From the Editor // May/June 2016
On occasion, tectonic shifts occur that break apart continents of political thought and reshape them into new ones
On occasion, tectonic shifts occur that break apart continents of political thought and reshape them into new ones
We live in disquieting times. It seems we make progress in creating a better world, and then some of what we achieve slips away. We overcome prejudice, only to find it has metastasized into new forms. That is the story of anti-Semitism today, and it is also the story of other deeply ingrained prejudices.
When I was in Israel in late 2013, I drove across the rugged expanse of the Negev on Route 31. At the time, Israeli newspapers were full of articles describing highly controversial demolitions of Bedouin homes and villages, failed plans to resettle the Bedouin, and ongoing tensions between the Bedouin and the Israeli government.
As we enter the year 5774 on the Jewish calendar, I find myself thinking about where the world was 100 years ago
Is satire educational or does it lead to a shallow understanding of current affairs? Does it weaken the power of news or replace it?
Has the state of American politics become so dire that we can only laugh (despairingly) about it?