Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi
@rjelevi.bsky.social
Ethicist, half-assed text nerd. Sexual ethics & Jewish text. Queer. AuDHD. She/her.
Current project: The Neurodivergent Talmud
Book: When We Collide: Sex, Social Risk, and Jewish Ethics (IUP 2023)
RJELevi.com
Current project: The Neurodivergent Talmud
Book: When We Collide: Sex, Social Risk, and Jewish Ethics (IUP 2023)
RJELevi.com
Pinned
When We Collide
When We Collide is a landmark reassessment of the significance of sex in contemporary Jewish ethics. Rebecca Epstein-Levi offers a fresh and vital exploratio...
iupress.org
Hey, new followers! Since I have your attention, I published a book last year!
As we face another Trump administration, it's increasingly important to make a forceful case for the moral worth of sexual divergence, and that's what I do in "When We Collide: Sex, Social Risk, and Jewish Ethics:"
As we face another Trump administration, it's increasingly important to make a forceful case for the moral worth of sexual divergence, and that's what I do in "When We Collide: Sex, Social Risk, and Jewish Ethics:"
I have now started making a playlist, but the first one I thought of was "Choke" by Antigone Rising.
February 10, 2026 at 6:25 AM
I have now started making a playlist, but the first one I thought of was "Choke" by Antigone Rising.
OH HELL NO WE ARE NOT GOING TO ERASE SURYA BONALY.
February 8, 2026 at 7:24 PM
OH HELL NO WE ARE NOT GOING TO ERASE SURYA BONALY.
You absolutely must read this piece by Sarah Zager, whose point about the breadth and depth of neighbor-love in its myriad forms--that don't necessarily depend on physical proximity and are not occasioned by one discrete moment of encounter--is critical.
Protecting Our Neighbors: Ethics Beyond Encounter In Minnesota
Minnesotans’ “neighbor” language reveals the limits of grounding social responsibility in physical proximity and personal encounter.
martycenter.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:55 PM
You absolutely must read this piece by Sarah Zager, whose point about the breadth and depth of neighbor-love in its myriad forms--that don't necessarily depend on physical proximity and are not occasioned by one discrete moment of encounter--is critical.
I feel like I have sustained my tea interest long enough that I should consider joining a tea club. Verdant Tea and White2Tea both have very tempting options. Advice?
February 5, 2026 at 4:38 AM
I feel like I have sustained my tea interest long enough that I should consider joining a tea club. Verdant Tea and White2Tea both have very tempting options. Advice?
I would also accept a mug.
Something that I increasingly need in my life is a t-shirt that says “Shulamith Firestone was right.”
February 5, 2026 at 4:16 AM
I would also accept a mug.
Good to see data on this (and also SHOCKED, I tell you, SHOCKED).
Autism can be seen as a compelling example for examining how scientific objectivity is constructed, especially in a context where nearly all gender stereotypes—such as bad mothers, empathic women versus logical men, and hormonal differences—have been used to explain its supposed gender differences.
Females as likely to be autistic as males but boys more likely to be diagnosed, study says
By age 20 diagnosis rates almost equal, research finds, challenging assumptions of gender discrepancy
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:48 PM
Good to see data on this (and also SHOCKED, I tell you, SHOCKED).
Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi
This goes to my longstanding soapbox: everything is a disability policy from housing to health care to urban planning to mass transit.
Snowstorms are more than just an inconvenience for wheelchair users. Inadequate snow clean-ups means a loss of autonomy for many. New for me at @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Snowstorms are hell for wheelchair users—but they don't have to be
"You can't physically move. You can't do anything."
www.motherjones.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:57 AM
This goes to my longstanding soapbox: everything is a disability policy from housing to health care to urban planning to mass transit.
Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi
"actually his stuff was very Derivative and not Original" like, you don't have to do this. it is good for us all to sit with the cognitive dissonance that a very bad person can make very good art. it is good for us to work through the moral ramifications of that.
