Joel S.
@joelhs.bsky.social
Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies, Sarah Lawrence College. PhD in Religious Studies, University of Chicago. Globalist elite and Thing-in-Itself-hating Jew. Husband of @petticoatshrink.bsky.social. He/Him/הוא/ער
I really wish American Jewish organizations would spend a bit less time on college student protestors, and a bit more time on the fact that the US government is barely bothering to dog whistle to the historically antisemitic and Holocaust revisionist European far-right.
This is just open, unabashed white nationalist rhetoric at this point.
February 16, 2026 at 8:56 PM
I really wish American Jewish organizations would spend a bit less time on college student protestors, and a bit more time on the fact that the US government is barely bothering to dog whistle to the historically antisemitic and Holocaust revisionist European far-right.
In fact, defining religion and ethnicity as discrete categories is a major way in which Christianity imposes its own supposed universalism upon the rest of the world, hiding its particularism by claiming to completely lack particularistic qualities.
It can be really tricky to parse esp since in the ancient world nationality, ethnicity and religion did not function as the discrete categories they function as today.
February 16, 2026 at 8:24 PM
In fact, defining religion and ethnicity as discrete categories is a major way in which Christianity imposes its own supposed universalism upon the rest of the world, hiding its particularism by claiming to completely lack particularistic qualities.
This is a good thread, but as a Jewish Studies scholar, one of the major points I try to make to my students is that Jewish peoplehood contains elements of religion, ethnicity, and nationality, without totally fitting into any of these boxes.
India does not have the academic study of religion. IMO, this is part of the reason why modi’s Hindu nationalist regime gained control of India
the concept of religion is a western construct that doesn’t “fit” non-Abrahamic traditions. Many Hindus say Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. 🧵
the concept of religion is a western construct that doesn’t “fit” non-Abrahamic traditions. Many Hindus say Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. 🧵
If it is not clear, they are arresting Black activists & journalists b/c they can’t deport them legally & state terror can serve a dual purpose of chilling dissent & labeling Black folks as rioters (read-anti nationals)./1
A 🧵 showing how this worked in India from 2014-2019.
A 🧵 showing how this worked in India from 2014-2019.
February 16, 2026 at 8:16 PM
This is a good thread, but as a Jewish Studies scholar, one of the major points I try to make to my students is that Jewish peoplehood contains elements of religion, ethnicity, and nationality, without totally fitting into any of these boxes.
This is just open, unabashed white nationalist rhetoric at this point.
February 16, 2026 at 6:57 PM
This is just open, unabashed white nationalist rhetoric at this point.
It is not surprising that we have seen a resurgence of interest in nineteenth century race science, because the only way to justify this degree of gross inequality is to claim it is rooted in biology and natural order.
February 16, 2026 at 6:09 PM
It is not surprising that we have seen a resurgence of interest in nineteenth century race science, because the only way to justify this degree of gross inequality is to claim it is rooted in biology and natural order.
The US ambassador to Belgium, who amplified posts by a Belgian Holocaust denier, is telling the Belgian minister of health that he is being antisemitic by investigating unsafe mohel practices - even though the complaints were made from within the Jewish community. www.jta.org/2026/02/16/g...
US ambassador demands that Belgium drop 'ridiculous and anti semitic' investigation of mohels - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The mohels came under scrutiny after an Antwerp rabbi filed a complaint about their practices.
www.jta.org
February 16, 2026 at 5:42 PM
The US ambassador to Belgium, who amplified posts by a Belgian Holocaust denier, is telling the Belgian minister of health that he is being antisemitic by investigating unsafe mohel practices - even though the complaints were made from within the Jewish community. www.jta.org/2026/02/16/g...
Gratified that my recent essay on the many meanings of "Zionism" was quoted in this new Shaul Magid piece on the rising American Jewish left: shaulmagid.substack.com/p/what-does-...
What Does the Jewish Left Want? *
“To be non-Zionist one first must be anti-Zionist” – Adi Ophir
shaulmagid.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Gratified that my recent essay on the many meanings of "Zionism" was quoted in this new Shaul Magid piece on the rising American Jewish left: shaulmagid.substack.com/p/what-does-...
