Claudia Sheinbaum elected president of Mexico, breaking barriers as woman and Jew, By Philissa Cramer June 3, 2024
"Claudia Sheinbaum swept to victory in Mexico’s presidential election Sunday, giving the country of more than 120 million a woman leader and a Jewish leader for the first time.
Sheinbaum’s election makes Mexico by far the biggest country to have a Jewish head of state. Only Israel (9.5 million) and Ukraine (38 million) currently have Jewish leaders..."
Vancouver comics festival bans Jewish artist Miriam Libicki over past IDF service By Andrew Lapin May 30, 2024
"...In her own statement, Libicki, who explores Jewish identity in her work, called the ban “illegal” and said it was “bad for all artists of all political orientations and backgrounds.” She added, “I have consistently, publicly been pro-peace” and supportive of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“Because of the vulnerable populations I work with, I prefer not to discuss my specific political views in public,” she wrote in a statement shared...by Jesse Brown, a Canadian Jewish publisher and journalist. “I believe all policing of artists’ personal identities and nationalities is wrong.”
But after the CJN article was published on Wednesday, the festival deleted its “Accountability Statement.” It has not responded to a JTA request for comment..."
Get your tickets to see Nell Adkins in
"Esther Made Me Do It"
at the Cincy Fringe Festival!
A heart-felt comedy about best friends auditioning for a Purim shpiel
Synopsis: Best friends, Naomi and Ruth, are preparing to audition for their local Purim shpiel. Naomi, gunning for the part of Esther, hopes to kick start her theatrical career. Ruth questions her feelings for Naomi and how long she’s willing to put Naomi’s desires before her own.
LOCATION:
Art Academy of Cincinnati
1212 Jackson St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
"...For generations, Jewish women in Eastern Europe utilized threads to measure cemeteries & graves. These threads were used to create special soul candles known as neshome likht... Typically overseen by skilled women called feldmesterins, activities such as feldmestn (cemetery measuring) & kneytlekh leygn (laying wicks) were most prevalent during Elul to prepare soul candles for Yom Kippur.
...The session will include...Yiddish songs, reciting tkhines (Yiddish prayers) and reading poems, some of which are focused on this ritual. Delving into the history of this tradition will shed light on how cemeteries were perceived in shtetl society, serving as a means to communicate with the deceased & seek their assistance. At the end of this Immersion, you will be able to host a cemetery measuring event in Elul or any other time of the year..."
In Egypt, a piece of Jewish pottery suggests a woman’s role that was stolen from history - Rabbi Jill Hammer May 23, 2024
"...While the Temple in Jerusalem is the only Jewish temple mentioned in the Bible, there were other Jewish temples, including one in the Egyptian city of Elephantine. Built in the 6th century BCE and destroyed in 410 BCE by priests of the Egyptian god Khnum, the temple was a place where local Jews, often Israelite soldiers hired by Egypt, could offer sacrifices. According to some scholars, the description of the temple at Elephantine is similar to the mishkan, or tabernacle, described in the book of Exodus.
One of the interesting features of this community, aside from that it performed Jewish sacrifices outside of Jerusalem, is the presence of female functionaries in the temple..."
This story was originally published on My Jewish Learning.
Looking for an unapologetically Jewish and feminist community?
Lilith magazine is reviving the salon—an intimate gathering to encounter new ideas, connect with old friends, and talk about what's on your mind. You provide the space and people, and we’ll provide the conversation for each new issue of Lilith magazine.
In this moment, we need independent, intimate and intergenerational spaces more than ever before— where we can show up in community in all our complexities as Jewish feminists.
Learn why this concerning trend isn’t just a matter of concern to the Jewish community, but a direct threat to democracy and national security. Gain insights into how the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. government in general, are addressing Jew-hatred around the world and why a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach is more critical now than ever before.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be informed, engaged, and empowered to counter antisemitism.
From Harif - Association of UK Jews from MENA - a London event:
*Why is the ethnic cleansing of MENA Jews more relevant than ever? Monday 20 May, 7:30 pm. Appeal for Yad Sarah. Lyn Julius will present her book UPROOTED. Donors get a free signed copy. Maida Vale Venue.
For complimentary tickets please email Michael Marks at michael@yadsarah.org.uk.
Stereotypes about Jewish physical weakness have meant that the crucial role Jews played in creating American fitness culture has often been overlooked — despite the 19th century tradition of muscular Judaism established precisely to challenge these assumptions. Join New Lehrhaus in hosting historian and Reboot Network member Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, author of Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession, for an exciting talk and conversation about how and why Jews were so influential — but understudied — in shaping American fitness. Presented in partnership with Reboot.
Jews from Arab lands are the missing piece of the Israeli-Palestinian discourse by American Syrian Jew Lisa Sayegh May 7, 2024
"...Over the past years, I have often been frustrated when I find people do not understand the trauma of the 700,000 Jews from all over the Middle East who were violently expelled from their countries in 1948 and how it resonates today. Pro-Palestinian activists who call out Israel as a “European settler colonial project” omit a critical part of the story that calls into question their claim. They ignore the Mizrahi majority in Israel who are descendants of Jews expelled from Arab lands when Israel was declared a state..."
The 9 to 5 working women’s movement changed workplaces across America and inspired a Hollywood hit movie. Ellen Cassedy was there. Join us on Wednesday, May 22, at 6:00 PM ET as she tells the story of how brave women took on the corporate titans and formed a women-led union. The chain of working women’s activism stretches from the garment workers of early-20th-century New York, through the 9 to 5’ers (and Dolly Parton) — and now today’s labor surge.
A dose of inspiration for Labor History Month!
Ten attendees will win a free signed copy of Ellen’s book, Working 9 to 5: A Women’s Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie (foreword by Jane Fonda).
