What Are We Afraid Of?
If our fear of death has gone way down and our appreciation of life has gone way up, maybe we’ll be better equipped to conquer our other fears.
Tisha B'Av
Tufts SJP Revokes Impeachment Complaint Against Jewish Student
Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) revoked their impeachment complaint against Jewish student Max Price on February 26.
Protecting Voters’ Rights: A JDCA Call With Marc Elias
“Make no mistake, [these laws] are targeted ‘with surgical precision’ to disenfranchise Black voters.”
US Holocaust Memorial Museum Presents ‘2021 Western Region Virtual Event’ On March 11
Golden Globe nominated actress Emmy Rossum to emcee virtual event
An Amsterdam Museum Holds a Post-Holocaust Purim Relic
When she was 10 years old, Nechama Mayer-Hirsch sat down to make puppets for a Purim spiel and crafted one of the man responsible for her father’s murder.
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Pandemic TimesCOVID19
Purim serves as a cautionary tale against the simplified narrative of one-dimensional victories.
Israelis are more polarized than ever during a holiday about unity, but Purim provides ways to connect, rabbi says
Top Stories
UCSD Student Gov’t Passes IHRA
The UC San Diego student government passed a resolution on February 24 endorsing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.
The resolution passed...
Jonah Sanderson Successfully Navigates His Disability, Aims to Make Jewish Community More Inclusive
“You don’t have to have a high school education to be part of the Jewish people.”
Whither Domestic Terrorism?
A Jewish Federation call with Tracy Walder discussed the path forward.
Jesse Gabriel Provides Update on Ethnic Studies Curriculum
California State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat, provided the Jewish community with an update on the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) during a February...
Rosner’s Torah Talk: Parshat Tetzaveh with Avi Hoffman
This week’s Torah Portion- Parashat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-30:10) – continues giving us the instructions concerning the tabernacle, focusing on the role of the priesthood. Our...
Columnists
Tiger Woods, A Car Crash and Our Pandemic Year
I saw in the accident a symbol of the horrific pandemic that has upended our lives in countless ways.
Satirical Semite: Protocols of the Medics of Zion
The BBC announced a “challenge trial,” where special volunteers in the United Kingdom will be infected with the virus after being injected with the vaccine.
Is Biden Faking it on Iran to Attract Europe?
Biden is more interested in appearing to negotiate with Iran than in actually moving forward in any tangible way.
Iran Negotiations: America’s Inherent Disadvantage
The United States cares about Iran — but not as much as Iran or Israel do.
Beyond Hamantaschen: How Purim is Celebrated in Iran
Hamantaschen takes the spotlight in the West, but there’s so much more to Purim food traditions.
Unscrolled, Parashat Tetzaveh: The Emperor Has No Nose
We are being asked by the Torah to picture. This is no small thing.
Hollywood StoriesHOLLYWOOD
Purim and The Risk of Isolation
Jews’ embrace of Purim in the U.S. and Israel is very different.
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Three different takes on the hottest issues of the day.
Helping you make sense of a changing world
Queen Esther Revisited
I invite you to look within and thoughtfully consider the ways that we can be the creators of our own realities this coming year.
Celebrating Purim in a Pandemic
Jews may be loyal citizens and well-entrenched in society, but can we ever let our guard down?
Amos Oz: A Posthumous Tragedy
It is a stunning real-life parable about the prospective darkness inherent in the human soul.
My Purim Rabbi’s Hat
Judea Pearl - 0
In the past few years, I have come to see a profoundly personal meaning in the story of Purim.
It’s Not Too Late to Protest California’s Flawed Ethnic Studies Curriculum
After three strikes against the Jewish people, it is time for us to get out of our seats and into the streets.
Curious Times Episode 8: Fresh Takes on Hot Topics
Weekly roundup of interesting news and subjects, and creative words of wisdom on the weekly Torah portion.
Enjoy the conversation.
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Exploring the Rise and Fall of Stan Lee with ‘True Believer’ Author Abraham Riesman
Everybody knows Stan Lee, but nobody knows Stan Lee— except people like critically-acclaimed writer Abraham Riesman, who has written a new book about the late...
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...
Natan Slifkin: Rationalist Judaism
Shmuel Rosner and Natan Slifkin discuss his latest book, "Rationalism vs. Mysticism: Schisms in Traditional Jewish Thought."
Natan Slifkin, popularly known as the "Zoo Rabbi",...
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: Parshat Terumah with Ben Freed
Ben Freed is a 5th (and final)-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Before rabbinical school he lived and...
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CultureCulture
Spirits and Scares in ‘The Vigil,’ a Horror Movie with a Hasidic Twist
We’ve seen plenty of Jewish horror movies, mostly having to do with the atrocities of the Holocaust. “The Vigil” has an element of that, too, but it’s mainly a...
Neal Shusterman on Judaism, the Pandemic, and his Latest Book
“My rabbi once said that my stories always seem to have a lot of Talmudic thought in them.”
Connecting the Past to the Present
Stephanie Dray’s ambitious historical novel, “The Women of Chateau Lafayette” links three indomitable women over history.
Complicated Family Stories Are Explored in The Braid’s New Salon Show ‘Family Matters’
Complex family relationships are the theme of a new salon show by The Braid, formerly Jewish Women’s Theatre. Opening on March 6, community theatergoers...