iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Just in time to kick off ADHD Awareness Month, I have, FINALLY, submitted a book proposal for "The Neurodivergent Talmud" to a press.

1110

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Sam Brody @samuelhayimbrody.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

and - this is the key here - it is ALSO at the foundation of the resistance to that narrative insofar as that resistance is also “progressive,” I.e. relies on a progressive teleology of stages (e.g. feudalism, capitalism, socialism). Indigenous critics of the left have long seen this as well

18511

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

🎃Meli👻 @mismatched.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

There’s a lot of threads right now going around about antisemitism on the left and this one is one of the best—talking about its role in the structures of leftist ideas past and present

1132

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Sam Brody @samuelhayimbrody.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

this doesn’t mean they were wrong to hate capitalism (which is how the right would like to read that history). it just means that their language for expressing that was structurally, constitutively anti-Jewish. you see it in Proudhon, you see it in Marx, you see it in Bakunin, et al.

211514

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Sam Brody @samuelhayimbrody.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Overcoming Judaism is the foundation of the “progressive” narrative that later pits civilization against the savage, positioning Christianity and whiteness as the apex of history. You don’t get that without antisemitism as the foundation

19712

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This morning on my way to work, a car turning right didn't see me in the bike lane and I crashed into the side of it. I'm fine--completely uninjured, the driver was fine and very kind and apologetic, and I think the bike is fine. But it could easily have turned out much worse.

3161

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

When they get back in power, Democrats need to go all-in on higher education. We need a campaign of reinvestment in public universities across the country that makes the Morrill Land-Grant Act look like nothing by comparison *and* a GI Bill of Rights-style program of tuition grants.

20752441429

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Oh, here's one more story: We were out for dinner at one point, and for whatever ridiculous reason I decided to tell her the joke about cheap beer being like sex in a canoe (it's fucking close to water). Joan casually responds: "Oh, I've done that."

140

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Joan was a sex therapist who, if my memory serves, studied under Wardell Pomeroy (of Kinsey fame) at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality back when it was just getting started. She was the first person to introduce me to Jewish feminism.

280

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My grandmother died last week, a few days after her 98th birthday. We had a complicated relationship & I didn't see her a lot (by my choice) the last several years. But she was deeply admirable in many ways, & one of the more frivolous was that she was an impressive hater. So, a brief Joan story:

2160

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Dr. Cara Berg Powers @clbergpowers.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It's so frustrating when a lot of my fellow leftists, including some fellow Jews, feel the need to deny the rising antisemitism happening right now. Acknowledging this doesn't undermine any other coexisting truths.

1749

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Hello, I'm an ethicist who just misspelled "ethical" in her class notes, AMA.

161

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I highly recommend Megan for website design! Even though I am terrible at updating mine.

151

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Megan Goodwin @mpgphd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

she's not on here often but I had a lot of fun working on this site for @samirakmehta.bsky.social!! check it out: www.samiramehta.com (ha, gotta update the social preview, apparently 😂)

samiramehta.com

Samira K. Mehta

Expert on interfaith, interracial, and multicultural experiences in America.

052

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Everything about this is depressing, & I'm pissed at the author for casting everyone as objects of ridicule. Disabled folks should get to exist in public, this exposes how woefully inadequate individual masking is as a solution, and @matthewcort.land (LRT) is right re: the boil water analogy.

1318

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Matthew Cortland (they) @matthewcort.land · 22/09/2026

The discourse is going to be bad I'll just say that covid is still a thing, immunocompromised people still exist despite this country's best efforts, and this is what happens when, instead of systemic clean air interventions, you do the equivalent of a boil water order for air

523765

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It's been years since I last looked into this kind of stat, so I don't know how this reads compared to ten years ago, but from a brief glance at some of these numbers I'm also pretty concerned about the rates of STI testing and condom use.

