In Song: Noach

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Photo by Mike Dillon
Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — to a classic work of rock ‘n’ roll.
This week’s parsha, Noach, tells the story of God’s disappointment with humanity and its destruction by flood.
Noach, his family and the animals are saved in the ark. After landing on dry ground, Noach offers thanks, but gets drunk and is abused by his son, Ham. God declares that He will never again destroy the earth and puts a rainbow in the sky as a reminder.
Noach may have gotten drunk on wine, but he might have been looking for something else:
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
