David Weinfeld
@davidweinfeld.bsky.social
Time traveling detective aka historian, teach Jewish Studies at Rowan U in NJ. Live in Old City in Philly. Husband of MAP, dad of 2 girls. Have celiac. From Montreal. Go Expos! Will not respond to people who don’t go by their real names here.
Zichrono L'Vracha. May his memory be a blessing. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/w...
Lucien Lazare, Jewish Resistance Fighter in Occupied France, Dies at 101 (Gift Article)
He and a small troop of French Jews worked with the Allies to distribute supplies and fight the Nazis, ambushing a German train and liberating a city in the south.
www.nytimes.com
October 4, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Zichrono L'Vracha. May his memory be a blessing. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/w...
Reposted by David Weinfeld
The “ceasefire” will be one year old next week. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1400 Gazans
Israeli strike kills five in Gaza, including four women, health officials say
Israeli strike kills five in Gaza, including four women, health officials say
An Israeli airstrike killed at least five Palestinians, including four women, in an apartment building in Gaza City early on Saturday, health and civil defence service officials said.
www.reuters.com
October 3, 2026 at 7:14 PM
The “ceasefire” will be one year old next week. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1400 Gazans
Reposted by David Weinfeld
‘Antisemitism isn’t systemic’ is the Left’s version of ‘the world’s oldest hatred’. An easy slogan that is in fact a sign of impoverished thought, a stubborn unwillingness to think critically & rigorously. One hyperbolizes, the other minimizes;
October 2, 2026 at 2:46 AM
‘Antisemitism isn’t systemic’ is the Left’s version of ‘the world’s oldest hatred’. An easy slogan that is in fact a sign of impoverished thought, a stubborn unwillingness to think critically & rigorously. One hyperbolizes, the other minimizes;
Reposted by David Weinfeld
NAZA is a film by Israelis primarily for Israelis. And *that is a good thing*. It is a thing that cannot be accomplished by palestinian victims. It is a thing we NEED israelis to do. The critiques of this film from the left+Palestinians come from a position of pain, but are inaccurate & not helpful.
October 1, 2026 at 9:33 PM
NAZA is a film by Israelis primarily for Israelis. And *that is a good thing*. It is a thing that cannot be accomplished by palestinian victims. It is a thing we NEED israelis to do. The critiques of this film from the left+Palestinians come from a position of pain, but are inaccurate & not helpful.
I teach religious studies. If I believed in hell, I’d be certain Trump is headed there. Instead, he’s just destroying the university here on earth.
Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/kQdKbY1
Trump Moves to Cut Off Student Loans for Tons of Degrees
Under a new rule, if your degree doesn’t make enough money, you won’t be able to get a student loan.
trib.al
September 30, 2026 at 6:49 PM
I teach religious studies. If I believed in hell, I’d be certain Trump is headed there. Instead, he’s just destroying the university here on earth.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
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.
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.
Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/kQdKbY1
Trump Moves to Cut Off Student Loans for Tons of Degrees
Under a new rule, if your degree doesn’t make enough money, you won’t be able to get a student loan.
trib.al
September 28, 2026 at 11:19 PM
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.
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.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
Whether it’s Benjamin Netanyahu empowering Hamas, presiding over a massive intelligence failure that let them kill 1,200 Israelis on October 7th, and then killing 74,000 Palestinians in response or Zohran Mamdani pointing out that he did this, both men have fueled their bitter feud.
September 29, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Whether it’s Benjamin Netanyahu empowering Hamas, presiding over a massive intelligence failure that let them kill 1,200 Israelis on October 7th, and then killing 74,000 Palestinians in response or Zohran Mamdani pointing out that he did this, both men have fueled their bitter feud.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
In this episode @danaelkurd.bsky.social talks about how the settlers and the Israeli state are working hand in hand to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the West Bank, and how we should understand the relationship between the two actors.
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
September 21, 2026 at 8:22 PM
In this episode @danaelkurd.bsky.social talks about how the settlers and the Israeli state are working hand in hand to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the West Bank, and how we should understand the relationship between the two actors.
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
Reposted by David Weinfeld
Listen to the incisive analysis in this episode, then listen to the one on disarming Hamas. Then say thank you and ask @danaelkurd.bsky.social to record an episode on developments within the Green Line so we can get a fuller picture of what’s happening on the ground in Palestine.
In this episode @danaelkurd.bsky.social talks about how the settlers and the Israeli state are working hand in hand to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the West Bank, and how we should understand the relationship between the two actors.
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
September 28, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Listen to the incisive analysis in this episode, then listen to the one on disarming Hamas. Then say thank you and ask @danaelkurd.bsky.social to record an episode on developments within the Green Line so we can get a fuller picture of what’s happening on the ground in Palestine.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
On this day 26 years ago I was a child watching another Palestinian child on tv, about my age, hide behind his dad & then get killed, because the soldiers shooting didnt value his life at all. His name was Mohammad al-Durra.