041

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Atkinson @maddavenport.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I do think that the more we get over the thrill and the terror of transgression, the more able we are as individuals to reckon with our *actual* desires and needs, and meet them within the context of healthy community. That’s certainly been my experience at least

0223

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

A. M. Vincent @vincent.northsky.social · 18/09/2026

Elu v'elu divrei elohim hayyim.

011

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Atkinson @maddavenport.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Yes. I for one am absolutely here for polyamory’s slide from “no holds barred outré sexcapades of the decadent elite” to “spreadsheets and chore charts and daycare pickup schedules” in the popular imagination, for example

1182

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I am beginning to wonder if this is an element of “sexual diversity is a moral good” I had not yet grasped: The more sexual variations are commonplace, the less room tech bros and the like might have to get into any given thing on the sole basis of its edginess.

2225

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Having learned today about a death in my family that leaves me with a case of suspended complicated feelings, I further put off the inevitable experience of said feelings by spending too much money on tea, and I'm pretty excited to try the segment of Byah! that I splurged on.

020

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Well this is certainly a, how do you say, interesting variation on the AI book club scam. Anyway, as a Jewish ethicist I condemn genocide and think ethnonationalisms of all kinds are bad. I "hope" this helps the next AI scammer. *obligatory disclaimer that, as always, I don't speak for my employer

Hi Rebecca,

I hope you don't mind the note.

I'm the founder of Be Tight-Knit, where we create small, discussion-based experiences built around direct access to exceptional people.

As we build a discussion series with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, I've become convinced that the quality of the experience depends not only on the Featured Expert, but also on the people who participate.

When I came across your background, it struck me that you might be exactly the kind of person who would make this discussion better. Your public work on Jewish ethics, collective responsibility and the ethics of expertise made me think you would bring a rigorous and refreshingly direct voice.

Rather than a lecture or webinar, this experience brings together just 50 participants for three live discussions with Ambassador Shapiro over the course of several weeks. Participants shape each conversation through their own questions, interests, and perspectives, allowing the discussion to build naturally from one session to the next.

You can learn more here: https://betightknit.com/danielshapiro

If it resonates with you, I'd be genuinely interested to hear your thoughts. And if you think it's something you'd enjoy, I'd love to have you apply.

032

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Yes, and it's notable that VA Governor Abigail Spanburger, who is nobody's idea of a raging lefty and has in fact kneecapped VA's Democratic legislature on several issues, is AFAIK not only not caving on trans rights but publicly running toward them.

1113

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I beg you, good people of #TeaSky: please do not buy up ALL the Fruit Bomb Lapsang until I’ve had a chance to try it and decide whether I need more!

030

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

According to at least ONE tracking site my @white2tea.bsky.social tea club should arrive TODAY, at last. But in the meantime Butterjam Red is kind of unbeatable for a breakfast tea. #teasky

A glass mug half full of red-amber colored tea.

181

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Aleksei I. Valentín (he/they) ✡️♿🏳️‍🌈 @aivalentin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Then, as usual, we have the problem of singling out students who need tech accommodations in the classroom -- typing notes, digital copies of books, and other assistive things. It forces disclosure when you're typing the exam and everyone else has a blue book and pencil.

171

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Aleksei I. Valentín (he/they) ✡️♿🏳️‍🌈 @aivalentin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I'm ambivalent. Getting rid of AI, fine, so long as the policy is clear what they mean by AI. ChatGPT and something like Speechify text-to-speech are both using AI, but text-to-speech has a place in learning as a disability accommodation and should not be refused to students.

1126

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

PSA to all students: please stop submitting your senior portraits as your official university photo. None of y’all actually look like that in class, which makes them absolutely useless for learning your names.

060

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Cold-calling people while doing budgetary tasks and sitting in a mosquito-infested yard that everyone else insists is fine.

060

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This seems especially obvious to me re: Talarico, who was very clearly pressured into taking a worse position, and can therefore also be pressured OUT of it. But you actually have to make a credible threat to do it!

