sophia Steinert-Evoy for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

In early June, an anonymous collective of Boston-area activists published “The Mapping Project,” an interactive map listing various institutions in Massachusetts and descriptions of their complicity in Zionism or US imperialism. The list includes universities, foundations, nonprofits, schools, and police departments. The group said they set out to deepen activist “understanding of local institutional support for the colonization of Palestine,” as well as how Israel’s colonization of Palestine is connected to US policing, US foreign policy, and the displacement of local communities. Mainstream Jewish groups such as the Anti-Defamation League reacted to the map with outrage, claiming that listing Jewish foundations, nonprofits, and the like—alongside their addresses—could incite antisemitic violence. Jewish establishment groups were particularly incensed at The Mapping Project’s call to “dismantle” and “disrupt” the institutions listed. Dozens of congressional lawmakers also denounced the project, and the FBI announced it was investigating it. Meanwhile, the map also sparked controversy from an unexpected source: the Palestinian-led Boycott National Commitee, which distanced itself from the website and, in a private letter to BDS Boston, a local group that endorsed the project, said the project will lead to backlash and open up Palestinian rights groups to “infiltration” and “repression.”Jewish Currents editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, contributing editor Josh Leifer, assistant editor Mari Cohen, and senior reporter Alex Kane convened to discuss the accusations against The Mapping Project, whether the website is an effective way to counter Israeli apartheid, and the political divisions that have come to the fore because of the controversy over the project.Articles, Statements and Websites Mentioned:The Mapping Project“House lawmakers urge federal inquiry into ‘Mapping Project’” by Marc Rod “FBI looking into ‘The Mapping Project,’ pro-Palestinian site targeting ‘Zionist leaders’ in Boston” by Forward staffBoycott National Committe’s letter to BDS Boston“Palestinian BDS National Committee Has No Connection To and Does Not Endorse The Mapping Project” by Palestinian BDS National Committee“‘Our struggles are truly connected’: an interview with the Mapping Project” by Adam Horowitz“The Mapping Project is not antisemitic but it is destructive activism” by Nora Lester Murad“Sunrise, Sunset” podcast by Jewish Currents staffThanks to Sophia Steinert-Evoy for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

A broad spectrum of the American left agrees that the existing political system is not working—that it is dysfunctional, corrupt, anti-majoritarian, and utterly unable to address the serious economic, social, and ecological crises confronting the public. But despite pervasive exhaustion with the status quo, and despite omnipresent warnings about a looming constitutional threat from the radical right, there have been few signs of mobilization for a full-scale left-wing revolution since the 2020 uprisings against racism and police violence after the murder of George Floyd. Today, America’s most liberal cities have largely doubled down on carceralism, and the right has far more insurgent energy than the left. To discuss the dog that isn’t barking, David Klion spoke with Mike Duncan—the creator of the popular podcast Revolutions, which examines the history of ten historical upheavals in great detail—about what makes America in 2022 different from France in 1789 or Russia in 1917, and what it would take to see a real revolution.Books, Articles, TV Shows, and Podcasts Mentioned:Mike Duncan’s Revolutions and History of Rome podcastsThe Storm Before the Storm by Mike DuncanHero of Two Worlds by Mike DuncanThe Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James“The Institutionalist: Dianne Feinstein’s Long Fight for Abortion and Gun Control” by Rebecca Traister “Mike Duncan Takes on the Turmoil of History” by David Klion Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

The killing of the beloved Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot by Israeli forces while covering an IDF raid of occupied Jenin on May 11th, has sparked massive outcry in Palestine and widespread condemnation from the international community—as did the subsequent attack on her funeral procession by Israeli police. Though Abu Akleh, a veteran correspondent for Al Jazeera, was a singular figure, her death is only the latest reminder that Israel has routinely targeted journalists and civilians, sustaining its impunity through obfuscation in the media and the routine dehumanization of Palestinians. Jewish Currents fellow Dylan Saba speaks with political scientist Dana El Kurd and activist Fadi Quran about Israeli media strategy, shifting public opinion outside the region, and the discursive and strategic challenges faced by the Palestine solidarity movement. Topics Mentioned:“New evidence suggests Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in targeted attack by Israeli forces” - CNN“Behind the lens: Remembering Muhammad al-Durrah, 20 years on” by Talal Abu Rahma“On This Day: Stern Gang assassinates UN mediator Count Folke Bernadotte in 1948” by Aaron ReichTwitter thread by Fadi Quran on the pattern of Israeli obfuscation following an attack“Secret Israeli Report Reveals Armed Drone Kills Four Boys Playing on Gaza Beach in 2014” by Robert MackeyNoa Tishby invoking antisemitism regarding the response to Shireen’s deathIsraeli military spokesperson saying the press is “armed with cameras”“You Cannot Unsee This Image,” an interview with Rashid Khalidi by Dylan Saba“Key Messages from the Oppressed” by Dana El Kurd