26 years later, the lives of Palestinian children matter even less.
26 years later, the lives of Palestinian children matter even less.
September 30, 2026 at 12:09 PM
On this day 26 years ago I was a child watching another Palestinian child on tv, about my age, hide behind his dad & then get killed, because the soldiers shooting didnt value his life at all. His name was Mohammad al-Durra.
26 years later, the lives of Palestinian children matter even less.
26 years later, the lives of Palestinian children matter even less.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a... truly excellent episode of American Prestige podcast with @noamscheiber.bsky.social talking to hosts @dbessner.bsky.social and @dwdavison.bsky.social about the collapse of the white collar economy and the class consciousness of underemployed college graduates
E267 - Mutiny of the College-Educated Worker w/ Noam Scheiber
Podcast Episode · American Prestige · September 23 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
September 29, 2026 at 8:48 PM
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a... truly excellent episode of American Prestige podcast with @noamscheiber.bsky.social talking to hosts @dbessner.bsky.social and @dwdavison.bsky.social about the collapse of the white collar economy and the class consciousness of underemployed college graduates
“In modern times the science of medicine has had to withstand a bitter warfare waged against it by theology on account of its discovery and practice of inoculation, vaccinations, and the use of anesthetics.” - Josiah Morse, PhD, “Pathological Aspects of Religions,” 1906
September 29, 2026 at 1:33 PM
“In modern times the science of medicine has had to withstand a bitter warfare waged against it by theology on account of its discovery and practice of inoculation, vaccinations, and the use of anesthetics.” - Josiah Morse, PhD, “Pathological Aspects of Religions,” 1906
Reposted by David Weinfeld
Right now, the PA/Fatah supports a 2SS. Hamas (sort of) supports a 2SS. The Arab League supports a 2SS. The State of Israel unequivocally and very explicitly does not! If you think a 2SS is the best path forward, you need to be focused on bringing Israel in line with the international consensus.
September 29, 2026 at 1:56 AM
Right now, the PA/Fatah supports a 2SS. Hamas (sort of) supports a 2SS. The Arab League supports a 2SS. The State of Israel unequivocally and very explicitly does not! If you think a 2SS is the best path forward, you need to be focused on bringing Israel in line with the international consensus.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
Anyway, as always, there are very good arguments for prioritizing partition as opposed to democratization, but the actual immediate steps needed in both cases are the same; an arms embargo, sanctions, and international coercion to shift the internal logic of Israel away from occupation and hegemony.
September 29, 2026 at 1:51 AM
Anyway, as always, there are very good arguments for prioritizing partition as opposed to democratization, but the actual immediate steps needed in both cases are the same; an arms embargo, sanctions, and international coercion to shift the internal logic of Israel away from occupation and hegemony.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
I'll support AOC whatever she decides to do, but Democrats *need* a serious, unapologetic progressive to run in the presidential primary to pull the field to the left.
Without one, we'll have Newsom, Buttigieg and Cory Booker trying to out-centrist each other and it will be a disaster.
Without one, we'll have Newsom, Buttigieg and Cory Booker trying to out-centrist each other and it will be a disaster.
It’s always been my view that she should run for Senate. She can handily win and keep this seat. And she’d be the right hand a democratic president needed and a legendary lioness of the senate besides. She’s shown real talent as a legislator & the caucus respects her.
Oh, she might be going for Senate instead
September 28, 2026 at 12:55 AM
I'll support AOC whatever she decides to do, but Democrats *need* a serious, unapologetic progressive to run in the presidential primary to pull the field to the left.
Without one, we'll have Newsom, Buttigieg and Cory Booker trying to out-centrist each other and it will be a disaster.
Without one, we'll have Newsom, Buttigieg and Cory Booker trying to out-centrist each other and it will be a disaster.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
The combined undergraduate and graduate student populations of all Ivy League schools is about 140,000 students. The CUNY system alone is 250,000.
Elite universities mea culpas about the “loss of trust” in higher education so often fail to consider the force of the longterm propagandistic attack on universities, given extensive play in conservative media, that long preceded Trump, but which he has massively accelerated.
September 26, 2026 at 2:22 PM
The combined undergraduate and graduate student populations of all Ivy League schools is about 140,000 students. The CUNY system alone is 250,000.
Conversation with my six-year-old daughter on Sukkot:
Me: “Did you shake the lulav all around because God is everywhere?”
Her: “Is God real?”
Me: “Did you shake the lulav all around because God is everywhere?”
Her: “Is God real?”
