Letters, Summer 2023
Outside, but Where?; Satmar Literacy; On the Interpretation of Freud, and More
No Simple Return
“I stepped into the air.” Hilde Domin wrote, “and it carried me.”
Nobody’s Fool
After Saul Bellow translated "Gimpel the Fool," he, Irving Howe, and Lazer Greenberg had a lechaim over schnapps. But nobody talked with Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Problems with Authority
Paul Goldberg’s latest novel, The Dissident, is a narrative tour de force that plays far too fast and loose with the historical facts, leaving its readers deeply misled.
Solidarity and Democracy
Ben-Gurion saw little need for American-style checks and balances. Instead, he put his democratic faith in mamlakhtiyut.
Strange, I’ve Seen that Face Before
Just as I was about to close the window and move on to the next Geniza fragment, two words winked at me as if I were a friend.
Those Days Are Gone Forever
What, exactly, is camp spirit?
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.”