Yidwise: A Blog About Jewish Culture

13/01/2023

[ETA: Image description now in the comments, sincere apologies for the delay]

On Orthodox queerphobia

18/11/2022

In light of the birdapp failing, Yidwise now has a Tumblr!

12/11/2022

Obligatory periodic update of "Sorry I've been gone for so long" - for various reasons of which ADHD is only one, long gaps of activity are probably going to be the norm here for the foreseeable future. Not great for engagement obviously, but it is what it is, and I'm grateful for those who enjoy my writing despite the long waits.

That being said, here are some topics I've been kicking around that are the most likely to become Yidwise posts the soonest:

- The Jewish impact on Country music. I looked into this out of curiosity and found some really interesting material, and I'm excited to dig in as someone with my own odd history with country.

- Something about WandaVision. With how many Jews worked on it, the strong Jewish influence in the sitcoms it pulled from, the themes of nostalgia and coping with grief, and of course the discussion over Wanda's Jewish erasure, I think there's stuff to talk about.

- This is less fully formed, but I've been thinking about Jewishness in superhero media - specifically why it's so rarely explored despite not only the well-documented Jewish influence on comics, but the sheer amount of Jewish producers, filmmakers, and even actors who've worked on these projects. It needs more time to bake but I think there's something there.

- I have half an essay about Hollywood depictions of Jewish women (using Mother Gothel from Tangled as a springboard) that's been sitting in my drafts for ages. There's things I still need to figure out with it, but this might be the one where I'm most excited about the potential and most eager to finish it.

- I've also thought of doing something about Jewish rep in kid's animation, now that we're getting stuff like Dead End: Paranormal Park and The Ghost and Molly McGee, but it would help to have more examples to work with. If you know of any others, feel free to let me know!

So yeah, that's what I'm up to! Also Lipa Schmeltzer's in my neighborhood for Shabbos so that's cool. Gut Shabbos!

07/04/2022

Award-winning author, graphic novelist, and lecturer Arie Kaplan draws on his experience profiling Jewish cartooning legends, including Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Art Spiegelman, to bring us the true stories behind our favorite heroes.

07/04/2022

Furman is an accomplished indie rocker who recently announced that she had become a mother and a rabbinical student.

07/04/2022

The Oscars ceremony this year was perhaps the most memorable since the “La La Land”/“Moonlight” mishap in 2017. But the most memorable part for many in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community was the success of Apple TV+’s film “CODA” — a film about a Deaf family and their daughter wh...

07/04/2022

Super excited, it's official!!!

"Sources of Pride" - my next book, an anthology of Jewish texts I use/d at 100s of lectures, to be published by Ben Yehuda Press, in 2023 🏳️‍⚧️✡

Will be quite different of my memoir, as a textbook (meaning, a Book of Texts) - but infused with stories throughout. It will also include commentary and study guides. The book will also be bilingual (Hebrew and English, with texts originally in Aramaic, trilingual), and possibly a later version in Yiddish.

The tentative subtitle is "Sources of Pride: Identity, Gender, Sexuality, and Inclusivity, in Jewish Texts from the Torah to Kabbalah, Hasidic Teachings, and Contemporary Sources." Though will hopefully shorten that.

The source sheets it is based on will continue to remain available on Sefaria, and will even be enhanced: https://www.sefaria.org/profile/abby-c-stein

Grateful to Ben Yehuda Press, and my agent Kate Johnson and the team Wolf Literary for making this all happen.

Upward on onward 💕

(Pictured is just an illustration, not the actual cover)

01/04/2022

There is no "we" or "us" without trans Jews.
🏳️‍⚧ Happy Transgender Day of Visibility 🏳️‍⚧

16/03/2022

Broadway legend and character actor Harvey Fierstein has embraced an ambiguous sense of gender, and I want to talk about it.

Broadway legend and character actor Harvey Fierstein has embraced an ambiguous sense of gender, and I want to talk about it.

27/02/2022

This is so exciting for me and I might even do something for the blog about it just so I can gush about Harvey Fierstein.

In a new memoir, the truly trailblazing actor and playwright (perhaps best known for playing Robin William’s brother in Mrs. Doubtfire) discusses sobriety, stardom, and his path to self-discovery. “I don’t know who I am but that’s never held me back!” Fierstein says.

24/02/2022

Copied from my personal profile:

A number of scary things are happening in the world at the moment. At times like this, the best thing to do is to try to keep the most vulnerable among us safe, and to push back against oppressors and tyrants however and whenever we can. As Mr. Rogers said, "Look for the helpers".