When a magazine makes a ‘fulsome’ apology for doing a Zionism: Phoebe Maltz Bovy on a craven literary retraction
This week I was all set to write my weekly opinion column about Orthodox women in Brooklyn (if not beyond) going on a sex strike in protest of Malky Berkowitz’s ex-husband (in spirit if not all paperwork) refusing to give her a get, thereby keeping her religiously glued to this defunct marriage.
As a topic, it fits with my long-standing interest in the question of whether feminism can ever involve women refusing men that which women alas crave as well. I was going to get into whether anything about the stakes changes when one is talking about religious communities, where arranged marriage is more common, and was anticipating asking my co-host Rabbi Avi Finegold about this on an upcoming Bonjour Chai podcast.
(OK, I still just might.)
I wanted to steer clear of antisemitism as a topic altogether. Instead, the news got in the way…
Is life really miserable for Jews—or does the media just make it seem that way?
In the last month, several high-profile features have come out, in publications such as Time and The Atlantic, giving mainstream, non-Jewish audiences a glimpse into what life has been like for North American Jews since Oct. 7. One major point of coverage: pro-Palestinian (or anti-Israel) protests.
The pictured painted by these articles and others, including here at The CJN, is one of constant fear, heightened tensions and feelings of isolation. Antisemitism is indeed on the rise, no question. But is daily life as bad for Jews as these articles make it seem? Or are social media doom-scrolling and binge-reading articles about antisemitism only exacerbating these feelings of dread?
Our guest host this week is Gabby Deutch, a senior national correspondent at Jewish Insider.
Friday news dumps are a long-standing tradition for stories that communication professionals want to avoid media scrutiny for, a tactic which appeared to apply in the case of Canada resuming funding to UNRWA. Journalists writing to Jewish organizations for reaction would’ve received an auto-reply about how the office closes early because of Shabbat—even if the staff aren’t observant, or still using social media all weekend anyhow. A topic worthy of further discussion…