1205

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

James, Amy, Josh, et al, say it with me: "I said x about transgender people. I do not deny this. But those statements were cowardly, and they were wrong. We don't trade established rights for political gain. And if you're more worried about children's genitals than anything else, that's a problem."

13213

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

It needs to be made clear that transphobic stances have meaningful consequences, and I don't know how you do that without threatening said consequences. It further seems to me that those consequences need to be threatened NOW, before the election happens.

0115

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Something that seems important re: not voting for anti-trans democrats is that: a. The threat to withhold one's vote is the main form of leverage people have on candidates. b. The election has not happened yet. c. Anti-trans candidates still have the option to stop being anti-trans.

12210

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Also before anyone comes at me: I think that nonhuman animals almost certainly have far richer inner lives and more complex social worlds than most people give them credit for. It doesn't follow that that richness necessarily looks anything like human richness, let alone this bullshit.

050

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I cannot with this. Also what do you want to bet there's a significant overlap between these people and the ones who have prosthetic testicles implanted in their dogs so they don't feel "emasculated?"

391

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

They are trying to make people take for granted that compulsory cisgenderism is natural common sense. They want you to think they're "reasonable." Your job is to treat them like they showed up at your house drunk, uninvited, and in their underwear, and immediately started insulting your mother.

03214

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Others include: "Libeling and scapegoating minorities is both utterly evil and astoundingly unoriginal." "*blows giant raspberry*" "Trans people are awesome and I really don't understand why you're lying about them." "What a pathetic bully."

01710

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I'm not a PR expert, but I am an ethicist, and my free advice to candidates is that acceptable responses to transphobia include: "Yes, I voted to fund healthcare, what's your point?" "My opponent peddles transphobic nonsense." "What the hell is wrong with you?!" "You, sir/ma'am, are a ghoul."*

25119

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

SWOP Behind Bars @swopbehindbars.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Like it or not, we are all in this together, and if we want to survive, we will have to work together. That means listening to sex workers. That means respecting sex workers. That means including sex workers in resistance and labor movements. If we don't stand together, we all go down.

13710

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

SWOP Behind Bars @swopbehindbars.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Many women thought that not being a sex worker would keep them safe from certain abuses. That respectability politics would save them. But when the goal is misogyny and taking women's rights, there is no real safety. It may have happened to sex workers first, but it was always coming for you, too.

2346

Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi

SWOP Behind Bars @swopbehindbars.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Again, I gently encourage more women to stand with sex workers. Many SWs are women who have been targeted, surveilled, stalked, abused by the criminal justice system. All things that are rapidly happening to more and more women as AI abuse increases, flock cameras are abused, ICE budgets increase.

18228

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

03214

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

01710

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

25119

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Buying more tea than I can realistically drink in a year, fully aware that the overwhelming probability is that this is an ADHD hyperfixation with a shelf life. Relatedly, I haven't sharpened my knives in months and I think they're getting sad.

180

Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi @rjelevi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I continue to be baffled when people suppose it's not incredibly insulting to neurodivergent and otherwise disabled people to assume that we can't think.

$Screenshot from a recent ADDitude magazine email, from my spam email account: "AI for ADHD Brains at Work: New Ways to Support Executive Function Date & Time: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 1pm EDT (12pm Central; 11am Mountain; 10am Pacific) Find it in your time zone » Expert: Diann Wingert, MSW WEBINAR SPONSOR: Inflow Adults with ADHD are positively bursting with ideas, ambition, or effort. In short supply, often, are executive functioning skills. For decades, the standard advice has been to borrow someone else’s EFs — a body double, an assistant. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) can fill in gaps for a fraction of the cost, at any hour, and without judgment. Yes, AI is controversial and has its downsides for sure. But with the right prompts and strategy, it has the potential to be life-changing. This webinar will offer a practical, hype-free framework for using AI as an executive function support. Attendees will learn which tasks AI handles well, and which ones it doesn’t. It will also address the questions thoughtful users should be asking about privacy, accuracy, and over-reliance."$

44012