iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 20m

My response to Rabbi Angela Buchdahl's Yom Kippur sermon, "Claiming Zionism": "Jews cannot be reduced down to something as material and tangible as a nation. We are much more, and our connection is via Torah, not via an imposed blood-and-soil identity." Full post here: bit.ly/claimingjudaism

Claiming Judaism: A Response to Rabbi Angela Buchdahl

Over the past 60 years, Zionism has become the Reform Movement's one orthodoxy. In synagogues with no requirements for religious belief or practice, the single requirement for belogning is now believing in a Jewish state. Most American Jews aren't buying it. Only a third call thsemselves Zionists, so what do we do now? Read the full response: bit.ly/claimingjudaism

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 28/12/2025

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, or Alice In Chains.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 10/12/2025

Three great learning opportunities coming up! Join us for Intro to Judaism; Theory and Practice of Jewish Antifascism; and a special co-taught class with Shel Maala on the concept of Covenant in Judaism. givebutter.com/acj-introcoh... givebutter.com/acj-jewishan... givebutter.com/acj-shelmaal...

Introduction to Judaism Beyond Nationalism with Rabbi Andy Kahn
A 16 week course about Jewish life, history, and practice. The course is offered in two 8-week modules. Module 1: Jewish Thought and History, Jan 6th-Feb 24, 6-7:30pm Eastern; Module 2: Jewish Practice: March 3-April 21, 6-7:30pm Eastern

Judaism in Times of Facism: An Eight Week Course in Theory and Practice with Dr. Michael Gould-Wartofsky

Drawing on historical readings, case studies, and guided discussions, this course will provide students with a unique venue for inquiry into how Judaism should be interpreted and practiced in an age of Fascism.

Thursdays Jan 22-March 23th, 6-730pm Eastern

Terms of Service: An Exploration of Covenant and Jewish Collectivity

Join Shel Maal and the ACJ as we discuss the past, present, and future of covenant, contracts, and relationships between Jews, God and Each other.
December 22nd, and 29th, January 5th,

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 22/11/2025

At the JFed GA, claims about Holocaust education and antisemitism were used to explain away outrage over Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The story of Jacob and Esau uncovers what the Torah teaches about responsibility and the possibility of transformation. Full drash here: acjna.org/articles/tol...

White text orange background. American Council for Judaism: Toldot: Choosing Which Israel Ve
Become
A viral moment captured an attempt at explainging protesting Israels genocide in Gaza through the lens of antisemitism. The Torah gives us a higher truth.

At the Jewish Federations® General Assembly, Sarah Hurwitz claimed that young people critique Israel because Holocaust education taught them to side with "the weak against the powerful." She framed antisemitism as a unique force that explains why people oppose Israel's actions in Gaza.

Antisemitism is a real and dangerous threat, but removing it from its material contexts turns it into a political tool. Condescending to young people who seek justice shous the true goal: To obscures the real suffering of Palestinians and prevent honest engagement with the material realities shaping this moment.

The story of Jacob and Esau in the Torah offers a different way to understand power and human relationships. Jacob deceives both his father and his brother, and the text does not hide his wrongdoing. Esau is left bereft, tricked by his brother.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 14/11/2025

Just a few weeks ago, Batya was speaking at 92Y alongside Kathy E. Manning, Yehuda Kurtzer, James Kirchick and Bret Stephens. I'm guessing she's spinning up a book tour about her upcoming book. If and when you see other institutions choosing to platform her, please remember this exchange.

an image of Megyn Kelly next to Batya Ungar Sargon, with a quote from Kelly saying "We have not seen some slew of young women come forward to say 'Me too,' on Donald Trump molesting them." and Ungar Sargon responding "Jeffrey Epstein would prey upon women when they were underage...Then they would age out of Jeffrey Epstein's pedophilic interests, at which point he would then start to pass them around to his friends...There were not actual crimes committed by anyone...There's no pedophile ring. There's a pedophile, and then a bunch of friends who were getting massages at that point from women who were no longer underage."

