Pogroms, Politics, and the Association for Jewish Studies
"Only the word horrific seemed apt; the rest of the statement managed the rare feat of being both drab and discordant."
Not Rain
"In shul, the Torah reader suddenly picks up his ringing cellphone, nodding as he is told to be ready within half an hour. Something inexplicable, tremendous, and terrifying is taking place. Not rain; war."
Akedat Hannah
Hannah's vow binds Samuel to an altar just as Abraham bound Isaac, but her sacrifice has a different origin and her story a different ending.
Indiana Jones and the Meme-ification of Nazis
What happens when pop culture becomes responsible for maintaining historical memory? Benjamin Weiner has a bad feeling about it.
When Freedom Began to Ring
How the land of opportunity became the opportune land for Jews to thrive.
Where She Has Gone
The book of Ruth has inspired Oscar-winning films, medieval kabbalists, rugged kibbutzniks, and gifted artists. What is it about this book that makes it so engaging?
Walking Upright
“The book’s greatest contribution is fighting Jewish historical amnesia.”
Lost in Translation: Song of Songs and Passover
Why is this Targum different from all other Targums?
The First Maggid—How Memory Made the Jews
3,500 years ago, Israelite parents explained wonders to their children and created the very first Maggid story.
History and Polemic: An Exchange
Eric Alterman and Allan Arkush have a heated exchange on Israel, American Jewry, and the role of a historian.