The Melting of the American Melting Pot
Today, we are guided by an entirely different impulse, the woke warfare of tribal feuds, shouting slogans in anti-American solidarity.
Tisha B'Av
My Brother’s Keeper
“We were not about to take this attack on us and our fallen friends lying down. Not by a long shot.”
Letting Go of Our Inner Wilderness Generation
We each hold identities and beliefs that inhibit us from making lasting change.
Satirical Semite: Game of Thrones
The British are doing what we do best: raise the flag for queen and country, keep calm and suppress our emotions.
Final Hours Before Election Day Pit Netanyahu, Lapid Against Each Other
Israeli candidates eyeing the one thing that counts – voter turnout
Editor's PicksPicks
Pandemic TimesCOVID19
One of the biggest fears in America today is the fear of saying the wrong thing.
After initially denying a trial period to a progressive Zionists club on campus, Skidmore College reversed course on the matter on March 19.
Top Stories
A Year in the Embrace of Central Park
Rachel Wolf - 0
This microcosm of hope and innocence helped to restore our faith in community and friendship and life.
Myrtle Sitowitz, Longtime Supporter of Israel and of Magen David Adom, Passes
The Board of Directors and staff of American Friends of Magen David Adom mourn the passing of Myrtle Sitowitz, a lifelong supporter of Israel and the Jewish community worldwide.
Pesach: War of Worldcraft
Sam Glaser - 0
This eight-day leaven-free period initiates our calendar year with an invaluable metaphysical victory.
Andrew Yang Says BDS is “Non-Violent” But “Antisemitic”
New York City Mayoral Candidate Andrew Yang said in a March 19 statement to the Forward that while he views the Boycott, Divestment and...
Jewish Groups Rally on Behalf of Asian Americans
Jewish groups are rallying in support of Asian Americans following a string of murders Tuesday at massage parlors in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asians.
Columnists
On Cuomo’s Past Words and a Lesson from Passover
When we prepare for the eight days, we are commanded to clean out the chametz from our homes, not the homes of our neighbors.
How EMDR was my Emotional Exodus
Until now, I had never comforted my scared little girl.
In the Ethnic Studies Debate, the Hardest Work Starts Now
The Jewish community’s relationships in the schools where these lessons are most needed are not nearly as strong.
With Trump Gone, Anti-Trump Governors Find Life More Difficult
Cuomo and Newsom’s difficulties are attracting more attention.
Book Review: A Beginner’s Guide to America
It’s in the small things upon which the foundations of becoming Americanized are formed.
Unscrolled, Vayikra: A Crime With No Motive
We would be wrong to dismiss the Levitical model of atonement out of hand.
Hollywood StoriesHOLLYWOOD
In Israel, Archaeologists and Looters Race to Acquire a Piece of History
The new Dead Sea Scrolls discovery reflects the latest showdown between the two groups
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Three different takes on the hottest issues of the day.
Helping you make sense of a changing world
Abolitionist Rabbis: Their Urgent Lessons for Today
The halakhist and the reformer both returned to narrative and in it they found a new understanding.
The Forgotten Roots of Modern Zionism
Over the years, the Zionist narrative became simplified and little room was left to recall those who came before Herzl.
A Horrible Crime in Beverly Hills Is Made Worse By George Gascón’s Policies
Patrons enjoying an outdoor meal at Il Pastaio restaurant on March 4th in Beverly Hills were terrified, as it would be for any of...
Media’s Hyper-Focus on Israel Shields World’s Worst Human Rights Abusers
Why is NBC devoting far less time reporting on the plight of the Uyghur Muslims in China?
In the Middle of a World War, a Mystery Seder in North Africa
I became more curious about where my father’s WWII seder had been.
Curious Times Episode 14: Can Comedy Withstand Cancel Culture?
In another episode of "Shmoozing with Shanni," we explore the changing world of comedy and get in the mood for Shabbat.
Enjoy the conversation.
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#ReleasetheSederCut
Sorry listeners, Esther and Erin don't have time to recap the 4-hour-long Snyder Cut this week because they have to prepare for Passover!!! Realizing...
Rabbi Reuven Wolf: Who Is The Jewish Messiah and When Is He Coming?
Rabbi Reuven Wolf of Maayon Yisroel Chassidic Center, takes us deep into Jewish mysticism as Sal and his rabbi explore some tough questions: Why...
Dr. Rabbi Wayne Allen: Thinking about Good and Evil
Shmuel Rosner chats with Dr Rabbi Wayne Allen about his upcoming book: "Thinking about Good and Evil: Jewish Views from Antiquity to Modernity" -...
The Conservative meets the Democrat: Larry Greenfield and Hailey Soifer
Larry Greenfield is a Fellow at The Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship & Political Philosophy and a frequent columnist with The Jewish...
Rosner’s Torah Talk: Vayikra with Rachel Posner
Before embarking on a second career as a rabbi, Rachel Posner worked as a clinical psychologist for 12 years. The intersection of psychology and...
L.A. StoriesL.A.
CultureCulture
JScreen Launches National Cancer Genetic Screening Program
Genetic testing organization JScreen announced on March 22 the launch of its National Cancer Initiative which will offer a comprehensive testing panel to analyze the BRCA genes and more...
William Shatner Turns 90, Preserves His Legacy With AI App StoryFile
Shatner is among other storytellers including astronauts, civil rights activists and Holocaust survivors who have recorded and shared their stories with StoryFile.
New Passover-Themed Picture Books for Kids
A number of new picture books celebrating Passover have recently hit bookstores.
The Jewish highlights of the 2021 Grammys
(JTA) — When the Jewish sister act Haim took the stage at the 2021 Grammy Awards on Sunday night, Americans began googling “hime.”
That’s how...
Table for Five: Vayikra
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
And He called to Moses, and the Lord spoke to him from the Tent...
Table for Five: Vayakhel-Pekudei
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
They also made bells of pure gold, and attached the bells between the pomegranates,...
Table for Five: Ki Tisa
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
When the people saw that Moses was late in coming down from the mountain,...
A Bisl Torah — Elijah and the Tooth Fairy
One year ago, I was comparing the plagues of the Passover story to the plague of Covid-19.
A Bisl Torah — Hide n’ Seek
One year ago, I was comparing the plagues of the Passover story to the plague of Covid-19.
A Bisl Torah — Planting a Seed
One year ago, I was comparing the plagues of the Passover story to the plague of Covid-19.
PoetryPoetry
This is a Lament that Never Ends…
This is a lament that never ends …
Another mass killing
Another person who transformed a weapon
Into the angel of death,
Into the plague of the death of the firstborn
(and then some),
Into...
Overdue Haircut
“Haircut twenty dollars” read a sign in a barber’s window during the covid-19 epidemic,
in Columbus Avenue, Manhattan. It added: “Overdue haircut, twenty-seven.”
Overcharging for corrections...
Immersive Experiences
Though having an experience of the artist that’s immersive
is now regarded de rigueur by lovers of Van Gogh,
in such experiences I do not wish...
Anthropause
On streets of San Francisco you could see coyotes,
and jackals would be seen in parks of Tel Aviv,
and if in Welsh towns you observed...
Punica Granatum — A poem for Torah Portion Tetzaveh
And on its bottom hem you shall make pomegranates
Exodus 28:33
In our home, which will, soon
no longer be our home, we planted
Biblical fruits in all...
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