"The pro-Palestinian demonstrators tend to reject Zionists of all stripes. That leaves pro-Israel progressives in a lonely place: deeply critical of Israel’s right-wing government, but also appalled by a protest movement that challenges the very legitimacy of Israel, and hesitant to join a Jewish right that wants to clamp down on free speech and attack higher education.
“I think most of the progressive Jewish world we are talking about probably fits somewhere in the middle of these extremes,” said Colton-Max. “As a parent of college kids, what terrifies me is that there is no safe space for them at all.”
At a Manhattan synagogue, ‘normie’ pro-Israel liberals stage a last stand
Andrew Silow-Carroll May 5, 2024
The New York Jewish Week and UJA invite you to join Elissa Strauss, author of the new book "When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others," for a look into the tremendous psychological, philosophical and spiritual power of parenting and caregiving, and how it's been diminished in the broader culture. Strauss will be in conversation with Deborah Joselow, Chief Planning Officer, UJA-Federation of New York.
From NCJW:
Yesterday, during the first holy days of Passover, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Idaho v. United States, a case determining whether states can force hospitals to withhold emergency abortion care from people who could die without it.
This case conflicts directly with Judaism, which not only permits such care, but even requires it to save the life of the pregnant person.
Please read my op-ed in USA Today, published yesterday, on the serious implications of this case for all people who want to be pregnant and the infringement of religious freedom.
Jewish Life Stories: A pioneering woman comic book artist...
By Andrew Silow-Carroll April 23, 2024
"Trina Robbins, 85, the first woman to draw a full issue of “Wonder Woman...”
In 2023, at the first-ever Jewish Comics Experience convention, Robbins was awarded the Macherke Award for lifetime achievement for works that included “Escape Artist,” a graphic biography of Holocaust survivor and cartoonist Lily Renee, and “A Minyen Yidn,” her adaptation of Yiddish short stories by her father, Muttel (Mutye) Perechudnik.
Robbins died on Wednesday in San Francisco. She was 85..."
Reclaiming miqvah as a spiritual act, rather than an misogynistic relic of patriarchy, is part of our mission. We stand with Mayyim Hayyim in their efforts to help educate people who have never experienced miqvah.
"A few weeks ago, I brought my Hillel students to Mayyim Hayyim. I know how special Mayyim Hayyim is from my own personal experiences. I immersed when I became a rabbi, and in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. Still, I didn’t expect how much my students would benefit from visiting Mayyim Hayyim.
Our visit to Mayyim Hayyim was more than I could ask for as an educator. It gave my students the chance to feel nourished by Jewish tradition. That’s why I am asking you to make a generous donation today. Your gift enables Mayyim Hayyim to provide meaningful Jewish connections for young adults."
Climate Emotions and the Wisdom Our Bodies Carry
A free webinar
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
7-8:30 p.m. EDT
Our emotional reactions to the climate crisis are highly individual, and shaped by our personalities, resources, circles of care, the news and media we absorb—and by inherited ways of thinking about the future. In this trauma-informed workshop, led by climate change chaplain Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner, we will cast a gentle light on our climate emotions, and deepen our awareness of how they show up in our hearts and bodies. Learn how our reactions to climate change may be shaped by our ancestors’ experiences, and how we can expand our capacity for ease, connection, and action in this moment.
Class is free but donations are appreciated. Register here:
From NCJW:
With two abortion cases before the Supreme Court this term, NCJW’s work has grown and the fight for abortion access has become more urgent than ever. As we continue to ground this work in Jewish values and our Jewish movement grows, we need your leadership more than ever.
In particular, we are seeking folks who are interested in organizing other Jewish clergy and/or folks who want to support ritual writing, and incorporating Jewish values and Jewish texts into campaign materials.
Sarah Abrevaya Stein is the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Director of the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, as well as Professor of History and the Viterbi Family Chair in Mediterranean Jewish Studies at UCLA. She is the award-winning author or editor of ten books, including, most recently, Wartime North Africa: a Documentary History, 1934-1950 (Stanford University Press, co-authored with Aomar Boum). She lives and surfs in Santa Monica, CA.
MPORTANT: Please note that no registration is required but for security reasons, in the Zoom room only participants identified by name (ie not 'Ipad' or "Wonderwoman') will be admitted. The event will also be livestreamed to the Harif Facebook page.
The Ancient Female Alchemist Whose Name Is in Your Kitchen
Who put the Marie in “bain-Marie”? by Andrew Coletti April 8, 2024
“The Divine Maria...Before modern chemistry, there was alchemy: the semi-mystical practice of manipulating materials to understand their properties, with lofty goals like turning lead into gold or brewing the elixir of life. The Western alchemical tradition began in Alexandria, Egypt in the early first millennium, when Egypt was a Roman province with a long history of Greek influence.
There, around the year 300, the alchemist Zosimos wrote the earliest books on alchemy that have survived to this day, with many references to great alchemists who had come before him. One of these was a Jewish woman named Miriam (“Mary,” or “Maria” in Greek), whom Zosimos revered for her wisdom, calling her “the divine Maria” and “one of the sages.”
An Indiana court ruled that Jews have a religious liberty right to abortion. Here’s why that matters.
Michael A. Helfand April 11, 2024
"...Indiana’s abortion restriction, it turns out, has lots of other exceptions. For example, it has exceptions — like many other abortions restrictions across the country — for rape, incest, in vitro fertilization and even a narrow exception to protect the physical health of the mother. Where a state grants all these exceptions that weaken the objective of a law — in this case promoting fetal life — then it cannot turn around and claim that its interest is so important that it can’t grant exceptions for religion. After all, how important can the government’s interest be if it already provided all these other exceptions?"