By David Bidussa* Today is the anniversary of the pronunciation of the Cherem against Baruch de Spinoza by the members of the ma’amad of the synagogue on the Outgracht (i.e. of the Jewish-Portuguese community of Amsterdam). It was July 27, 1656, a Thursday for the record, or if you prefer 6 Av 5416. What remains …
By David Bidussa* “An ox knows its owner, An ass its master’s crib: Israel does not know, My people takes no thought.”. [Isaiah, I, 3]. This is the beginning of the Haftarah that we will read next week. Sometimes it would be enough to read. *David Bidussa is a historian of social ideas.
By Yaakov Mascetti* The fervor or passion of a man for God is traditionally exemplified in the Torah by the uncompromising behavior of Pinchas in the book of Numbers: The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Pinchas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites by displaying among …
By David Bidussa* Nobody can save themselves alone. The “second wave”, essentially, is this: the idea that it is sufficient to isolate, to pull oneself out, then, after succeeding, resume life “as before”. Together with it, comes the denial: that is, the idea and the belief that the virus is a conspiracy because not only …
By David Bidussa At the first difficulty, Jews around the desert complain. They want to go back to Egypt, or they make a feigned egalitarian revolt convinced that everyone should decides for themselves. We have been reading about it, including a week ago about Korach in the parsha. The charm of “everything, immediately, without effort” …
By David Bidussa* Regarding statues: retelling history is never consoling and it is good that it is divisive. It is one of the reasons why history is a discussion in the present about the past, while still thinking about the future that is hoped for. Otherwise the goal would become to tell fairy tales with …
By Yaakov Mascetti* Two days ago, Giovannino (Yohanan) di Castro passed away in his Kibbutz, Sde Eliyahu, at the age of 96. Together with Nurit (Nora) Ravenna, Giovannino was one of the central pillars of the kibbutz he lived in for most of his life, after having lived through the Fascist regime, the racial laws, …
By David Bidussa “Black Lives Matter” written on the road leading to the White House is not like the four words “I have a dream” of 57 years ago (August 28, 1963). A guide, an idea, an image to indicate the path to purse in the desert to get to the other side are missing. …
By David Bidussa* “If you want a figurative symbol of the future, imagine a boot that tramples on a human face … forever.” [G. Orwell, «1984», Mondadori, Milan 1950, pp. 282-283]. Literature foresees reality.
By David Bidussa* Regarding the judgment on the things that have worked and those that have not work, it is advisable to keep in mind that we don’t need models or symbols, but examples. And the examples always warn us “act like me, don’t imitate me.” *David Bidussa is a historian of social ideas.
By David Bidussa The idea that the period post-Covid equals the post war period is becoming more and more common. I understand the appeal of comparison, but I believe it is not only wrong, but it creates of confusion and false expectations for at least three reasons. The post-war period is politically the domain of …
By David Bidussa The year 2020 has also brought some good things. For example, Silvia Romano is free. But then a voice inside my head tells me that it is good not to forget to call things by their name. Ibrahim Gökçek has been a victim of despotism (this was the name of the political …
By David Bidussa Crossing the doorstep tomorrow will be like learning to walk again. There will be no generous hands to hold on to, and if there were, I doubt that we will trust. Good luck! *David Bidussa is a historian of social ideas.
By David Bidussa In my opinion, a word for this time is redemption. That is, a new beginning which means: things that should not to be repeated; way that should be abandoned; new forms of individual and collective action; a renovated idea of a civil pact to give a new course to our time to …
By Yaakov Mascetti* To be sincere, I’m rather sick of reading or hearing the word “Corona” in every single thing that appears on the internet – even my field, that of literary scholarship, appear to have been flooded by recent events, and the overwhelming consequences of pandemic craze. So I am going to try to …
By David Bidussa* Today’s challenge is to rethink the scene of the possible “end of the world”. No technological madness, no despot who made indiscriminate use of a weapon of mass destruction. Nothing will be the same as before: not even how we imagine the catastrophe. The science fiction stories (not to mention the films) …
By David Bidussa* The twentieth century was characterized by the sudden collapse of states and empires that seemed to be in difficulties, but still capable of overcoming the impact of catastrophic events. At the time of their collapse, those structures that seemed to represent the point of balance of the system and the guarantee of …
By David Bidussa* “Touch – the anthropologist Marc Augé once wrote – is the last sense that remains among the old, when, deaf and blind, they also seem to have lost the smell and the taste of the things of life”. It is one of the many signs of these days merciless towards the old. …
By David Bidussa Sometimes calling things with their name helps to understand them. In recent days many people are frightened by the words “duty of obedience” because it gives the idea of a possible domination without the possibility of opposing it. In short, despotism (not to mention totalitarianism). If I say “naasseh venishma”, can we …
By David Bidussa In the Sunday literary supplement of the Corriere della Sera, English historian Peter Burke said that intellectuals in exile have been the voices that, with their uprooting, have helped to create culture, trigger news and produce innovation. Perhaps, together praising the concept of belonging, which seems to be the most appreciated language, …