By Jennine Grasso Srugim may seem like a strange name for a television show. However, those of us lucky enough to be familiar with the program know that it’s more than the Hebrew word for “knitted.” It’s an Israeli television…
The Masked Dash
By Allison Carlisle Published on page43 of the Spring 2012 issue of Leviathan.
Meaning
By Anisha Mauze There is something these dendrites at the end of my fingertips cannot touch. A past time where I could pass time doing what, I don’t really know. Now I climb trees hoping their antenna branches can contact…
The Story of Yael: My Transition From Orthodoxy into Non-Observant Jewishness
By Shelby Backman I have two sets of names. The first set consists of my federally recognized first, middle, and last name: Shelby Alexandra Backman. The second set I rarely use or even with my closest friends: Shira Yael Hertzliya.…
The Movie Philosopher
By Savyonne Steindler Published on page 36 of the Spring 2012 issue of Leviathan.
Finding My Religion: Matthew’s Story
By Aaron Giannini “Cover your eyes this time, then say it.” At this point, not only had I messed up the ritual of wrapping myself in tefillin, I apparently hadn’t even recited the shema correctly. I closed my eyes, put…
Ha-Tzevah Sagol (The Color Purple)
By Gabi Kirk 0. Motherland Just before my Bat Mitzvah, my dad gave me permission to dye my hair, provided that I choose a “color not found in nature.” He meant neon, a high-resolution hue. I browsed the aisle of fluorescent…
Supermoon
By Andrew Dunningan Published on page 28 of the Spring 2012 issue of Leviathan.
On Religion as a Defense Against Psychological Weakness: Rethinking Stereotypes of Baalei Teshuvah
By Savyonne Steindler The following is an excerpt from Savyonne’s senior thesis in anthropology: “Being a Baal Teshuvah: Religion and Secularism in the Lives of Newly Observant Jews in Washington Heights.” Her paper is grounded in two weeks of ethnographic…
A Meditation on Muscular Judaism
By Ephraim Margolin The stereotype of Jews as being physically inferior has existed for centuries. The otherness of the Jews, their insistence on being a people who dwells alone [1], and their characteristic refusal to assimilate has engendered a long and…