Reconstructionist Judaism

This essay argues that Reconstructionist Judaism, though first and foremost a Jewish movement, was profoundly influenced by quintessentially American ideals, values, and figures that shaped the denomination’s foundations. In doing so, the paper pays special attention to Reconstructionism’s founder, Mordechai Kaplan, delving into his personal history as well as relevant European Jewish history to contextualize his ideas. Additionally, this essay explores modernity as it applied to early and mid-twentieth century American Jewish life and what that meant to the practice and evolution of the Jewish faith. Seth Schoenhaus \u2718 is from Albany, NY and received his BA in Religion with a Political Science minor from Denison University

Indian Dalits and \u3ci\u3eHindutva\u3c/i\u3e Strategies

“Indian Dalits and Hindutva Strategies” by Seth Schoenhaus, ’18. The author tracks the evolution of India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party alongside Scheduled Caste (specifically Dalit) self-conception to elucidate the BJP’s strategies to attract Dalit voters, who have historically not been receptive to the BJP’s muscular Hindutva thrust. Importantly, appropriating and recasting the Hindu story of Lord Ram in a nationalist light and engaging in historical revisionism regarding Dalit communal leader B.R. Ambedkar has proven vital in engaging with the Dalit electorate. These methods, combined with lingering sentiments of Sanskritization in many Dalit communities and increasing stratification with higher rates of urbanization, make an already fragile Dalit self-consciousness even more politicized and open to outsider appropriation. The author concludes with a brief examination of the politicizing of Hindu spaces as per the 1992 Ramjanmabhoomi riots and avenues for further inquiry

Retrospective analysis of the use of an injectable allograft for bone marrow lesions of the foot and ankle

Background: Stress fractures occur to the musculoskeletal system on a frequent basis. This injury in the foot and ankle is relatively benign and treated conservatively with a walking boot or postoperative shoe. The use of an injectable bone graft has shown success with bone marrow edema and osteoarthritis in the knee, thus the same effects would be seen worthy of stress fractures relating to other parts of the body such as the foot and ankle. The foot and ankle sustains a high level of stress and is prone to stress fractures. This retrospective analysis documents several cases of stress fractures treated with an injectable allograft. Methodology/Procedures: A retrospective analysis was conducted on twenty-eight individuals, ages 20-75, who underwent bone repair with an injectable calcium phosphate graft by one of the study investigators. Diagnosis was made with MRI imaging studies prior to surgical intervention. Intraoperatively, fluoroscopy was used to identify the surgical site to be injected. After appropriate targeted position of a cannula, the graft was injected into the site of injury. Retrospective analysis was performed by chart review and phone contact to each participant with a minimum follow-up of twelve months post-procedure. A prewritten questionnaire was used to acquire patient and procedure feedback after verbal consent was obtained. Results: A total of twenty-seven patients were evaluated. Thirteen underwent injection of bone graft for calcaneal stress fractures, six for talus stress fractures, three for metatarsal fractures, and one for a fibula fracture. One individual presented with both a calcaneus and a talus stress fracture, one with a cuboid and a metatarsal fracture and two patients with both metatarsal and cuneiform fractures. Of those represented in this trial, 24 out of the 27 patients felt no pain and were back to their normal lifestyle and routines four weeks post-procedure. At their 12-month follow-up questionnaire conducted verbally, patients continued to report no pain and actively had resumed their lifestyles. Discussion: The analysis showed that 80% of participants had a minimum of 75% relief twelve-months post-procedure. Only 3/25 patients reported a level 5 or higher on a pain scale of 10, after the use of this treatment. Most participants returned to lifestyle activities quickly and were pain-free after a short postoperative period of treating their bone marrow lesion

Biologic resurfacing of the ankle and first metatarsophalangeal joint: case studies with a 2-year follow-up.

The goal of biologic resurfacing is to provide a smooth joint surface with a low coefficient of friction, which allows the joint to function with near normal biomechanics, as well as provide intermittent pressure, to the subchondral and cancellous bone. This unique combination often results in the formation of a neocartilage-like structure that can reduce pain and restore biomechanics. As well as giving a brief history of cutis arthroplasty, this article describes cases in which the ankle and first metatarsophalangeal joint underwent biologic resurfacing, with a 2-year postoperative follow up