Nostalgia for the Numinous
In the beginning there were the angry atheists. Terry Eagleton is more melancholy: “Atheism is by no means as easy as it looks.”
Peace, Plan B
Secretary of State John Kerry's attempt to get Israel and the Palestinians to a final status agreement was never going to work. What will?
Rallying Round the Flags
Derek Penslar's new book returns to aim Jewish soldiers of the diaspora to their rightful place in Jewish history.
Something Was Missing
When it was time for new MK Ruth Calderon to speak to Knesset for the first time, she told a Talmudic story and created a YouTube sensation. Her book has now been translated.
The Improbables
Not writing what you know can help an author steer away from autobiographical shoals, but it puts a certain research burden on the writer.
The Jewbird
It is in his stories, rather than his novels, that Malamud emerged as a unique writer. A new series brings new exposure to both.
The Shtetl Trap
How should we think about the Eastern European market town? Did the shtetl ever have a golden age?
The Ukrainian Question
"If I had to choose between Hitler and Stalin, Adam Michnik once said, I pick Marlene Dietrich." Vladimir Putin's propaganda notwithstanding, this is not the choice facing Ukrainian Jews.
Tradition! Tradition!
Wonder of wonders! One of the most beloved musicals ever created far outstripped its own creators' expectations for its success.
Missing Menachem
When Menachem Begin led the Likud to victory in 1977, Yitzhak Ben-Aharon spoke for many in the Israeli political establishment when he said that “if this is the will of the people, we have to replace the people.” Begin’s image has evolved, but he remains a contested figure.