Letters

Letters, Fall 2015

Anti-Semitic Spelling?, Render Unto Caesar, Implausible Etrog?, Just-So Question

Features

Israeli Strategy for a New Middle East

Ninety-nine years ago, in the middle of World War I, a French diplomat and a British politico secretly redrew the map of the Middle East. The state system they helped engineer lasted a surprisSyingly long time, but it’s gone now. Israel’s new strategic landscape must be rethought.

Reviews

Members of the Tribe

If an Israeli ambassador to the United States can’t consume ham in public, he may still have to engage in something like pork-barrel politics.

Something Off

There was a sense of oddness about Bruno Shulz that German-Jewish writer Maxim Biller exploits in his new novella, Inside the Head of Bruno Schulz.

Vegetarian in Vilna

The long, brutal winters and meaty cuisine of Eastern Europe don’t immediately make one think of garden-fresh vegetarian recipes.

Who Is David?

Scholars and lay readers remain fascinated by the biblical stories of David and the history behind them, as a new batch of books shows.

I Have Come to My Garden

Without the Torah, says Rabbi Akiva, we would still be able to discover all its truths by delving deeply into the words of the Song of Songs.

The Commentary Tales

In his latest book John J. Clayton delves once again into the literary territory he has been patiently mapping for some time.

Lost & Found

The Arts

Readings

Yosl Bergner’s Jewish-Israeli Genius

Yosl Bergner once said that “whatever colors I pour onto the canvas, they come out gray.” His grayscale paintings are stunning, but he paints in gorgeous color too. A personal memoir of a 94-year-old genius.

Last Word

Past Issues