Posts
Lawfare
What's the trouble with the international laws of war?
Letters, Summer 2012
Too much Chometz? Leon Wieseltier responds to his critics.
Matisse and His Jewish Patrons
Some of Henri Matisse's earliest and most committed supporters (and buyers) were Jewish. That might explain why Histoires Juives, a book of Yiddish jokes in French translation, and other Jewish items can be found in his paintings.
Muddling Through
In his new book about an Upper West Side Jewish family, Joshua Henkin proves himself as a skillful writer, alternately witty and moving.
Reorientation
A sober look at Jews and Christians under medieval Islamic rule.
Rereading Herzl’s Old-New Land
A bad novel, but an important and prescient book.
Something Antigonus Said
When the Saducees misinterpreted Antigonus of Sokho, they lost eternity--at least that's what the Rabbis thought.
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.