February 2, 2026 at 9:50 PM
"actually his stuff was very Derivative and not Original" like, you don't have to do this. it is good for us all to sit with the cognitive dissonance that a very bad person can make very good art. it is good for us to work through the moral ramifications of that.
Something that I increasingly need in my life is a t-shirt that says “Shulamith Firestone was right.”
February 3, 2026 at 5:44 AM
Something that I increasingly need in my life is a t-shirt that says “Shulamith Firestone was right.”
...aaaand I have just sent the first "Under no circumstances should you attend class, let alone an ethics class, with an active flu infection" email of the semester.
February 2, 2026 at 7:52 PM
...aaaand I have just sent the first "Under no circumstances should you attend class, let alone an ethics class, with an active flu infection" email of the semester.
The decision: for tomorrow, pick up where we would have last Tuesday, and reserve the last 15 minutes of class to collectively decide how to proceed.
I suppose I could also let the class help decide. And in Jewish Sexual Ethics, which is very small, that is exactly what I’ll do.
February 2, 2026 at 6:03 PM
The decision: for tomorrow, pick up where we would have last Tuesday, and reserve the last 15 minutes of class to collectively decide how to proceed.
Honestly as long as it doesn’t destroy any more infrastructure I am MORE than okay with getting six more weeks to wear sweaters.
February 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Honestly as long as it doesn’t destroy any more infrastructure I am MORE than okay with getting six more weeks to wear sweaters.
Okay, time to figure out what the absolute fuck to do about my syllabi.
February 2, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Okay, time to figure out what the absolute fuck to do about my syllabi.
This is a lovely and thoughtful thread.
Tonight is Tu B’Shvat, the “birthday of the trees” for Jews.
It is one of the holidays most tied to the natural cycle of the seasons rather than to the events of Jewish history (e.g. Hannukah, Tisha B’Av, Passover).
Specifically, it is tied to the natural cycle of Palestine/the Land of Israel.
It is one of the holidays most tied to the natural cycle of the seasons rather than to the events of Jewish history (e.g. Hannukah, Tisha B’Av, Passover).
Specifically, it is tied to the natural cycle of Palestine/the Land of Israel.
February 2, 2026 at 1:13 AM
This is a lovely and thoughtful thread.
For the exactly zero people who are interested, here is how I have been dressing to stay comfortable in my unheated house. YMMV, obviously:
Long sleeved, mid calf cotton nightgown
Wool sock liners
Flannel robe and pajama pants, tucked into second layer of wool socks
Substantial wool cardigan… 1/
Long sleeved, mid calf cotton nightgown
Wool sock liners
Flannel robe and pajama pants, tucked into second layer of wool socks
Substantial wool cardigan… 1/
January 30, 2026 at 9:56 PM
For the exactly zero people who are interested, here is how I have been dressing to stay comfortable in my unheated house. YMMV, obviously:
Long sleeved, mid calf cotton nightgown
Wool sock liners
Flannel robe and pajama pants, tucked into second layer of wool socks
Substantial wool cardigan… 1/
Long sleeved, mid calf cotton nightgown
Wool sock liners
Flannel robe and pajama pants, tucked into second layer of wool socks
Substantial wool cardigan… 1/
So our grid power and heat are out. Thankfully, we have limited power from solar and battery, and hot water, so between those and several wool sweaters and blankets we’re doing okay at home. However, this is how Faintly has decided she is going to sleep on me to stay warm:
January 30, 2026 at 5:45 AM
So our grid power and heat are out. Thankfully, we have limited power from solar and battery, and hot water, so between those and several wool sweaters and blankets we’re doing okay at home. However, this is how Faintly has decided she is going to sleep on me to stay warm:
Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi
It feels like the only way to get AI out of the classroom is to go analogue, which can really harm disabled students. A tricky convo, and 'well they can just get accommodations' ignores the fact that being singled out feels gross, and also, it's actually really hard to get accommodations!
