Summer of Omnicause—and other trends we're tracking
Plus an essay that comes with a playlist
Omnicausus belli: Phoebe Maltz Bovy on the merging of all left-wing campaigns into something that’s been christened ‘The Omnicause’
When I saw that there was an opinion piece in The Forward, making the case that it’s yeah maybe not the best idea to ban mask-wearing on the New York City subways in the name of fighting antisemitism, I thought, yes, thank you. It’s an absurd proposal, not least because once you allow for medical exceptions (and this gesture’s been made), anyone can rightly say that their masking—unless you’re talking something like the Phantom of the Opera mask—lessens the spread of germs.
How is mask-banning meant to fight antisemitism, you might wonder? Think keffiyeh-wrapped faces at encampment protests. Consider the way COVID masks have been quasi-repurposed as a way of both signalling you’re still coronavirus-aware and that you don’t want to be easily identifiable in a crowd of protesters lest the law firm considering hiring you puts two and two together. Two birds, one N95…
Escaping the trauma cycle: How can the Orthodox community make space for queer Jews?
The trope of Hasidic women leaving their communities—particularly during a journey of queer self-discovery—is not exactly unique. And yet, memoirs and documentaries continue to come out, the latest being Kissing Girls on Shabbat by Sara Glass, who is now a therapist. After Phoebe Maltz Bovy reviewed the book for The CJN, she had more questions—so we invited Glass on to ask them directly. The three discuss the nature of choice in a world dictated by authority figures, queer spaces in Judaism and how the community can change in the future.
Avi Finegold contemplates the definition of Jewish music—with a playlist you can listen to now
Also from the Summer 2024 issue of The CJN’s quarterly magazine, Phoebe Maltz Bovy reviewed two recent books recapping the cancellation era. Bonjour Chai subscribers on Substack can sign up here to get future editions of this publication.
