Showing posts with label identity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label identity. Show all posts

Thursday, 22 March 2012

Looking for the lost tribes

It is time for starting the spiritual preparation for Shabbes, after another difficult week which showed how powerful our tormentors can be.
I am fascinated by the histories of various Jewish groups sparsed from all over the world and I had the pleasure to read and watched two interesting documentaries:
- one about the lost Jewish cemetery in Karachi, Pakistan
- and another about the Jewish identity in Burma (Myanmar)
Indeed, you can find us in the four corners of the world, but maybe it is about time to return home, one by one...

Monday, 18 May 2009

Identity DJ

Wladimir Kaminer is a very successful media product: DJ in the Russendisko, author of various books about enjoying his Jewish-Russian identity in Berlin - to be read Prenzlauer Berg, Schonhauser Allee - and talking, succesfully again, about how it is to be DJ in Russendisko, author of...etc.etc. Everybody his niche and he is not the only one (will be back soon about this). He is having already an audience. But when very simple, "eatable" identity positionings, are becoming the mainstream and the reference point for the community in itself - and many of its members - as for the outside observers, you will lost exactly those whose contribution will help to preserve what it is not a matter of fashion and "coolness".

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Atheism explained

I am not a strong supporter of organized, militant atheism. Rather, I consider that, starting from the early childhood; children have to be taught to think by themselves and to never stop curiosity regarding the world around. And to be real fighters, never giving up despite the overwhelming amount of mind intolerance and idiotic aggressively individuals.

In the same time, it is a need of public explanation of what a free mind is, but on an individual, permanent basis. Lack of information or certain social contexts could be countered by a coherent discourse of explanation, not necessarily on a bureaucratic, organised basis. But, public awareness is needed, at least at a certain point so, the efforts made recently in US or in London, could be part of a wider effort of public awareness regarding the basic meaning of atheism. Even, as in London case – where the public message was finally diluted (btw, why religious people never would accept a public awareness campaign having as message at leas “probably is a god”, they always utter strong opinions)? – the medium could change the message, the efforts are more than nothing and could encourage people to be boulder in supporting their own identity.