Friends,
It’s not just the prophet Elijah who visits Jewish homes in the liminal moments of liberation and at the thresholds of life - Jezebel is right around the corner also.
Lest you think that our year-long course is about the dust of history, myths and conflicts long forgotten - three recent headlines are a reminder that these scriptural stories are the still the stuff of front page news. These tales matter.
Our next LIVE LEARNING session on 8/23 will focus on one of the most intriguing battle and heartbreaking saga - Queen Jezebel vs. Prophet Elijah - two fanatics, one lingering mystery.
Note: Our next session will WELCOME ALL SUBSCRIBERS FOR FREE - as a Jewish New Year gift. Details below.
Three news stories caught my eye this week, echoing this drama:
Jezebel’s name was included in a death threat note attached to a brick that shattered the glass doors of one of Israel’s TV studios; The mold of a local goddess dating back to the First Temple period was discovered in Jerusalem; UNESCO published a designation of Sebastia - the ancient Capital of the Kingdom of Israel, as an engendered heritage site.
Let’s start with Jezebel.
🚩 Earlier this week, a brick smashed the glass doors of Channel 12 - one of Israel’s somewhat more liberal news outlets.
Attached to the brick was a handwritten note with a death threat to the media agents who reported on the questionable behavior of Israeli soldiers - including accusations of sexual abuse towards Palestinian prisoners. A bizarre list of Israeli leaders is implicated in the note, among them Gali Baharav-Miara, Attorney General of Israel - labeled here as ‘Jezebel’.
The news reports didn’t mention this odd biblical mention but it stopped me in my tracks.
Jezebel? Whoever wrote this note used a loaded codeword for a woman who’s a foreigner, an evil influence, a enemy who will pay the ultimate price.
The brick, note and shattered window are more signs of escalating violence and discord within Israel - reminiscent of what tore Judah and Israel apart when the original Jezebel was around. We are hopeful for better and kinder chapters ahead, despite the deep differences of opinion and values.
How did Jezebel, the Phonetician princess turned Queen of Israel 2,700 years ago become branded as the ultimate evil?
Join me on Aug. 23 to find out.
🚩 Then there’s Sebestia - the ancient Capitol of the Kingdom of Israel, where the ancient Queen Jezebel may have had a palace built for her by her husband King Ahab.
Sebestia, in the northern West Bank, inside Palestinian territory, now occupied by Israel, has archaeological remnants from successive periods dating back at least to the 9th-century BC capital of the Israelite kingdom, through the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic periods, Crusader and Ottoman eras, according to UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization.
It is also traditionally seen as the burial place of John the Baptist.
But Palestinian residents of the adjacent village, many of whom rely on tourism for a living, are facing land confiscations after Israel announced a plan to seize about 1,800 dunams (445 acres) at the site, which it said was meant to develop the area.
Last Friday, UNESCO added Sebastia to its World Heritage List and to the List of World Heritage in Danger, a related mechanism used to flag listed heritage sites that are facing serious threats, to try and safeguard them.
I was only there once - back in 1976, Seven years old, as the Jewish settlement movement was just getting started - right in Sebestia’s old police station. My brothers took me along.. I’ll tell you all about it at our next session..
🚩 The mysterious mold was discovered in an archeological dig right in the middle of the Old City of Jerusalem, a few weeks ago, and was just announced. It is astounding. It is the face of an ancient local goddess. And it is proof that Jezebel was not the only one to worship the Great Mother in the region - in both Israel and Judah, despite Elijah’s scorn - Goddess was Alive.
The Times of Israel reports:
“First mold discovery in Jerusalem provides evidence that enigmatic clay artifacts — possibly linked to the goddess Asherah— were manufactured in biblical capital..More than a thousand such figurines have been located in the area around Jerusalem.
Until now, molds for these figurines have never been discovered in Jerusalem, raising the question of whether they were manufactured locally or imported from elsewhere. The discovery of the mold provides the first direct evidence that at least some were produced within Jerusalem.”
This is not mere relics - this is a smoking gun in the religious war of yore - and now. Jezebel’s faith was fueled by deep attachment to the Mother Goddess and her ways - confronting a rising Patriarchal narrative that favored the father.
Who won? Depends who you ask and how vast the perspective. I’d say we’re still in it. And we’ve got a long way to go. That’s what this journey - and our next session - is all about.
🚩 Our Next LIVE LEARNING Session:
Sunday 8/23/26, 2pm ET
Queen Jezebel & the Prophet Elijah: Sex, Power, and North/South Spin
The most maligned queen and most misunderstood prophet were not friendly. But did they share similar passions and goals?
Jezebel and Elijah face off as embodiments of northern pluralism vs. Judahite zeal. Reading through this tragic tale that spans generations, we unpack how gender, foreignness, and religious difference get weaponized—and how Jezebel’s “bad press” reveals whose side has been telling Judaism’s story.
This LIVE LEARNING session welcomes ALL Subscribers - as one way of thanking you, fellow learners and supporters, for enabling me to delve into this research, and deliver this blog series.
It’s a gift ahead of the new Jewish Year.
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Can’t join on August 23rd and want to watch the session?
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More info on the rest of the course:
Judaism: Born Divided Landing Page
Wishing us all Shabbat Shalom, healing and consolation.
Peace שלום سلام
Amichai