Once again, we find ourselves torn between negotiation or warfare. Over 80 years ago under the British mandate Jews were divided in what was then called Palestine. Ben Gurion favored real-politick and negotiation. While Begin preferred reacting to violence against Jews with violence. Who was right? It is till debated. There was, from the start of the twentieth century, tension between nationalists in both…
Month: June 2024
Frantz Fanon
As a student I was a fan of Frantz Fanon, a black Frenchman born in Martinique. He was a psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary, and writer whose work was and remains influential in the fields of post-colonial studies, critical theory, and Marxism. For more than five decades, the life and works of Fanon have inspired national movements both political and racial. A good…
The Evolution of Shavuot
Shavuot more than any other festival illustrates the ongoing way in which a Biblical festival and indeed many Biblical laws have evolved in unusual, unpredictable ways. It reinforces the reality (much disputed) that Jewish Law and custom are constantly renewing, evolving and changing. The three Pilgrim Festivals mentioned in the Torah are Pesach, Shavuot and Sukot. When in ancient times, Israelites were expected to make a pilgrimage…