The Mighty Jacobson
For an American Jew to read the magnificently funny and serious Howard Jacobson is to understand just how different the situation of English Jews is from their own.
War & Peace & Judaism
Robert Eisen was walking to campus on 9/11 when he saw a dark cloud above the Pentagon. Alick Isaacs fought for the IDF in Lebanon. Their experiences prompted them to rethink peace and Judaism.
Where Wisdom Begins
Alain de Botton's atheism doesn't prevent him from seeing the value and beauty of religious life.
Who Is Man?
Two new books on sin and temptation.
A Heretic in the Truth
A new book points out just how elusive Spinoza's ideas on politics were and raises serious questions about his "secularism."
Chasing Death
The director of the landmark documentary Shoah, Claude Lanzmann, has written a memoir, which sheds new light on his death-defying life.
Comes the Comer
The New American Haggadah boasts a high-profile cast of contributors—Jonathan Safran Foer, Nathan Englander, Nathaniel Deutsch, Jeffrey Goldberg, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, and Lemony Snicket. But it also features a series of unfortunate translations and commentaries.
Diaspora Divided
In his new book, Peter Beinart leads a full-court press against the current state of Zionism. Expanding on his now (in)famous article, "The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment," Beinart sets out to convince young liberal Jews to join the battle for Israel's soul. Noble but misguided, his crusade is sure to backfire.
Frogs, Griffins, and Jews Without Hats: How My Children Illuminated the Haggadah
The illustrated haggadahs of medieval Europe contain more than just rich, colorful depictions of the Exodus story. The closer you look, and with innocent eyes, the more sophisticated the artistic commentary becomes. There are drawings of rabbinic midrash and not a small amount of political satire and polemic.
In Brief, Spring 2012
Baseball, Beats, and Scandals in Satmar.