The Only Democracy? » Entries tagged with "Holidays"
Correction to the disclaimer, and Happy Hanukkah
By Jesse Bacon On Tuesday, I posted about a free documentary screening. I then edited that post when I learned that the film received Israeli government funding. I provided the disclaimer for folks who are observing the full cultural boycott of Israel, (which my sponsor Jewish Voice for Peace is not). However, it turns out that the actual call for cultural boycott does not demand the boycott of films simply for receiving government funding, only those … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
May you have good grief: Tisha B’ Av on the Only Democracy?
by Jesse Bacon I just got done observing Tisha B’ Av, the 9th of Av a relatively new Jewish holiday commemorating the destruction of the Temples. Having attended liberal Tisha B’ Av observances for several years, I must have noticed the part about how the messiah will be born on Tisha B’Av, or to take it out of religious person, there will be redepmtion grown from the seeds of cataclysm. Until this year, I was fortunate that TIAA-CREF, the focus of Jewish Voice for Peace’s first divestment campaign chose Tisha B’ Av to hold their annual meeting. For the first time, I got to act out hope and grief, activism and religious observance simultaneously as I helped organize a delegation of members of TIAA-CREF’s retirement fund to speak out about the effects … Read entire article »
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Happy 4th of July Weekend from the Only Democracy?
By Jesse Bacon As a rural-raised revolutionary, I love the 4th of July. It is a great time for community gathering, it celebrates a successful uprising against the largest empire in the world, and it involves staring up into the sky with wonder. Though I used to need hearing protectors as a fraidy-cat kid, and as an adolescent had to endure my aunt labelling the squiggly fireworks “Sperm!” I have remained a critically patriotic fan of … Read entire article »
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The Only Democracy Wishes You Knowledge and Power This Shavuot
By Jesse Bacon The Jewish Holiday Shavuot, which begins tonight, commemorates the giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai. It is the very epitome of revelation from on high. But this holiday, revelation is not from a mountaintop. It is cumulative, from a thousand different places.. It is cumulative, dare I say it, open source. And what have we learned? We have learned that Israeli Democracy is being withdrawn bit by bit, even from its Jewish citizens. … Read entire article »
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Celebrating Passover and Land Day in Budrus
By Rebecca Vilkomerson Monday evening: a standard seder in north Tel Aviv with my family, where the story of the historic liberation of the Jews from oppression by organizing themselves (my own personal takeaway from the Pesach tale) passed quite quickly by in favor of dinner. Tuesday: the first day of Passover, which coincides this year with Land Day, when Palestinians mark the day in 1976 when Palestinian citizens of … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
The Only Democracy? Wishes You a Sweet and Liberating Season
By Jesse Bacon Of all the stories in the Passover liturgy, I am most inspired by the idea that it was “mixed multitude” that went forth from Egypt, Israelites and Egyptians alike. Here is a perfect description of what I mean when I talk about democracy: a diverse group of people united by an idea, and inspired to brave action. Later in the story there will be time for specific religious experiences: the Jews’ revelation at … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Interactive Video
“You have a choice! Israeli Anti-Militarists Speak”
Four Israelis—Dorothy Naor, Sergeiy Sander and Eli Fabrikant, and Ofer Golani—talking about their personal histories, political views and activism in 132 short films.