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 29/10/2025

Ready to build a Jewish practice that reflects your values? Join The Four Cubits, an 8-week course exploring halakhah, prayer, Shabbat, and ethics through freedom, conscience, and community. givebutter.com/acj-ijbn32025

Blue text on a background of Talmud "The Four Cubits: A guide to building your own jewish practice"

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 29/08/2025

Shaul Magid has been a primary influence on my understanding of Judaism and the development of my rabbinate for over a decade. It was an incredible honor to be a part of this project about his work. Link here: archive.ph/wD1ln

Article Title in Haaretz Magazine: 'Some Say It's the End of Zionism, and I Say That's All Right'
Shaul Magid, Jewish studies professor at Harvard Divinity School, thinks it's time to consider the future of Israel beyond Zionism

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 28/07/2025

We're starting our second cohort of Intro to Judaism Beyond Nationalism! It is unique approach that not only removes the layers of nationalism you'd find in most institutions, but subverts those narratives to center the ethical core of Jewish history, thought, and practice. bit.ly/acj-introduction

Introduction to Judaism Beyond Nationalism
Whether you're new to Judaism, seeking conversion, or reimagining your Jewish life, this course is for you! This 16-class, two-module series offers a fresh and rigorous exploration of Jewish identity, history, and practice grounded in justice, diaspora, and spiritual autonomy.
Virtual Course
Module One: Wednesdays, 7-8:30PM EST | 08.13 - 10.08
Module Two: Wednesdays, 7-8:30PM EST | 10.22 - 12.10
Register at bit.ly/acj-introduction

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 07/07/2025

Join us July 14th at 6pm for a conversation with Ben Lorber and Shane Burley, authors of Safety through Solidarity. We’ll explore how antisemitism intersects with nationalism, and how to fight it without reinforcing systems of oppression. Don't miss it! lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nue2tsg

A promo image about the event, giving basic context for the talk and the title "Beyond Fear: Fighting Antisemitism with Shane Burley and Ben Lorber"

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 08/06/2025

Come learn with me and Professor Rabbi Shaul Magid this Thursday at 6pm EDT about the ways in which American Judaism, post-ethnicity, and post-nationalism are allowing us to rethink our history and our future. bit.ly/acj-magid

A picture of Shaul Magid looking into the camera, leaning against a pillar.
Thursday, June 12 | 6-7PM EDT
People, Faith, Nation: Exploring Judaism's Many Identities with Professor Rabbi Shaul Magid
Join Rabbi Andy Kahn in conversation with Shaul Magid for a deep diveinto the possibilities of post-ethnic Judaism in America. Together, they'll explore how shifting tides in Jewish identtiy intersect with the growing crisis of Zionism, and what this moment might mean for reimagining Jewish life beyond nationhood.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 29/05/2025

Extremely important read in Ha’Aretz today: archive.ph/nNzq4

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 12/05/2025

Join the ACJ's Introduction to Judaism Beyond Nationalism! In 16 sessions across 2 modules, learners encounter the richness and diversity of Judaism from ancient times to today. All are welcome. No prior knowledge required. Classes recorded and scholarships available. Apply here: bit.ly/acj-intro

An image of a tree, with the dates for Module One (June 3rd-August 5th) and Module Two (August 12th to October 7th), all on Tuesdays, 6-7:30pm EST. Large title that reads: Introduction to Judaism Beyond Nationalism
Whether you're new to Judaism, seeking conversion, or reimagining your Jewish life, this course is for you! This 16 class, two module series offers a fresh and rigorous exploration of Jewish identity, history, and practice grounded in justice, diaspora and spiritual autonomy.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 25/04/2025

No matter where you go in the United States, there is always a wide variety of restaurants. Even the smallest of towns will have food representing cultures from all over the planet. And each of these cuisines is specific to its culture’s expressions in America. 1/11

An image of a reuben sandwich under text saying "Sh'mini: On Being Holy."

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 26/03/2025

Come join us this Friday for a Shabbat beyond nationalism! Bit.ly/acj-shabbat

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 17/01/2025

Although I'm quite glad that there is some relief in Gaza and an agreed upon plan for hostages to be released by both sides this weekend, please let's keep our eye on the ball here. Netanyahu's government has no intention of this being the end of the genocide. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Text from the above link which reads: But a different version of the deal appears in statements and briefings published by Netanyahu's office and his media loyalists. In this version, phase 2 of the deal is a dead letter, and Israel is hell-bent on renewing the war after the completion of phase 1, even at the cost of sacrificing its male hostages.
Don't take my word for it – trust Netanyahu's own aides and confidantes − like his chief of staff, Yossi Fuchs, who wrote on Wednesday that the deal "includes the option to resume the fighting at the end of phase 1 if the negotiations over phase 2 don't develop in a manner that promises the fulfillment of the war's goals: military and civil annihilation of Hamas and a release of all hostages."