Since the launch of the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and the collapse of the Oslo Peace Process in the early aughts, the college campus has been a locus of American political conflict over Israel/Palestine. As student Palestine solidarity activists have attempted to introduce BDS resolutions across the country, Israel advocacy organizations have responded by building a vast organizing infrastructure to intervene in student debates about Israel, painting campuses as threatening and hostile places for Jewish students and pushing for greater restrictions on pro-Palestine student speech. In only the latest example, members of the NYU law school’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter—half of them Jewish—are facing media defamation for a statement the group sent to the law school listserv. How does it transform campus activism and the experience of individual students when outside organizations and media commentators get involved? Is it misleading to frame these conflicts as simply a fight between two opposing camps? What do you do when your mom forwards you Bari Weiss’s substack? Jewish Currents Editor-in-Chief Arielle Angel, Assistant Editor Mari Cohen, and Contributing Editor Joshua Leifer discuss these questions and the recent NYU events with Dylan Saba, Jewish Currents fellow and Palestine Legal staff attorney. Books and Articles Mentioned:“To the Antisemites Who Sit Next to Me in School” by Tal Fortgang  “NYU Law Erupts In Controversy Over Alleged Anti-Semitism” by David Lat “Who’s Trying to Kill BDS on Campus? An Interview with Josh Nathan-Kazis” by Rachel Cohen “How Israel Advocates Shut Down a Union’s Motion to Endorse BDS” by Isaac ScherTwitter exchange between Yehuda Kurtzer and Joshua Leifer AJC’s Survey on American Jewish Millennials “Everybody Hates the Jews” by Bari Weiss  “Does Everybody Really Hate the Jews?” by Mari Cohen “Princeton Students Voted to Boycott Machinery Used by Israel. Proponents of Israel Are Countering with Misinformation” by Isaac Scher“Maccabee Games” by Jess Schwalb“Deborah Lipstadt vs. ‘The Oldest Hatred’” by Mari Cohen   “American University Muslim student group withdraws from interfaith seder with Hillel over its Israel support” by Andrew Lapin“Donor yanks Israel Studies endowment at U of Washington over professor’s Israel criticism” by Andrew Lapin “US Media Talks A Lot About Palestinians—Just Without Palestinians” by Maha Nassar“Waging Lawfare” by Natasha Roth-RowlandThanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Life in Israel/Palestine is always characterized by a high level of violence; for instance, Israel’s control of millions of stateless Palestinians in the West Bank who live without due process under military law is inherently violent. But recent weeks have seen a surge in violence: Palestinians from both the West Bank and Israel proper have attacked and in some cases killed Israeli civilians and soldiers, and Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers have attacked and in some cases killed Palestinian civilians. With the unusual confluence of the holidays of Ramadan, Easter, and Passover, many worry that the violence will grow, and even spiral into the kind of massive bloodshed that unfolded last spring. (Since this episode was recorded on April 13th, tensions have escalated further as Israeli police attacked worshipers at the Al-Aqsa mosque, and Israel bombed Gaza in response to a Hamas rocket.) On this episode, Editor-at-Large Peter Beinart speaks with political scientist Dana El Kurd and attorney Daniel Seidemann about why violence is rising now, shifting Palestinian public opinion on violent and nonviolent resistance, and what the coming weeks may bring.Books and Articles Mentioned:“Support for Violent vs. Non-violent Strategies in the Palestinian Territories” by Dana El Kurd (April 15th, 2022) “Key Messages from the Oppressed” by Dana El Kurd (April 6th, 2022) “IDF Intelligence Chief: Palestinian Despair, Frustration Are Among Reasons for Terror Wave”  by Barak Ravid (November 3rd, 2015) “Hamas Breaks Out of its Gaza Cage” by Amjad Iraqi (May 21st, 202)1 “Poll Finds Dramatic Rise in Palestinian Support for Hamas” by Joseph Krauss (June 15th, 2021)“The End of Nonviolent Resistance” by Isaac Scher (April 12th, 2022)“​​Israel Imposes Sanctions on Jenin, the West Bank Hometown of Tel Aviv Terrorist” by Yaniv Kubovich and Jack Khoury (April 9th 2022) “It is Impossible to ‘Shrink the Conflict’” by Peter Beinart (November 11th, 2021)Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”