“To me, sometimes it feels like the world has turned into one big city of refuge. The Mishnah asks what happens when somebody living in a city of refuge accidentally kills another person living in the same city. The rabbis answer that he is exiled from one neighborhood within the city to another one. They paint a picture of contracting spheres of guilt, exiles that get infinitely smaller, isolation that goes deeper and deeper.”
– Gideon Schwartz
Tonight over 50 of our community members gathered on the Upper West Side for an intra-left dialogue with Peter Beinart on the Jewish tent, building new Jewish institutions, and where we go from here. We’ll have a report back for you from the event in next week’s newsletter. Some things are certain, though. We will continue to stand up for Palestinian rights as proud observant Jews. There’s a lot of things coming up, but while you’re reading our newsletter please consider giving tzedaka to Help our friend Maram get her six-year-old niece out of Gaza to safer conditions in Egypt. Her niece is in immediate danger of abuse and really needs our help.
There is a new initiative called “Protect the Harvest“ that is bringing individuals from around the world to do protective presence in solidarity with Palestinian villages during this coming year’s olive harvest season (after the chagim, mid-October through mid-November). There will be multiple week-long cohorts, where the logistics, food, and lodging are all arranged (the cost is a sliding scale with $1600 as the standard rate, plus airfare. Financial assistance will also be available.) The initiative is also aiming to be as broad-based as possible, and so we think this could be an excellent opportunity to bring along those in our communities and shuls who are broadly supportive of Israel, but are deeply disturbed by West Bank violence against Palestinians.
While all the cohorts will be able to accommodate Shabbat and kashrut, we are trying to plan at least one HL-specific cohort (likely the last week of October) where we can spend the Shabbosim before and/or after together and coordinate on observance-related logistics.
The lead organizers are hosting a special info session for Halachic Left, to address questions specifically related to halachic observance (Shabbat, kashrut, etc.) this coming Wednesday, July 15, 12:30-1:00pm EDT – you can register here. It will also be recorded.
For our third year, we will be holding online educational programming on the afternoon of Tisha B’Av, including a Gemara shiur from Rabbi David Polsky and a screening of the Academy Award-winning film The Zone of Interest, with a pre-film shiur by Rabbi Lexie Botzum and a post-film community discussion.
Times are approximate, more details forthcoming!
3:30-4:30pm: Shiur with Rabbi David Polsky:
4:30-5:00pm: Pre-film shiur with Rabbi Lexie Botzum (*** REQUIRED to attend film)
5:00-6:50pm: The Zone of Interest film screening
6:50-7:30pm: Post-film discussion
*** Please note that for The Zone of Interest, due to licensing requirements, we need to have an accurate estimate of how many people will be attending. The film will be hosted on a secure platform (not Zoom) with attendees capped at the number of people for which we’ve paid in advance. So please only sign up if you’re reasonably sure you will be able to attend, and let us know (or re-submit the registration form!) if your plans change!
Friday, Oct 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18, at Pearlstone Retreat Center near Baltimore, MD
Registration is coming in the next few weeks, but for now you can sign up on our interest form.
INterested in our shabbaton? click here!
“The blood-avenger, according to the Torah’s understanding, is not just a grieving vigilante. He is performing his own sacred duty. No matter how unintentional his crime, the manslayer must remain in the liminal space of the refuge city, completely separated from the community, if he wants to avoid execution. Only the Kohen Gadol’s substitute death releases him.”
We’re excited to read and discuss Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund by Molly Crabapple this summer. Dates haven’t been picked yet, but we’ll be discussing it twice.
Here Where We Live Is Our Country reanimates a band of idealists who broadened our global political imagination. As we once again contend with nationalism, repression, and the struggle for belonging, the Bund’s remarkable story and message— that liberation, dignity, and solidarity must begin where we stand—reaches across time as a guide to our own urgent moment.
Familiarity with the text is encouraged, but anyone with an interest in the subject, even without reading the book, is invited to join.
Get the book here to support our work
Help our friend Maram get her six-year-old niece out of Gaza: Our friend Maram was able to leave Gaza last September to pursue a master’s degree in Ireland. Now she’s trying to raise money to pay for her niece to leave Gaza for safer conditions in Egypt.
Please support the recently launched fundraising campaign for Bnei Avraham, a religious Jewish activist movement working alongside Palestinian communities in the West Bank through protective presence. Their initial goal is to raise $50,000 to sustain and expand this vital work.
The HL Torah team is incredibly excited to continue our weekly dvar Torah series. We would love to have as many participating authors as possible! Please fill out this form to apply to write a dvar Torah! If you have any questions please email nechoma@halachicleft.org
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