Cindy Milstein: Judaism Unbound Podcast Episode 289 - Jewish Anarchism
Cindy Milstein, editor of There is Nothing so Whole as a Broken Heart: Mending the World as Jewish Anarchists, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about what anarchism is, and why "Jewish Anarchism" isn't at all a contradiction. This episode is the third in a series of episodes about the Shmita year. The Shmita year is a once-every-seven-years occasion, first described in the Bible, and its next occurrence begins on Rosh Hashanah 2021 (September 6th, 2021). It calls for a radical recalibration of our society’s relationship to land, food, debt, work, equality, and time – all of which resonate with crises we face today. Learn more at Shmitaproject.org.
[1] Purchase There is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart: Mending the World as Jewish Anarchists via this link! Learn more about Cindy Milstein by checking out their website.
[2] One Jewish Anarchist who comes up briefly is Emma Goldman. Learn more about her by listening into Bonus Episode: American Jewish History Unbound #6 - Emma Goldman (Judith Rosenbaum).
[3] Milstein references a documentary entitled “Free Voice of Labor: the Jewish Anarchists.” You can watch it via this link.
[4] Lex mentions the book Debt: The First 5,000 Years, by David Graeber, an influential Jewish anarchist activist who died in 2020. We recommend reading this book as a part of your Shmita practice, since Shmita is tied so directly to the remission of debts. The book is available for purchase here. For a piece exploring Graeber’s legacy through a Jewish lens, see “A Jewish Goodbye to David Graeber,” by Benjamin Balthaser.
[5] Learn more about RAYJ (Rebellious Anarchist Young Jews) by checking out their website. Take a look at their Jewish Anti-Fascist Shabbat Guide, which Milstein mentions in this episode, here.
[6] For Judaism Unbound’s episode reflecting on the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, see Episode 142: After Pittsburgh, which was released right after the massacre.
[7] Milstein mentions work by anarchists to emphasize the justice components of Yom Kippur. For more on this, visit TheFastIDesire.com. If you would like to bring their direct action to your community, you can sign up here.