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 08/12/2024

They also seek to pre-tarnish progressive protest groups as antisemitic. By claiming all pro-Palestinian protests have been antisemitic, but that the evidence has been erased, they are beginning to manufacture a narrative of all progressive protests as antisemitic, with or without evidence. 7/8

Excerpt: Of equal concern, over the weeks and months since the end of the last semester and the waning of campus protests, demonstrations, and encampments, finding recorded examples of the antisemitic statements and actions that America witnessed in real time has become ever more difficult. Internet searches for pictures of students and pro-Palestine protesters spouting antisemitic tropes, displaying disgusting antisemitic signs, and video capturing acts of violence against Jews return less and less relevant results. Whether it is under the pretense of not wanting to spread antisemitic propaganda, for fear of lawsuits, or because of a desire to dull the antisemitic edge of protesters, it looks as though a deliberate sanitizing of the Internet is occurring.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 08/12/2024

They prime the pump to state that any opposition to this program will be a “blood libel” against the Jews, fuel the fire of antisemitism, and therefore are further proof of the nefarious and deep antisemitism inherent in progressive politics and DEI that must be rooted out for Jewish safety. 6/8

Excerpt: agenda. Over time, the HSN's victims will grow to include other American minority groups that are incapable of aligning with the HSN and its HSOs. While there is always a risk that doing anything could fail and accelerate these results, doing nothing will ensure them.
At the same time, it is worth acknowledging that when Project Esther succeeds, it could reinforce a
"blood libel" narrative, potentially lending credence to an HSN "Blame the Jews" mantra, followed by expanded antisemitism across the United States. It should be anticipated that HSOs will counter legal actions taken by Heritage and other members of the coalition with legal action of their own. At the lowest level, inadvertent violations of the rights of other Americans, even supporters of HSN and its HSOs, during the conduct of civic operations or activities could expose both individuals and Project Esther to liability.
It is therefore incumbent upon us to integrate measures necessary to mitigate the risk of success. Project Esther will adhere scrupulously to the law — federal, state, and local — and ensure that we do not violate the rights of any HSN or HSO leaders, members, or supporters. We can further minimize risk to the project from "counter accusations" with an underlying public relations campaign designed to insulate it from the HSN, HSOs, their supporters, and other Jew-haters.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 08/12/2024

Another goal is to then use this narrative to claim that any DEI education in any form, be it through schools, legacy media, or social media, is antisemitic because it aligns with these “HSOs,” and is Marxist, Soviet, and Nazi propaganda simultaneously. 5/8

Excerpt: Introduction. Antisemitism in the United States of America is alive and spreading. This antisemitism had been rekindled for decades before October 7, 2023, by the promotion of a view that reduces all human interaction to a heroic struggle between the oppressed and their oppressors. The victim status of the oppressed, in this view, grants them license to pursue any course of action. Jews, Israelis, and all proud Americans in this case have been cast in the role of the implacable oppressors and the Palestinians, Arab or Muslim, in the role of their victims. While this understanding of history comes straight from the pages of Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, it can also be traced to Soviet agitprop and found in Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and other Nazi propaganda, which portrayed the Jew as the conniving exploiter of the pure and innocent German.

Excerpt: Corrupt the U.S. education system. HSOs have infiltrated their ideology into the U.S. education system across all levels. It is pervasive. The U.S. education system fosters antisemitism under the guise of "pro-Palestinian," anti-Israel, anti-Zionist narratives across universities, high schools, and elementary schools, often under the umbrella or within the rubric of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and similar Marxist ideology.

Excerpt: Leverage the American media. The HSN and HSOs have mastered the use of America's liberal media environment. They are quick to gain attention for any and every demonstration, no matter how large or small, from every network across the country. They make ample use of their right to do so, outnumbering and outpacing any demonstrations in support of Israel in both size and frequency.
The HSN and HSOs have made prolific and unchecked use of social media platforms, such as TikTok, across the entire digital ecosystem to spout antisemitic propaganda. Additionally, these social media platforms provide the perfect means of communication and coordination among HSO members and between HSOs, strengthening the broader HSN.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 08/12/2024

A key aspect of their strategy is to further paint Dems (including Jewish pols) as antisemitic, to claim that our own community orgs are too progressive to “protect us” from these “HSOs,” and to assert that defending Israel’s gov’t should be our primary concern. 4/8

