About Roi Ben-Yehuda
Roi Ben-Yehuda is an Israeli-American writer living in Spain. He is a regular contributer to Jewcy and France 24. His work has appeared in publications such as Haaretz, Jbooks, Tikkun, Zeek, Voices-Unabridged, AllVoices, PresentTense, and The Epoch Times. The Muslim writer Irshad Manji has called Roi “a rising journalist and public thinker” and has profiled him in May of 2008 as an “agent of moral courage”. Roi holds degrees from New School University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Now for the real me:
Lets see, what would I like you to know? Let’s jump around - I came to this country (Spain) on a skipped heart beat - In the subway, I listen to academic lectures on my disc-man, but sometimes I move my head as if I am listening to music - I think dropping books on a country is a better foreign policy than dropping bombs - I am in touch with my childlike (not childish) nature - I play the bass - I love giving gifts - I am inquisitive - I never drink coffee - I like red wine - I eat desert once a week (it tastes better that way) - I have a slight accent in every language I speak - I am an agnostic - I find shopping for food to be romantic - I think people who are compassionate and have a passion for life are sexy.
November 24, 2007 at 10:31 am
This blog contains excellent articles and snapshot insights and ruminations about some of the major political and humanistic challenges of our time, especially the question of religious pluralism and tolerance. Roi’s special writing style, which manages to confront these issues in an aprroachable and light tone, yet at the same time reflects knowledge, genuine passion and depth, is quite unique. Roi is attentive to the dialectical tension between religiosity and secularism, tradition and modernity, continuity and change, and how all these can live up to the enlightenment ethos, and facilitate the enhancement and proliferation of democracy and universal human rights, especially in the Middle East. As an avid reader, I promise to keep following the blog, and spread the word of this atheistic gospel…We need more of this!
December 1, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Tal, I would have to agree with you on this one
December 10, 2007 at 4:32 pm
hey Roi. Remember me from AIS? Fascinating website, we need more of this. Hope all’s well. All the best, Benjamin Bloom.
December 10, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Hi Ben,
I do remember you. Thanks for the kind words. Hope to read your comments here in the future.
June 15, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Roi,
I have read your article about the Neo-Nazi bookstore in Barcelona. This was a difficult article for me. My mother’s entire family, along with 70,000 other Jews, was saved during the war by Franco and the Spanish. Needless to say, I was brought up as a Hispano-phile. Spanish is my second language (OK, after English and Hebrew), taught to me by my parents. Recently, I was in Spain for the first time in my life (age 59). I worked for the European Union for two years, and had to be in both Valencia and Madrid several times.
Spain is so relaxed, laid-back, and non-threatening that I felt perfectly safe walking around with kipa and tsitsit showing–something I would not dare do in my native Netherlands, or in Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, England, or any other place I have ever been in in Europe (maybe excepting Luxembourg or Iceland, but I haven’t been there for so long that I cannot say for sure).
I don’t deny your story at all. I just mean to say that it should not be taken is the only side of Spain. I never noticed the slightest reaction to my obvious Jewishness in my work in Spain. I cannot say the same for any other country in Europe.
Also, Facism has a different meaning in Spain than it does in any other country in the world. The history of Spain is unique in this regard. Spain saw six civil wars in the 19th century. It culminated in the bloodiest civil war up to that time in 1936-1939. By the way, there was enormous Jewish presence (on the wrong side) all outsiders interfering in Spanish internal affairs. I think we have to consider all of these things when looking at naziism and anti-semitism in Spain. Besides, you will agree with me perhaps, that there is less anti-semitism in Spain than any other country in Europe (maybe excepting the Czech republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, or some other postage stamp-sized country)?
July 14, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Nicely written article and I fine desplay of guts. Well done.