Jacob Glatstein’s Prophecy
Literary masterpieces that double as works of prophecy have been rare since the death of Isaiah. But the Yiddish poet Jacob Glatstein wrote two novellas that foreshadowed the future of Jewish Europe.
Letters, Summer 2011
Springtime for Arabia, Hailing to the Chief, Straw Men . . . and more!
Loaves in the Ark
A striking tale of pure faith, divine fiat, and free food from Rabbi Moses Hagiz's
Missed Connections
Joseph Skibell, like any good historical novelist, is a dybbuk—he animates the dead.
Railroads and Dragon’s Teeth
During World War I, the Kaiser Germany sought to foment an Ottoman jihad by building a massive railroad—but he wasn't the only one with the scheme.
State and Counterstate
Debates about Zion and its relation to the diaspora aren't new. David Myers and Noam Pianko have retrieved the forgotten ideas of several interesting figures, foremost among them Simon Rawidowicz. Do they speak to us now?
The Great Non-Miracle Rabbi of Prague
A new biography of Ezekiel Landau (the Noda Biyehudah) makes a controversial claim about his views on Kabbalah.
The Hasidim: An Underground History
David Assaf introduces us to Hasidic Rebbes who ride into small towns and take over. (If cowboys were Hasidim, this would be Deadwood.)
The Martyr of Reason
On Saturday evening, December 31, 1785, the eminent Enlightenment philosopher Moses Mendelssohn left his house to deliver a manuscript. He had finished it on Friday afternoon but, as an observant Jew, Mendelssohn waited until the Sabbath concluded to bring it to his publisher. He died a few days later on January 4, 1786, at the age of 56.
The Poet Goes to War
Poet Eliaz Cohen is a Religious Zionist who lives with his family on a kibbutz in the southern West Bank. And thereby hangs a tale.