“Book burnings. Always the forerunners. Heralds of the stake, the ovens, the mass graves.”
(Geraldine Brooks — People of the Book, 2008)
Hello Friends —
Did you know that Since 2021, PEN America has documented nearly 23,000 book bans in public schools, “a number never before seen in the life of any living American”?
Many of the titles include LGBTQ+ content that Conservative America deems dangerous.
As Pride Month begins next week, following Jewish Heritage Month - it’s important to remember how far we have to go in protecting books and people from ignorance and hatred.
You can check out the list of banned books here.
What does this have to do with the Judah-Israel Divide we are exploring on this journey?
The first book burning in the bible sets the tone for the suppression of truth and the dominion of the southern narrative over the northern. It’s the shocking story of Jeremiah the Prophet and how his scroll was tossed into the flames by the fearful King of Judah.
Throughout history, tyrants and fear-fueled societies kept using various forms of censorship to dispel dissent and silence voices that threaten power paradigms. ``
As we head into the mid-way point of our year-long exploration of the oldest Jewish schism and how we got to be so divided now - there are critical narratives about who gets to tell our stories, which narratives count, and what alternative histories were banished or banned - and why.
Scrolls and books, then and now, continue to be burned, banned, silenced or rewritten - all in the so-called interest of protecting people and preserving systems.
The price? The loss of pluralism, prophetic passion, political protest or complex ideas that do not fit into neat national/religious boxes.
That’s what happened when Jeremiah spoke up and had his scribe down his words of protest against the Judean king.
The scroll ended in flames - but the prophet’s words lingered on to become the writing on the wall that spelled out the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. When I went into the Below the Bible Belt archives to dig this chapter up I was shocked when I realized the date on which we read this text together — October 8 2023.
The chilling synergy between this terrible date now etched in our collective memory and the story of the suppression of prophetic truth-to-power is perhaps a reminder of why these narratives are so vital to our process towards truth, peace and reconciliation. From Jeremiahs’ Jerusalem to today’s global growth of authoritarian attacks on free speech — we have much to learn and fix, as history guides our path to better present and futures.
Ahead of our next LIVE LEARNING session on June 14th I invite you to check out this Below the Bible Belt reflection on chapter 36 from the Book of Jeremiah:
Book Burning: So It Begins.
🚩
Next LIVE Session: Sunday 6/14/26 @ 2 PM (ET)
“Book Burning: What Scriptures Start a Civil War”
This LIVE LEARNING session welcomes Paid Subscribers - as one way of thanking you, generous supporters, for enabling me to do this research and work with tech support to deliver this blog series.
There are several tiers/options - please consider joining over 150 other supporters today.
It really does mean a lot and would be very helpful.
Check out Subscription Options.
Thank you!
Not a paid subscriber?
No problem.
You’ll get the recording and resources within the week of each LIVE LEARNING session.
More info on the course:
Judaism: Born Divided Landing Page
If you have questions or issues with subscriptions or renewal please email us here:
Judaismborndivided@gmail.com
Wishing us all Shabbat Shalom.
Peace שלום سلام
Amichai
