Featured image ‘Cauld Blaws the Wind Frae East to West’ (1888) Painting by Joseph Farquharson (1846 – 1935) An ekphrastic cadralor In the form of 5 kimos I. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians displaced within their country, having fled Putin's war. II. Many waiting for up to sixty hours; freezing weather at border; queues up… Continue reading Fled, or: Still waiting
Seeds of hope The Skeptic's Kaddish was never intended as a politics blog, and despite the political turmoil of the last two years (which I won't get into right now), I hadn't written anything about Israel's political scene until very, very recently... The endless political limbo brought about by endless megalomania and endless corruption seemed… Continue reading Finally, Israel has a new government
Understanding today's Israeli political scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55UxLCjHwlc To understand the Israeli political scene, you must understand how traumatized this country's citizenry has been by decades of wars and terror attacks. When people in Israel say "left-wing" or "right-wing", they are referring to the Arab-Israeli conflict, as the above video explains. The failed Oslo Accords, which ultimately… Continue reading The incitement of Netanyahu & co.
On the verge of a new government Israel does not yet have a new government (nor a new Prime Minister), but it is on the verge of one. Last night, just, just, just before the deadline to announce a government to be voted upon by the Knesset, eight very disparate political parties got their act[s]… Continue reading Very fragile hope: Israel’s next government
Living through history If you've been following the news coming out of Israel, you may be aware that our State may be at the cusp of a new governing coalition; and -for the first time since 2009- Benjamin Netanyahu may no longer be prime minister. The politics are incredibly complex, and I simply cannot due… Continue reading A new Israeli government?
Far too many did I poo-poo In the past, for sheerest fears Of disaster, dawning faster When they'd been caught unawares When they questioned fair elections Fingers wringing, furrowed brows I would smile ever politely-- There shall come again a now Now I wonder, faith asunder As every channel tells of hell Discord 'round our… Continue reading 2020, or: 20/20
My reading of Jewish texts on Jewish eschatology and death rituals has been fairly wide-ranging, and it continues to expand. (My copy of the just-published Kaddish.com will be in my hands this week!) Since my father's death last summer, I've filled my bookshelf with more books than I have had the time to finish, but I… Continue reading The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 39
It happened that on Friday evening I was the only mourner in my minyan. Between mincha and the end of ma'ariv on Friday, there are three mourner's kaddishes and one kaddish d'rabbanan (rabbis' kaddish), all of which are the mourners' domain. On this particular Shabbat, they were all exclusively mine. The unexpected force of the congregation's response, 'amein,' to my first… Continue reading The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 14
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