To keep AI out of her classroom, this high school English teacher went analog
Forth Worth teacher Chanea Bond says sticking with pen and paper keeps generative artificial intelligence out of her American literature classes.
www.npr.org
January 28, 2026 at 5:55 PM
It feels like the only way to get AI out of the classroom is to go analogue, which can really harm disabled students. A tricky convo, and 'well they can just get accommodations' ignores the fact that being singled out feels gross, and also, it's actually really hard to get accommodations!
I HAVE A LIST OF ANIMALS AND AM HALFWAY TO HAVING A WHOLE FAUNAL ABECEDARY FOR “ANIMALS THAT SPELLING BEE REFUSES TO ACCEPT AS REAL.”
Spelling Bee will not accept anhinga, and I think we bird nerds should burn it all down.
January 28, 2026 at 1:56 AM
I HAVE A LIST OF ANIMALS AND AM HALFWAY TO HAVING A WHOLE FAUNAL ABECEDARY FOR “ANIMALS THAT SPELLING BEE REFUSES TO ACCEPT AS REAL.”
Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi
The US Holocaust Museum being more outraged by Tim Walz saying that, like Anne Frank, children today are in hiding from armed agents of the state, than they are about the fact that children are in hiding from armed agents of the state, is why Holocaust remembrance culture is in crisis.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
The US Holocaust Museum being more outraged by Tim Walz saying that, like Anne Frank, children today are in hiding from armed agents of the state, than they are about the fact that children are in hiding from armed agents of the state, is why Holocaust remembrance culture is in crisis.
Classes cancelled tomorrow, which means I get to spend the day with Hegelian antisemitism! (Which is more exciting than it sounds, as it is actually for my book).
January 26, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Classes cancelled tomorrow, which means I get to spend the day with Hegelian antisemitism! (Which is more exciting than it sounds, as it is actually for my book).
Attn @sarahel1771.bsky.social:
In case anyone was wondering how it’s going over on American Girl doll Instagram
January 25, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Attn @sarahel1771.bsky.social:
This is amazing and I have been singing it to myself all day.
Everyone loves a rebel song!
With contributions from
@asherelbein.bsky.social , @halduncan.com , @maybewill.bsky.social , and yours truly:
With contributions from
@asherelbein.bsky.social , @halduncan.com , @maybewill.bsky.social , and yours truly:
January 25, 2026 at 3:59 AM
This is amazing and I have been singing it to myself all day.
This is abomination. Solidarity with the Twin Cities and everyone else being terrorized.
#IceOut #ChingaLaMigra
#IceOut #ChingaLaMigra
January 25, 2026 at 1:19 AM
This is abomination. Solidarity with the Twin Cities and everyone else being terrorized.
#IceOut #ChingaLaMigra
#IceOut #ChingaLaMigra
Reposted by Dr. Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi
We also should not underestimate the extent to which the Twin Cities being a regional hub for religious organizations is bringing in solidarity from clergy from Iowa, Nebraska, the Daktoas
January 23, 2026 at 10:11 PM
We also should not underestimate the extent to which the Twin Cities being a regional hub for religious organizations is bringing in solidarity from clergy from Iowa, Nebraska, the Daktoas
I think folks who aren’t clergy or close to them or otherwise deeply involved in a congregation don’t always get how much of rabbing, pastoring, imam-ing, etc, is administrative. Or how many clergy also have social work degrees.
I am filled with admiration for what clergy are doing today in the Twin Cities.
I also want to take a moment to hold up the clergy who may or may not be demonstrating publicly, but who are working day in and day out with congregants targeted by ICE to get them vital services as safely as possible.
I also want to take a moment to hold up the clergy who may or may not be demonstrating publicly, but who are working day in and day out with congregants targeted by ICE to get them vital services as safely as possible.
January 23, 2026 at 10:09 PM
I think folks who aren’t clergy or close to them or otherwise deeply involved in a congregation don’t always get how much of rabbing, pastoring, imam-ing, etc, is administrative. Or how many clergy also have social work degrees.