September 26, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Conversation with my six-year-old daughter on Sukkot:
Me: “Did you shake the lulav all around because God is everywhere?”
Her: “Is God real?”
Me: “Did you shake the lulav all around because God is everywhere?”
Her: “Is God real?”
Finally had a chance to listen to this superb episode of "It Could Happen Here" with @danaelkurd.bsky.social expertly summarizing and critiquing different perspectives on "The American Role in the Middle East," all of which largely ignore the agency of the people who live in the region.
New It Could Happen Here
In this episode @danaelkurd.bsky.social talks about the debate in DC on what the role of the US has been in the Middle East, and what it should be. She also talks about what’s missing from these discussions.
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
In this episode @danaelkurd.bsky.social talks about the debate in DC on what the role of the US has been in the Middle East, and what it should be. She also talks about what’s missing from these discussions.
linktr.ee/ICHHpod
September 25, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Finally had a chance to listen to this superb episode of "It Could Happen Here" with @danaelkurd.bsky.social expertly summarizing and critiquing different perspectives on "The American Role in the Middle East," all of which largely ignore the agency of the people who live in the region.
thecjn.ca/arts-culture... great review essay by @phoebebovy.bsky.social in the @thecjn.bsky.social on Aliza Luft’s new book
When hope kills: Aliza Luft’s ‘Sacred Betrayal’ tells of French Jews’ misplaced trust in Catholic clerics during the Holocaust
A sense that everything would work out just fine prevented collective action or flight while those would have still been (relatively) possible.
thecjn.ca
September 25, 2026 at 12:43 PM
thecjn.ca/arts-culture... great review essay by @phoebebovy.bsky.social in the @thecjn.bsky.social on Aliza Luft’s new book
imperialistrealism.substack.com/p/nine-these... very much enjoyed @dbessner.bsky.social ‘s substack post on art and cancellation
Nine Theses on Cancellation
“Art vs. Artist” at Liberalism’s End
imperialistrealism.substack.com
September 25, 2026 at 10:09 AM
imperialistrealism.substack.com/p/nine-these... very much enjoyed @dbessner.bsky.social ‘s substack post on art and cancellation
Reposted by David Weinfeld
There's a lot to say about this, and other folks are saying most of it. I just want to focus on one thing: the claim about the relationship between universities and "the real world."
Big names in AI and Silicon Valley tech announced yesterday that they're launching a boarding academy for 16 to 22 year olds.
(Would you trust the people in this scene with keeping an eye on minors?)
theacademysf.com
(Would you trust the people in this scene with keeping an eye on minors?)
theacademysf.com
September 24, 2026 at 1:47 PM
There's a lot to say about this, and other folks are saying most of it. I just want to focus on one thing: the claim about the relationship between universities and "the real world."
Part of the difficult of choosing the best drama shows of the 21st century is I'm assuming the rule is that the show has to have debuted in the 21st century. And that eliminates two of the great interregnum shows that went from one millennium to the next, namely Dawson's Creek and Felicity.
September 23, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Part of the difficult of choosing the best drama shows of the 21st century is I'm assuming the rule is that the show has to have debuted in the 21st century. And that eliminates two of the great interregnum shows that went from one millennium to the next, namely Dawson's Creek and Felicity.
Best TV dramas of 21st century has more possibilities. The Americans is 1. others: Gilmore Girls, Mad Men, The Wire. Friday Night Lights. The Chair. Republic of Doyle. Midnight Mass. House. Veronica Mars. I think that is 10. Non-English language would include Srugim. Honorable mention to The OC.
September 23, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Best TV dramas of 21st century has more possibilities. The Americans is 1. others: Gilmore Girls, Mad Men, The Wire. Friday Night Lights. The Chair. Republic of Doyle. Midnight Mass. House. Veronica Mars. I think that is 10. Non-English language would include Srugim. Honorable mention to The OC.
If I’m ranking tv comedies of the 21st century, there is Curb at No. 1 and then there is everything else. I suppose no. 2 is Superstore. Then maybe Good Place. And also Red Oaks. British version of The Office. There are some alternative comedies and cartoons but i didnt really watch any of those.
September 23, 2026 at 4:37 PM
If I’m ranking tv comedies of the 21st century, there is Curb at No. 1 and then there is everything else. I suppose no. 2 is Superstore. Then maybe Good Place. And also Red Oaks. British version of The Office. There are some alternative comedies and cartoons but i didnt really watch any of those.
Reposted by David Weinfeld
Jones’ essay is blowing up in parent groups and it’s not because they think she’s negligent. It’s because the thing she relates is so familiar.
September 22, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Jones’ essay is blowing up in parent groups and it’s not because they think she’s negligent. It’s because the thing she relates is so familiar.