LOC for CyberCozen Vol. 33 #12 and Vol. 34 #1

The following is a letter of comment sent to Leybl Botwinik, editor of CyberCozen commenting on issues Vol. 33 #12 and Vol. 34 #1.

Dear Mr. Botwinik:

I recently received CyberCozen Vol. XXXIII #12 and Vol. XXXIV #1 through the National Fantasy Fan Federation’s franking service. In the December 2021 issue, I found your analysis of More Zion’s Fiction intriguing, particularly on the issues that are addressed—or remain unaddressed—in Israeli sf and the recognition that how people talk about Israel, the Middle East, Palestine, and the conflict is by nature political. I don’t know enough about the situation to have a strong personal point of view, per se, but I know it’s a sensitive matter—and I have Jewish friends with various opinions, so I’m mindful of that. The letter column is small but appreciated, and your recommended Web links offer interesting items to explore and learn more about. I’ll have to keep tabs on them in a more timely manner!

We’ve been thinking about our Jewish and other friends recently, lighting a menorah in our (non-Jewish) home in solidarity for Hanukkah at the end of the year, and noting the confluence of Easter, Passover, and Ramadan this spring. As a fellow Los Angeles-area resident, I appreciated Devra K.’s January 2022 commentary on the Skirball Cultural Center’s “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” exhibit. We didn’t make it to the center to check it out, so it was great to learn more vicariously. We missed out, for sure.

I’d be interested to learn more about the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy through the pages of your zine. Is it a club? What does it do? Do members meet? What are its activities like? I’m active in the N3F, LASFS, and SFABC (Science Fiction Association of Bergen County, New Jersey) and am generally curious about other such fan groups around the world.

And In recent days, I’ve been on a bit of a Moon Knight kick. The Disney+ streaming TV show’s still relatively new—I’m not sure if it’s available in your part of the world, but episodes first aired March 30, April 6, and April 13. I’ve watched the first three episodes—a new episode is expected today—and I’ve dug into the Moon Knight comic books I have on hand. One of the aspects that struck me about the comic book more than the more recent show is that Moon Knight as a character is Jewish.

That Moon Knight is Marvel Comics’s only explicitly Jewish superhero has garnered some media attention, including in Forward (https://tinyurl.com/3k2zpc8v), IGN (https://tinyurl.com/2p8zhyh2), and the Jerusalem Post (https://tinyurl.com/36mzbcm9). The character’s Jewish background plays a sizable role in the comic book as written by Doug Moench, but it plays next to no role in the TV show so far. There was even some controversy over the casting of the lead, who is not Jewish (https://tinyurl.com/33ftpefx). I’m curious whether Moon Knight has inspired any discussion among Society members or more generally locally.

Keep up the good work with CyberCozen. You have a reader and fellow fan in California!