Archive for ‘Religion’

March 6th, 2024

BringThemHome

Yesterday, The Forward published something I wrote about my dear alma mater, Hampshire College, and a push by some students to get the College to issue a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. There are a few other ideas and points that did not fit in the published piece but which I think are important to address, so I will do that over the next few days. Here’s the first.

The statement that was shared with me for support (text below) had three critical flaws from my perspective. I still would not have signed this petition for all the reasons I outlined. Nonetheless, the students gained no sympathy from me for their omissions, and it is worth noting them:

  1. Their statement notes the day this most recent conflict began–but does not mention the brutal Hamas attack on Israel, the murder of Israeli civilians, rape of Israeli women, or the taking of 200+ hostages. That is clearly an intentional omission, and it speaks volumes. It is difficult to take as seriously someone’s concern about civilians on one side of a conflict if they cannot also acknowledge the civilians on the other side.
  2. Their statement says that civilian casualties in the conflict “reach over 30,000,” but that is inaccurate–the Health Ministry in Gaza (which is controlled by Hamas) intentionally does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It may be that more than 30,000 people have died, but it is important to acknowledge the distinction between civilians and combatants. Simply identifying all of these Palestinian dead as civilians is another kind of omission, seeking to downplay the reality of Hamas terrorism–and the number of people known to be fighting for and with Hamas.
  3. #BringThemHome. That’s my third problem with this statement: there is no mention of the hostages being held by Hamas. My perspective is: if you cannot acknowledge the evil of hostage-taking and the need to release these people, then your moral compass is malfunctioning. If you can explain away the hostages because you think Hamas is justified in using them as human shields, then do not talk to me about international war crimes.


The statement from Hampshire SJP:

Since October 7th, 2023, Israel has drastically escalated violence against all Palestinians. We have seen catastrophic destruction in Palestine as civilian casualties reach over 30,000, a direct result of Israeli military bombing campaigns that destroy entire neighborhoods, including schools, hospitals, and refugee camps. Israel continues to weaponize white phosphorus on Palestine’s civilian population and withhold humanitarian aid, food, water, and access to energy. These are international war crimes. The bare minimum we can do as the Hampshire College community to help show our support in ending the genocide. Until a ceasefire is enacted, civilians will continue to die, horrifically and often.


We stand against all racism, Islamophobia, anti-semitism, and any form of bigotry as a result of this violence. We stand for a future of safety and liberation for all. As a community, we support those on the Hampshire College campus affected by the violence, and as we continue to grieve, we are calling on our mayors, state representatives, governors, senators, Congressmen, and military leaders to enact an immediate ceasefire and a meaningful, long-term cessation of all aggression against civilians across Israel and Palestine.

October 18th, 2023

Sometimes silence is golden

For Artnet News, I wrote an opinion piece headlined as:

Enough With the Solidarity Statements. Why Art Institutions Should Stop Taking Positions on Geopolitical Events They Have Nothing to Do With

I am grateful to Artnet for their quick response and helpful edits, and very happy to have this published. I think (alas) that as an issue, this is not going away any time soon.

September 29th, 2017

Veterans for Kaepernick

I find Yom Kippur to be a very personal holiday. Not that there aren’t things for which we all might atone in relation to how the outside world functions; kindness in all spheres would certainly make the world a better place. For me, the process of atoning typically means trying to peel myself back from the news and events of the world, from the constant political sniping, and from social media, in order to spend time really thinking about myself, my flaws, and my relationships with the people I care about.

But in typical “just catching up to this” fashion, I just came across the Twitter hashtag . It feels appropriate to call it out on the eve of Yom Kippur, to say thank you to those who have served this country, and in doing so see themselves as protecting the rights of Americans to express themselves, and the rights of Americans to stand up — or kneel — in order to make a point about injustice in our society.

The flag (any flag) is a symbol, and symbols can be powerful; anthems, too, for rousing our emotions. But we should venerate ideas and values, not symbols and anthems. Freedom of speech, and freedom from injustice, are values that can exist under our flag or others–just as there are plenty of nations where flags and anthems receive great and deep respect … but freedom of speech, or simple justice, are both absent.

So thank you, veterans. I did not serve in the military, but I am incredibly grateful to those who did, and for those of you who are brave enough to carry that service forward by supporting peaceful protest. Happy new year and may you, too, be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year.

March 24th, 2013

Pascal’s Lamb

In honor of Passover, and for the various (Jewish) math nerds out there, I present: Pascal’s Lamb.

Lambs, following the pattern of Pascal's Triangle

 

Confused? Don’t be:

You’re welcome, and chag sameach.

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