Catherine Szkop, at The Blogs

Apr 4, 2021, 11:21 PM

Easter and Not-Easter: Tensions at the Holy Sepulchre

It genuinely pains me to write this. Not simply because I have to relive the events, but because it confirms my worries that we, the global human community, will exit the pandemic one day and return to our divisive,...

Jan 26, 2021, 6:33 PM

JUST the Zookeeper’s wife?!

(explicit description of sexual assault as portrayed in the film Zookeeper's Wife) In light of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I can’t help but notice how often we associate the Holocaust with male voices or male heroes. Elie Wiesel, Primo Levi,...

Jan 20, 2021, 3:53 PM

Biden, the partner for bipartisanship on Israel?

As the time of Trump’s administration comes to a close, we are reminded of all that divides us, especially in the wake of the Capitol storming that occurred just a few weeks ago. For the past 10 months, I...

Jan 12, 2021, 7:21 PM

The return of the yellow star

Protesters in Prague displaying their yellow Star of David patches that say "unvaccinated" on January 8, 2021 (taken from Romea.cz)

In 21st-century Europe, yellow Star of David patches have reappeared. Prague is the latest country to see this reappearance this past weekend among protesters demonstrating against the vaccine campaign while proudly adorning yellow Stars of David with the word...

Jan 7, 2021, 2:38 AM

America at a Crossroads: Self-Realization or Downfall

Just yesterday, my new fellow American roommate told me that he was expecting there to be a civil war in the US in the next five years. “Five years?!” I responded, a bit off guard. “No, it can’t be...

Dec 29, 2020, 10:46 PM

When Israel Became Israel To Me

Arriving in Ben Gurion airport on the morning of August 5th, 2019 (Catherine Szkop)

“We just need to get Catherine on that plane to Israel”, an old camp friend said as she helped me dig through piles of garbage bags in search of my missing laptop. They say that no young person moves...

Dec 25, 2020, 6:31 PM

How Kosher is a Polish Christmas?

Believe it or not, Passover seder and Polish Christmas Eve dinner (known as Wigilia) have a lot in common. Unleavened bread, horseradish, storytelling, singing, just to name a few. Something that I’ll always prepare if I attend a Wigilia...

Dec 19, 2020, 1:28 AM

Can Anti-Zionism Reconcile Itself With Hanukkah?

My friend’s husband, David Abitbol, answered my question almost effortlessly by immediately replying, “Actually, quite easily”. Over the past week, I have seen countless arguments and debates online across different social media platforms between different Jewish (but also some...

Dec 9, 2020, 6:11 PM

Let There Be Light This Holiday Season

After the incredibly turbulent and uncertain year we have all endured, I think most of us can agree with Johnny Mathis’ classic that we all “need a little Christmas (and Hanukkah) now” to at least try to end 2020...

Nov 8, 2020, 10:33 PM

The Result Heard Round the World

Scramble for it there, they poke away at it! Still it’s loose...THEY SCORE!!...IT’S OVER!! Sure, that might have been an announcer on NBC calling a group victorious after a long, drawn-out competition, but not the one that occurred just about...

About Me

Catherine Szkop is a first generation Polish American with Jewish roots from the US, specifically Michigan, currently living in Israel as a graduate student in Jewish Studies focusing on Medieval to modern Polish-Jewish history as well as Israeli sociology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She decided to move to Israel in order to connect with her Jewish ancestry and with the people who come from many different backgrounds, but all live in this small, yet dynamic region.