Excerpt: The "Hamas Caucus" in the House of Representatives consists of a core group of roughly a dozen of the more "progressive" Members. They include Rashida Tlaib (D-MI); Ilhan Omar (D-MN); Cori Bush (D MO);REF Jamaal Bowman (D-NY);REF Summer Lee (D-PA); Ayana Pressley (D-MA); Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY); Greg Casar (D-TX); Andre Carson (D-IN); Hank Johnson (D-GA); Jan Schakowsky (D-IL); Mark Pocan (D-WI); and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). Collectively, they have consistently expressed their anti-Israel bias through numerous statements in speeches and to the press.
Often forced to apologize or "walk back" their statements because of "ignorance" or "unintended hurtfulness," their retractions seem insincere at best and reflective of the unqualified anti-Israel positions demonstrated in their voting records. The "Hamas Caucus" has support in the Senate from Bernie Sanders (I-VT); Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); and, to varying degrees, several others.
On November 7, 2023, the House of Representatives voted to censure Rashida Tlaib for promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 234 to 188. Of the 220 Republicans in the House at that time, 212 voted for censure; of the 212 Democrats, only 22 voted for the resolution.
Even more disturbing, while there are only two Jewish Republicans in the House of Representatives, there are 25 Jewish Democrats— almost 12 percent of the Democratic representation. Both Republicans voted in favor of censure, compared to only 10 Democrats. In fact, more Jewish Democrats (15) voted against censure than voted for it, while more non-Jewish Democrats (12) joined their remaining 10 Jewish colleagues voting in favor of censure. That the political party with more elected Jewish Representatives chose political expediency over the morally correct position against antisemitism is striking.

Excerpt: The American Jewish community has not demonstrated a unified resolve against the HSN, its HSOs, and their program of Jew-hatred and America-hatred. While a strong, capable element has mustered financial, political, and moral support both for the Jewish state of Israel and for efforts to counter academic intolerance in some select institutions, particularly at the administrator level, significant components of the community remain disengaged. Some may be blind and deaf to the manifestation of HSN-inspired antisemitism at home. Some may be in such disbelief that they cannot even acknowledge the threat. More likely, many simply do not know what to do and are waiting for leadership to guide them.
The HSN can muster a constant stream of media-attracting demonstrations and protests across the country, but the American Jewish community remains relegated to singular, large, ineffective bursts of symbolic activity with no support from other special-interest groups.
This is particularly disconcerting and sad as over the past decades, significant elements of the American Jewish community, particularly the Reformed Jewish movement, have supported - even led — a multitude of liberal causes célèbres, including pro-Palestine organizations. Yet, when American Jews were directly threatened by an existential enemy, none of those supposed allies showed up to support them.
The American Jewish community did not even utter a whimper when left-of-center Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer-himself Jewish -called for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's ouster for no apparent reason other than Netanyahu's being on Israel's political right.

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 08/12/2024

In it, they say that the American Jewish community writ large isn’t aligned with their politics. Their goal is to convince us to re-align rightwards through use of private organizations, and suggesting falsely via the ADL that the primary locus of antisemitism is the left. shorturl.at/YhwDx 3/8

Had the intent of these critics been otherwise —had their goal truly been to change Israeli policies they found disagreeable — the so-called pro-Palestinian movement would not have organized so quickly across the world, including inside the United States, and immediately degenerated into the commission of blatant acts of antisemitism specifically targeting Jews. In 2023, The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tabulated 8,873 antisemitic incidents across the United States, a 140 percent increase from 2022 and the highest the ADL has recorded since it began tracking the statistic in 1979. The dramatic increase occurred following Hamas's October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. "Between October 7 and the end of 2023, ADL tabulated
5,204 incidents— more than the incident total for the whole of 2022."REF

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Rabbi Andy Kahn @rabbiandykahn.com · 08/12/2024

THREAD: It’s important folks on the left in America are aware of Project Esther, the Heritage Foundation's (authors of Project 2025), racist and antisemitic strategy to target the so-called “Hamas Support Network” of “Hamas Support Organizations” to “fight antisemitism,” shorturl.at/7pPZr 1/8

A list of desired effects for project esther:
Desired Effects (DE). Generating the following desired effects will either contribute to or directly result in
achieving the desired end state:
DE1: HSO propaganda purged from curricula.
DE2: HSO-supporting faculty and/or staff removed or fired.
DE3: HSO access to campuses lost and/or denied.
DE4: Foreign members of HSOs/HSN access to campuses lost and/or denied.
DE5: Money from foreign HSO supporters not accepted by schools.
DE6: HSOs unable to raise revenue.
DE7: HSOs unable to transfer money to Hamas.
DE8: Congressional “Hamas Caucus” marginalized.
DE9: Executive branch presented with undeniable evidence of HSOs’ criminal activity.
DE10: Social media no longer allow the spread of antisemitic content.
DE11: HSOs’ voice/access to propaganda dissemination mechanisms lost.
DE12: HSOs cannot/unwilling to communicate with each other.
DE13: HSOs unable to coordinate action.
DE14: Permits for HSOs to protest or demonstrate are restricted and/or denied.
DE15: People are unwilling to join demonstrations.
DE16: Foreign HSO leadership no longer present in U.S.
DE17: Preponderance of Jewish community perceives HSOs as a threat to their safety.
DE18: Preponderance of broader American public perceives HSOs as a threat to their safety and a
functioning society.
DE19: Critical vulnerabilities targeted.

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