Jerusalem is one of the strangest cities in the world. Let's leave aside all the tourist promotion about "Jerusalem of Gold" and "a city holy to three religions." And the Israeli claim that it is "Israel's capital, eternal and undivided." All that is window dressing for what Jerusalem really is. A city which has been fought over for thousands of years by … [Read more...]
Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism: Different Religions, Same Hate
As I write this, I'm on a plane returning from Berkeley to Seattle, after attending an Islamophobia conference, "The Road Traveled," at which I delivered my first academic paper. There were presenters from Japan, Canada, Sweden the UK, France, and Austria. It was a bracing experience for many reasons. One of the most important was that I was the only Jewish … [Read more...]
Islamophobia Conference: The Road Travelled
I'll be delivering the first academic paper I've ever written for a conference, this weekend at UC Berkeley. It's the ninth annual Islamophobia conference, titled The Road Travelled. Ironically, it will be held in the same academic building on campus which housed the department in which I pursued my PhD. I haven't been back in 35 years! The conference is … [Read more...]
Angel of Death Struck Gaza’s First-Born Sons
In the haggadah, it says that God told Moses that the 10th plague would involve killing the first-born of every living thing in Egypt. But he gave Moses an "antidote" which ensured the Israelite first-born would be spared. On the eve of the exodus, Jews were to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood on the doorposts of their homes. When the angel of death … [Read more...]
