Megillat Esther on Sexism and “Who is a Jew?” If you really paid attention to the Megillat Esther this Purim, they would have noticed a few important things about it. First is the fact that the work is extremely pro-Woman. The text literally mocks sexism at every turn. The sexist King …
In his letter to rabbi Yosef ben Ha’Rav Yehudah, Maimonides explained his belief that in the future “all of Israel will subsist on it alone” in reference to his Mishneh Torah, over even the Talmud, as the Jewish people “will ABANDON ALL ELSE BESIDES IT …
In Adebayo Oyebade’s “The Study of Africa in Historical Perspective” the author informs us of the history of Eurocentric presumptions of Africa’s lack of history and thus, lack of civilization (7). Oyebade emphasizes, however, that history in many parts of Africa was primarily preserved by …
The occurrence of Chanukah – coming on the 24th day of the month of Kislev – corresponds with approach of the winter solstice. The holiday brings a reminder that no matter how immersed in darkness we are, light will always return. As such, we need …
Question and Comments from Jeremy ben-Daniel: Who was the man who wrestled with Ya`qov? Was it indeed a man (ish)?`Esav? Melkhitzedeq (Shem)? Was it an angel?Was it, as the Talmud indicates, `Esav’s ‘angel’? Why did `Esav have an angel assigned to begin with? Or …
The entire history of the development of Anti-Jewish propaganda in Ithnā’ `Ashariyyah Shī`īsm is too long a history to recount here. It will suffice, however, to jump forward a few centuries to the Allāhdad massacre of 1839 in Iran. The dismal picture of the severe …
Since my early teenage years, I have been involved in various activist and social justice movements, from Food Not Bombs, to the Occupy Movement, and various anti-fascist organizations and action committees. In what follows, I will explain how my path in activist circles, and self-described …