This is just annexation, which a lot of people have said would be a red line. So what happens when the red line is crossed? www.cnn.com/2026/02/15/m...
Israel advances registration of West Bank territory as state land in move decried as “de facto annexation” | CNN
For the first time since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, the government will create a mechanism to officially register large swaths of land under the state.
www.cnn.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:06 AM
This is just annexation, which a lot of people have said would be a red line. So what happens when the red line is crossed? www.cnn.com/2026/02/15/m...
We really need to bring back the idea that shame can be a necessary feeling, and that there are things nations do that ought to lead to feeling shame.
This message from the US State Department about "not wanting allies to be shackled by guilt and shame" is a pretty direct call-out to the German far-right argument that Germany has spent too long feeling guilty about the Holocaust, and needs to move on and stop doing remembrance.
February 16, 2026 at 3:37 AM
We really need to bring back the idea that shame can be a necessary feeling, and that there are things nations do that ought to lead to feeling shame.
Thousands of people in Dresden came out to protest against a far-right march in the city. The police used pepper spray to attack the counter-protestors and protect the far-right marchers. p.dw.com/p/58mFo
Dresden: Protesters briefly clash with police in rally against far-right
p.dw.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Thousands of people in Dresden came out to protest against a far-right march in the city. The police used pepper spray to attack the counter-protestors and protect the far-right marchers. p.dw.com/p/58mFo
This is one of the most racist members of Congress out there, bar none, and the fact that he is Jewish just makes me ashamed.
February 16, 2026 at 2:42 AM
This is one of the most racist members of Congress out there, bar none, and the fact that he is Jewish just makes me ashamed.
A good rule of thumb is that if you are comparing human beings to animals, you are probably the bad guy.
February 16, 2026 at 2:34 AM
A good rule of thumb is that if you are comparing human beings to animals, you are probably the bad guy.
Gratified to be quoted in this new Shaul Magid essay on the growing American Jewish left: shaulmagid.substack.com/p/what-does-...
What Does the Jewish Left Want? *
“To be non-Zionist one first must be anti-Zionist” – Adi Ophir
shaulmagid.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Gratified to be quoted in this new Shaul Magid essay on the growing American Jewish left: shaulmagid.substack.com/p/what-does-...
Free speech in the classroom is back: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
Students Across the U.S. Are Protesting ICE. Texas Wants to Punish Their Schools.
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Free speech in the classroom is back: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
The fact that this is the response from the Conference of Presidents shows that they really do not understand what is coming in the next generation: www.jpost.com/diaspora/art...
Senior Jewish leader urges right to confrontTucker Tucker Carlson | The Jerusalem Post
Daroff described what he called a deepened bond between Israel and the United States since the October 7 attacks
www.jpost.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:58 PM
The fact that this is the response from the Conference of Presidents shows that they really do not understand what is coming in the next generation: www.jpost.com/diaspora/art...
If we want people to criticize the government of Israel without attacking all Jews worldwide (and we should want that!), the flip side is that pro-Israel people have to stop cynically claiming that people who were very careful only to criticize the Israeli government were actually attacking "Jews."
February 15, 2026 at 9:39 PM
If we want people to criticize the government of Israel without attacking all Jews worldwide (and we should want that!), the flip side is that pro-Israel people have to stop cynically claiming that people who were very careful only to criticize the Israeli government were actually attacking "Jews."
She didn't accuse Jews as a people of committing genocide, though. She accused the government and the military of the state of Israel of doing so. People reporting it this way are trying to make a conflation that AOC herself was careful not to make.
February 15, 2026 at 9:20 PM
She didn't accuse Jews as a people of committing genocide, though. She accused the government and the military of the state of Israel of doing so. People reporting it this way are trying to make a conflation that AOC herself was careful not to make.
