Dear Revealer readers,

I am writing this letter from my apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a neighborhood I love dearly. Like many others with the privilege to do so, I am working from home and have not left my apartment, except to take out the dog, for weeks as the world grapples with the novel coronavirus. My husband and I have taken on new rituals to adjust to our life in confinement. We started a gratitude journal and write in it every night, we light Shabbat candles on Fridays and have virtual Shabbat dinners with friends, and we seem to say “I love you” to each other with more frequency. Amidst my many fears and frustrations, I take comfort in these moments that punctuate our new lives as we try to survive a pandemic.

Although much of our world is in upheaval, some things are continuing on schedule and that brings me much contentment. In that regard, I am happy to share our April issue with you and to announce the launch of the Revealer podcast.

Revealer Editor, Brett Krutzsch

Much of our April issue continues the conversation from our March special issue on “Religion and Sex Abuse Within and Beyond the Catholic Church.” In this issue, Shreena Gandhi shows us how survivors of sexual abuse are using yoga to treat trauma. She also considers how people can continue to practice yoga in this time of social distancing. Next, Rebecca Epstein-Levi, an expert on Jewish sexual ethics, explores ancient Jewish texts to see what they can teach us about men in power who do not believe the rules apply to them. And in this month of Passover and Easter, when many of us will not be able to join others for seders or services, we are running an excerpt from Warren Hoffman’s The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical, where he recounts how the creators of West Side Story initially imagined a musical about Jews and Catholics who fought over Passover and Easter on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

I am also thrilled to share with you the launch of the new Revealer podcast! Each episode of the podcast features discussions with experts and explores religion’s influence on politics, culture, and people’s everyday lives. We will release one new episode each month. Our first episode, available now, is on “The Catholic Church Sex Abuse Crisis and the Problem with Spotlights” and includes a fascinating conversation with Brian Clites, who has interviewed more than 70 survivors of clergy sexual abuse. You can listen to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please subscribe to the podcast and let us know what you think!

At this time of tremendous uncertainty, stress, and grief, I hope these article and our podcast offer you some respite, new knowledge, and thoughtful observations about the world we share.

Yours,
Brett Krutzsch, Ph.D.