Went AWOL. Back now with the usual mix of politics, culture, humor, feminism, Jews, Israel-Palestine, etc.
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #111 DEC 3, 2021
For those who've asked why this Newsletter was put on hiatus last August, it's because I was working against a deadline to deliver the manuscript for my new book, SHANDA: A MEMOIR OF SHAME AND SECRECY. ("Shanda" means shame or disgrace in Yiddish. More on the "shanda factor" in future postings.) Five years in the writing, the book is finally in the hands of my publisher, Post Hill Press, with a publication date of Sept. 12, 2022. Now, let's get back on track -- and lead with laughter.
HUMOR
* Clever video summarizes modern life's most common frustrations in 79 seconds abetted by a souped up version of "In the Hall of the Mountain King."
* Please tell me that these and other amazing comedy wildlife pictures are NOT photoshopped.
* Tonight is the 6th night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
*You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate the incredible array of menorahs available online, among them the RBG menorah, my favorite; the golf menorah; and the Xmas tree menorah, supposedly a favorite of interfaith households. Also check out these unique models and, for the height of absurdity, these.
* For the record, above is a beautiful holiday table with a traditional Hanukkah menorah (and some yummy looking latkes).
POLITICS USA
* Michael Moore explains everything. Read "Stop Watching and Reading the Pundit Boobery" for his astringent analysis of the current political situation.
* What's wrong with America? Everyone has an opinion. Ross Douthat says it all depends on who regulates sex. Liel Leibovitz insists the problem is liberalism, stupid. In yet another tough piece, Michael Moore answers the question: "Why the U.S. is the laughing stock of the world."
* Thanks to Mort Gerberg, my favorite New Yorker cartoonist, for letting me use these drawings.
WOMEN
* Sen Amy Klobuchar & a bipartisan group of Senators propose adding RBG and Sandra Day O'Connor to the U.S. capitol's sculpture collection. Presently, 95% of the monuments honor men.
* The Jewish Women's Archive makes this filmy silk scarf featuring pictures of Jewish women in all their infinite variety. Order one here. Shop on JWA's website for a Gloria Steinem onesie, Emma Goldman T-shirt, or Jewish Feminist tote bag. And while you're there, leave JWA a donation to support their stellar work educating the world on the unsung lives of half the Jewish people: our women.
ABORTION
* After the Supreme Court heard arguments in the Mississippi abortion case, Sen. Chris Murphy scorned his Republican colleagues for crowing about "the sanctity of life" while Michigan parents are mourning the murder of their children by a 15-year-old with a 9-millimeter pistol. How come those sanctimonious hypocrites never mention the sanctity of the lives of the 100 people killed by guns every single day?
* The case argued Wednesday in the Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, addressed the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi state law that banned abortion after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. Based on the questions the conservative justices put to the lawyers, most legal experts predict a win for Mississippi, which would effectively reverse Roe v. Wade, the nearly 50-year-old decision that established women's constitutional right to abortion. The anti-choice proponents argued that abortion should be a matter for "the people" to decide; in other words, state legislators should control women's bodies. The map above show you where that strategy would lead us.
* Local activism is the answer. Since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, states have enacted more than 1500 abortion restrictions. The 2021 legislative season has thus far set the record for the most restrictions signed into law in a single year. Rather than just watch Roe scuttled, we can lobby state legislatures where so much anti-choice damage originates. Join the Center for Reproductive Rights; NARAL Pro-Choice America; or ACLU "Take Action" and learn from seasoned lobbyists how to best get your message across. Call or visit your pro-choice state legislators and thank them. Badger abortion opponents to let them know you prioritize reproductive freedom & your vote will follow your views.
* Department of ironic inanity
* People who say the government can't force us to wear masks on our faces are often the same people who say the government should force us to carry an unwanted pregnancy inside our bodies for 9 months.
FAMILY
* Photo shows Pete Buttigieg, above right, with his husband, Chasten, who recently adopted twin infants. When a reporter from the conservative outlet Newsmax dissed the Transportation Secretary for taking parental leave during the supply chain crisis, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki deftly shut the guy down. And after Tucker Carlson mocked him with a line about breastfeeding, Buttigieg had this perfect comeback. Reminds me of former Rep. Barney Frank's famous quip about conservatives. "They believe life begins at conception and ends at birth."
* Responding to the Buttigieg story, Mike Carter-Conneen, above left with his husband Torey and their adopted kids, published an endearing column in the The WashPost.
BOOKS
* Three new books I recommend highly:
JUSTICE ON THE BRINK: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court by Linda Greenhouse, who writes about the Court with more clarity and grace than any other journalist. A compelling chronicle of a crazy year.
PEOPLE LOVE DEAD JEWS: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn, who supports her book's provocative title with penetrating thoughts on, among others, the venerated Anne Frank, the righteous gentile Varian Fry, the vanished Jews of Harbin, China, & the difficulty of explaining Shylock to her 10-year-old.
