Talk of the Table | The Power of Couscous
Throughout the Maghreb, couscous was traditionally prepared by groups of women, family and friends, who helped each other pass the long hours it took to make. First, they spread semolina wheat, bought by the men and freshly ground, onto a large round platter, sprinkling it with salted water and sometimes flour.
Ask The Rabbis | What Sins Should We Atone For In Our Use of Social Media?
“Do we gossip? Do we repost stories about friends, family or colleagues that ought not be repeated? Do we believe everything we read?”
Book Review | Kafka’s Last Trial by Ruby Namdar
Few literary figures have stirred readers’ imaginations as much as Kafka, his tormented life and early death. Indeed, he is viewed as a mythical figure as much as a renowned author. But above all, the bizarre story of how Kafka’s work survived and entered the canon has become a staple of literary legend.
Opinion | Online Misogyny Is Hate Speech
For women who work or spend time online, the idea that online misogyny is dangerous seems like basic common sense. Female journalists, politicians, celebrities and other women with work-related internet presences often face daily harassment, hacking or doxxing—the release of their private information, including phone numbers and home addresses.
In ‘Unsettling,’ Leftist Filmmaker Embeds in a West Bank Settlement
Zaki arranged a pop-up studio/cafe outside a small organic grocery with three cameras, a table and chairs. Then, she waited.
Book Review | What We Talk About When We Talk About Hebrew
In What We Talk About When We Talk About Hebrew, Naomi Sokoloff and Nancy Berg, both professors of Hebrew and comparative literature, successfully present a number of lenses through which the wondrous revival of the Hebrew language—and its current decline on American college campuses—can be viewed.
Tova Mirvis & Dani Shapiro: In Conversation
Two writers, both of whom left the orthodox fold, discuss the roles memory & imagination play in both fiction & memoir.
New Faces of the Yiddish Revival
A new generation has taken up the banner and found creative ways to make Yiddish relevant, injecting the language into concerts, lectures, poetry, theater and podcasts.
Can One Man Redeem Jimmy Carter?
Eizenstat’s main thesis, that Jimmy Carter’s presidency was one of the most consequential in modern history, might raise a few eyebrows.
‘RBG’ Documentary Humanizes a Justice
The movie’s success is impressive considering the heavyweight competition it stood up against.
Fiction | Pillow Monster by Etgar Keret
“Why does he always go to other countries?” she asks while chewing a pistachio. I stroke her head and say, “Don’t eat and talk at the same time, pumpkin, you can choke.” She swallows silently, then immediately asks, “Daddy, if you build buildings, what do you need a gun for?”