Opinion | Is Our Fear of Antisemitism Poisoning Our Discussion of Israel?
Antisemitism is again on the rise, although the degree is subject to dispute.
22
Feb
10
Jan
Was ‘Mensch Mayor’ Steve Schewel Good for Durham’s Jews?
Former Mayor Steve Schewel may have turned Durham into a research and tech hub, but faced scrutiny from the city’s Jewish community along the way.
06
Dec
Closing the Circle with an Old Comrade
Journalist Mark Pinsky reflects on his experiences after the Six-Day War with Max Haber and Norman Rosenbaum. Both men died, and Pinsky returns to Israel to find their graves.
03
Nov
Alabama Israelite: New York Transplant Seeks Seat in Alabama Legislature
Phillip Ensler hopes to build on the legacy of the civil rights movement as Alabama’s only Jewish state legislator.
03
May
AIPAC Donations Rattle North Carolina Congressional Race
A North Carolina Congressional race has become a surrogate battle for the future of the Democratic Party. One surprising front: the Middle East.
25
Jan
Could Nida Allam Become the Fifth Member of ‘the Squad’?
Nida Allam’s candidacy to represent North Carolina’s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives has been supported by members of “the Squad,” with whom she shares certain policy stances, including views on Israel which have made some area Jewish leaders uneasy.
14
Sep
Were Birmingham’s Civil Rights Era Jews ‘Inside Agitators’?
Calvin Trillin, an incomparable reporter, brought his wry, Midwestern Jewish perspective to coverage of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, first for Time magazine and then for The New Yorker. He once observed, tongue in cheek, that it must have been awfully crowded in the South back then “behind the scenes.”
19
Feb
The New Black: Nice Jewish Bad Boys
For some younger, hipper members of the hat-conscious, ultra-Orthodox crowd, the old black is also the new black.
But in the Israeli-made streaming series The New Black, set in a prestigious Jerusalem yeshiva, the debate over fedora fashion is Borsalino vs. Barbisio, rather than over those huge, furry shtreimels.
It’s easy to understand the exotic appeal of recent shows about the various Haredi sects, to Jews and non-Jews alike. Both audiences are likely to view them as our quaint version of the insular, anachronistic Amish—but with a sharper, more caustic sense of humor.
I enjoyed the critical and critically praised Unorthodox, but I gave up on Shtisel after two episodes, finding the patriarchy insufferable. And I have purposely eschewed popular, Israeli-made espionage series. My previous viewing interest has focused on series aimed at general, secular audiences, with some...
10
Nov
From Denmark: Fortunate Man, Fortunate Country
A Fortunate Man, dubbed in English, is long and dark and drags some. Still, it reminds us that—wherever in the Diaspora Jews have settled—there are among us people driven by altruism and a passion for social justice.
23
Oct
Jewish Democrats May Turn Down-Ballot Seats Blue
While the presidential race remains the state’s marquee event, several significant down-ballot races involving Jewish Democrats are also attracting attention.