FROM THIS BROKEN HILL I SING TO YOU: God, Sex, and Politics in the Work of Leonard Cohen by Marcia Pally. To paraphrase the blurb I gave this brilliant book, Pally painstakingly charts the poet/singer's lifelong struggle to reconcile his covenantal relationships (with God and women) with his real-life behavior.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
* Last summer Ben & Jerry's announced that it would no longer sell its ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian territories because, "We’re a values-led company with a long history of advocating for human rights, and economic and social justice. We believe it is inconsistent with our values for our product to be present within an internationally recognized illegal occupation." Supporters of their act of resistance (above) responded as I did -- by switching to B & J products despite my usual preference for locally-made ice cream. However, Israeli and U.S. Jews and Evangelical Christians who automatically conflate criticism of Israeli policy with Jew-hating, have responded with full court demonization (for instance, the meme below) and a boycott of B & J.
* To understand how B & J's action has been weaponized at the state level, see the protest letter that Americans for Peace Now just sent to NY Governor Kathy Hochul. If you're a New Yorker who agrees that B&J should NOT be boycotted, write to Gov. Hochul here. And donate to APN here.
* Don't be deluded by the official Israeli narrative that everything is copacetic in the West Bank and the conflict is being "managed" successfully. American media rarely report on proliferation of Israeli settler violence or violations of Palestinians' basic human rights by Israeli security forces, so I urge you to read this Haaretz story about the "pogrom" carried out in a Palestinian village south of Hebron on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah by a mob of Jewish settlers. Also see B'Tselem's Tweets about the attack.
* Describing what transpired when the Israeli General, Met the Palestinian Farmer in that beleaguered Palestinian village, Israeli columnist Gideon Levy wrote, "Granted, the visit was very short, about a quarter of an hour. Granted, every time the residents said the word 'settlers' in Arabic, the head of Israel’s Civil Administration for the Hebron area, Salim Saadi, was careful to translate it for the major general as 'residents.' And granted, the general parroted the hollow phrase that 'the army’s job is to protect the security of all the residents,' even though the army doesn’t do anything of the sort.
"Nevertheless, it’s rare for a general to visit Palestinian residents and talk with them – not just in this remote, battered village in the South Hebron Hills, but throughout the occupied territories. Maj. Gen. [Yehuda] Fuchs deserves praise for this hasty visit." Read more here.
* My recent column in Moment magazine explains my growing enthusiasm for a "Two State Confederation," the promising new framework for peace between Israelis & Palestinians. To help promote that fresh alternative, I've become active in the fledgling group, Americans for a Confederation of Israel-Palestine, whose principles mirror those of its Israeli counterpart, Eretz L'Kulam (A Land For All). If you're interested in ACIP's work, email info@israelpalestineconfederation.org
JEWS
* Comedian Sarah Silverman unpacks "Hollywood's Jewface problem," the curious phenomenon of nonJewish actors always being cast to play Jewish characters. Hilarious. Brilliant. DIsturbing.
* Move over Hank Greenberg & Sandy Koufax. This fall saw "the most Jewish World Series ever." Two members of the tribe were on each of the competing teams: Ace pitcher Max Fried (who gave the Atlanta Braves their first championship since 1995 with six shutout innings in Game 6); Joc Pederson (also Atlanta); & Alex Bregman & Garrett Stubbs (Houston Astros). More Jewish baseball history here.
* Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (in glasses) was shot in the head 11 years ago and suffered grave brain damage. Yet, last Saturday, at age 51, after an intense program of study, she achieved one of her personal goals and celebrated her bat mitzvah. What a trooper! What a woman!
THEATER
* The incomparable, multi-talented Tovah Feldshuh stars in "Becoming Dr. Ruth," a one-woman play about the tiny sex therapist with a huge personality and a remarkable life story. Previews start today, 12/4. In NYC at Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Tix here or 888-901-7932.
* When the cast of "The Lion King" returned to Broadway after their long pandemic isolation, their first rehearsal was an emotional lovefest. (Above, Tshidi Manye, whose voice will knock you off your feet.)
* Melissa Center's feminist one-woman show, "Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal," was right up my alley, especially her spot-on rendering of the mother who’s both intensely loving and annoyingly meddling. (Which pretty much describes me.) Ms. magazine review here. Tickets here.
FILM
* "Pray Away" a chilling documentary about conversion therapy, a shame-based regiment that aims to make gay people straight. Now streaming on Netflix. See trailer here.
* "Let It Be Morning" -- "a gently satirical film about a man and his family trapped by a military blockade inside a small Arab village in Israel," will be screened on next Tues, 12/7 at 4 p.m. at Manhattan JCC, Amsterdam @76 St. (Bring proof of vaccination.) Post-film Q & A with director, .
MUSIC
* My friend, the wonderful saxophonist Larry Russell, wrote to recommend this 2009 video of Wynton Marsalis & his Sextet playing "Jazz in Marciac." It's pure pleasure from first note to last.
* Another friend, Arnold Steinhardt, first violinist with the storied Guarneri String Quartet for 45 years, writes an enchanting blog about music and musicians called "In The Key of Strawberry." (His violin case pictured above.) His latest post is a delightful reminiscence about Alexander (Sasha) Schneider, the crusty, hyper-critical master violinist who influenced Steinhardt so deeply.
HAPPY 6th NIGHT OF HANUKKAH
* Unfamiliar with the Hanukkah story? Bone up fast with these videos: The basics in 2 minutes. More details in 4-minutes. Elementary version for little kids (6.5 min).
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