Germany's far-right AfD, who are totally not Nazis, are planning to hold their national party conference exactly 100 years after a major Nazi party congress in 1926, in the exact same location. p.dw.com/p/58oLt
Planned AfD congress shows deliberate Nazi parallels, say historians, lawmakers
p.dw.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Germany's far-right AfD, who are totally not Nazis, are planning to hold their national party conference exactly 100 years after a major Nazi party congress in 1926, in the exact same location. p.dw.com/p/58oLt
We really don't have to do this in order to level highly legitimate criticisms of Israel's actions in Gaza.
February 15, 2026 at 9:08 PM
We really don't have to do this in order to level highly legitimate criticisms of Israel's actions in Gaza.
This post quite clearly shows the links between the European far-right’s efforts to erase complicity in the Holocaust, and the American right’s efforts to erase the history of slavery and Jim Crow. Which is part of why supporting DEI in the US should be seen as a Jewish issue.
This message from the US State Department about "not wanting allies to be shackled by guilt and shame" is a pretty direct call-out to the German far-right argument that Germany has spent too long feeling guilty about the Holocaust, and needs to move on and stop doing remembrance.
February 15, 2026 at 3:52 PM
This post quite clearly shows the links between the European far-right’s efforts to erase complicity in the Holocaust, and the American right’s efforts to erase the history of slavery and Jim Crow. Which is part of why supporting DEI in the US should be seen as a Jewish issue.
I think it’s bad that the major American Jewish organizations that claim to speak for the community have decided that college student protesters are a bigger danger to Jews than the actual US government supporting a German far-right that wants to stop Holocaust remembrance.
This message from the US State Department about "not wanting allies to be shackled by guilt and shame" is a pretty direct call-out to the German far-right argument that Germany has spent too long feeling guilty about the Holocaust, and needs to move on and stop doing remembrance.
February 15, 2026 at 3:49 PM
I think it’s bad that the major American Jewish organizations that claim to speak for the community have decided that college student protesters are a bigger danger to Jews than the actual US government supporting a German far-right that wants to stop Holocaust remembrance.
This message from the US State Department about "not wanting allies to be shackled by guilt and shame" is a pretty direct call-out to the German far-right argument that Germany has spent too long feeling guilty about the Holocaust, and needs to move on and stop doing remembrance.
February 15, 2026 at 3:08 PM
This message from the US State Department about "not wanting allies to be shackled by guilt and shame" is a pretty direct call-out to the German far-right argument that Germany has spent too long feeling guilty about the Holocaust, and needs to move on and stop doing remembrance.
One hundred years ago, in the 1920's, a rising German far-right movement was looking to the US as a model of juridical technologies of racial oppression. Today, in the 2020's...
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the party supported by JD Vance and Elon Musk, are now looking to ICE in the US for inspiration and saying Germany needs an ICE of its own. www.politico.eu/article/euro...
European far-right parties push for ICE-style police
Fringe figures want to follow the Trump playbook for tackling unauthorized migration.
www.politico.eu
February 15, 2026 at 4:05 AM
One hundred years ago, in the 1920's, a rising German far-right movement was looking to the US as a model of juridical technologies of racial oppression. Today, in the 2020's...
This Marco Rubio speech is just unabashed blood and soil nationalism, but also, it's incredibly weird to use, as your example of the supposed artistic heritage of European Christendom, the Rolling Stones, of all bands, who cribbed their entire style from Black American music.
February 15, 2026 at 3:05 AM
This Marco Rubio speech is just unabashed blood and soil nationalism, but also, it's incredibly weird to use, as your example of the supposed artistic heritage of European Christendom, the Rolling Stones, of all bands, who cribbed their entire style from Black American music.
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the party supported by JD Vance and Elon Musk, are now looking to ICE in the US for inspiration and saying Germany needs an ICE of its own. www.politico.eu/article/euro...
European far-right parties push for ICE-style police
Fringe figures want to follow the Trump playbook for tackling unauthorized migration.
www.politico.eu
February 15, 2026 at 2:56 AM
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the party supported by JD Vance and Elon Musk, are now looking to ICE in the US for inspiration and saying Germany needs an ICE of its own. www.politico.eu/article/euro...