The First Amendment Shouldn’t Be An Empty Promise To American Jews
The First Amendment’s promise of freedom of religion is an empty one if all Americans, including American Jews, don’t feel safe in their houses of worship or welcome in their communities. With FBI data showing that 58 percent of religiously-motivated hate crimes targeted American Jews in 2017, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been making … Continue reading
Anti-Semitism Mars The Olympic Spirit
Every two years, countries put aside petty differences to join hands and sing “Kumbaya” at the Olympics. Or, more accurately, we don’t. Notions of friendly competition between nations and “the Olympic spirit” are wonderful theory, but politics always seems to intrude. There are peoples who have had trouble getting along since forever. For example, Britain’s Independent reported … Continue reading
Soapy ‘Quantico’ Reflects Increasingly Ugly Racial Tensions
“Quantico” is sleek and suspenseful. On its soapy surface, it’s a show about fighting terrorism while looking hot. Dig a little deeper, though, and the show teaches us something about lingering stereotypes, including those about American Jews and Israelis. Pop culture can influence viewers’ opinions and even spur social changes, for good or ill. For that … Continue reading
melissa langsam braunstein 
Sally Rooney’s nonsensical anti-Israel statement
Posted by melissa braunstein on October 22, 2021 · Leave a Comment
The controversy surrounding Irish author Sally Rooney’s new novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You, appears to be on the downswing. Now that Rooney has clarified that she takes issue with Israel, and not the Hebrew language spoken by Israelis, the public discussion has morphed. At least in some quarters, there appears to be less heat and … Continue reading →
Filed under Clips, Cultural Commentary, Judaism · Tagged with Anti-Zionism, Antisemitism, Israel, Jews, Sally Rooney