דער פֿאשיסט, ער ציטערט הערט

[sovay]

That moment when you put on the Dead Milkmen's "Punk Rock Girl" to get it out of your head (where it got stuck via the transitive property of "The Great Boston Molasses Flood" after reading the recent research about the molasses flood in question) and then, because of the way your iTunes is organized, realize a few songs later that you are listening to Partisans of Vilna: The Songs of World War II Jewish Resistance and, all right, you probably love Hirsh Glik rather more than the next person thanks to beta-reading A Verse from Babylon more than ten years ago, but don't you think he would have been all right with anti-fascist songs not being so directly relevant again? Yes, I know he didn't write "Yid, du partizaner"—that was Shmerke Kaczerginski—but he's got two songs on the album and "Zog nit keyn mol" is still on mental rotation. This even before I found out that a protest to which I am strongly thinking of going on Wednesday has a Jewish resistance faction. That's cool. (Even if I can tell I am not their target demographic by the fact that I didn't type it out "#JewishResistance" because it makes no sense to me to use hashtags in contexts where they do not actually function as metadata.) I hope somebody has already made a golem sign. These days I am rather in favor of golems that protect as many kinds of marginalized people as needed.

Comments

[sovay]

I think they do serve as, maybe not metadata, but more highly weighted in the in-Facebook search algorithm.

Okay; that's good to know. But still weird.

I made a donation to A Jewish Voice for Peace in my dad's name just to piss him off,but then the Boston organizer very earnestly invited me to join the local chapter and now I'm planning to go to their organizing meeting tonight in Harvard Sq.

That's awesome! I got home from my doctor's appointment so wiped out that I am not even meeting with the friend I had plans with tonight, but please let me know what it's like?

[phi]

There were a great many more Muslims than I would have expected, including three people with "Noor" in their names. The group seemed way more organized than other activist groups I've been a part of, and far more effective than attempts at social justice organizing at my church have been. They've also tied solidarity with BLM and with immigration advocates (especially undocumented immigrants) to their religious values and to the organization's core mission (support for Palestinian sovreignty). It seems like a good group! I've committed to doing some research tasks between now and the December meeting, and going to the Dec meeting. Want to come with me?

[sovay]

It seems like a good group! I've committed to doing some research tasks between now and the December meeting, and going to the Dec meeting. Want to come with me?

I would love to! When is it?

[phi]

Oh hmm. I don't see it on the facebook page. I just assumed "monthly meeting" meant there's one every month but I bet it's hard to get people to show up in late December. I'll keep you posted!

[sovay]

I just assumed "monthly meeting" meant there's one every month but I bet it's hard to get people to show up in late December.

Especially with this year's bonus lunisolar hilarity of Hanukkah starting on Christmas Eve and ending on New Year's Day. (It's made finding a date for my family's latke party a little ridiculous, I can tell you.) Let me know whenever you find out. I am so glad they seem organized and effective. I just did some reading of their website and I like the sound of them, especially since they seem able to distinguish between criticism of Israel's foreign and domestic policies (why has a meteor not fallen on Netanyahu yet) and blanket repudiation of the idea of the State of Israel, which is stupidly harder than you'd think in this country.

[phi]

They also invited me to a havdaleh on Saturday, but I felt weird about accepting that offer. I've gone to shabbat services and dinners before, but only with close friends, and I don't actually know anyone in the group as individuals yet.

[sovay]

I've gone to shabbat services and dinners before, but only with close friends, and I don't actually know anyone in the group as individuals yet.

I think it's cool that they offered and you are under no obligation to go. You can always accept an invitation later.