Moment’s Top 10 Most-Read Stories of 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a historic trip to Washington, DC, yesterday, his first trip outside war-torn Ukraine since the onset of hostilities. He met with President Biden and also addressed members of both houses of Congress in his signature army green attire, this time a sweatshirt emblazoned with Ukraine’s Coat of Arms. “Your money is not charity,” he told lawmakers in a speech on the U.S. House floor. “It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way." His sentiment was echoed by Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, interviewed by Robert Siegel last month in acceptance of Moment’s Women in Power Award. Watching President Zelensky speak was also a reminder that for Jews across the world, he is a source of deep pride.  “The Resilience of Ukraine and...

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A Virulent Antisemitism: An Interview with Dr. Peter Hotez

Peter J. Hotez (MD, PhD) is internationally known for his public science advocacy, having taken on anti-vax groups’ attempts to connect autism with vaccines and, more recently, for combating misinformation about fighting COVID. He regularly appears on major news shows and in print media and maintains an active presence on Twitter. In his forthcoming book, The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: How Health Freedom Propaganda Endangers the World, Hotez estimates that 200,000 Americans needlessly lost their lives from COVID during the last half of 2021 alone, which he largely blames on propaganda from the far right. An expert on neglected tropical diseases, Dr. Hotez is dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology & microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He’s also codirector of the Texas Children’s...

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Save Yourself from Zombies with Bestselling Author and Disaster Preparedness Expert Max Brooks

Max Brooks, author of World War Z and the newly released Devolution, discusses his books, what you can do to be prepared for times when reality resembles fiction and how his unconventional way of thinking has led to a partnership with the military. In addition, Max reminisces about the late Carl Reiner and the friendship he had with his dad, Mel Brooks and what it was like growing up Jewish. Max also shares how he became a writer, despite having dyslexia and how his mother, the late Anne Bancroft, was always his biggest advocate. Max is joined in conversation with Moment editor-in-chief Nadine Epstein.

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Stories and Songs of Theodore Bikel with Aimee Ginsburg Bikel

Aimee Ginsburg Bikel, Theo’s wife and director of the Theodore Bikel Legacy Project, gives us an up-close and personal look at the man behind the legend. Aimee shares stories about Theo’s life, from his acting roles to a sampling of his folk music, as well as his passion for tikkun olam (repair of the world). Aimee also presents an excerpt from her recently released book, Theodore Bikel’s: The City of Light, which recounts moments from Theo’s childhood in Vienna.

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The Heavy Price of Israel’s Coronavirus Lockdown

Flinging their doors open, Israelis are running outside, hugging their grandchildren, sunning on the beaches, strolling the parks and crowding the outdoor markets After two months of lockdown, Israelis seem to have sprung back to normal. We are a resilient bunch, we like to tell ourselves. We've made it through wars and waves of terrorist attacks and constant bombardments on civilians on our borders. "We made it through the Pharaoh, we'll make it through this," goes the refrain of a popular song. No coronavirus or two-month lockdown is going to get the best of us.  But as the traumatic events in our collective and personal histories grow, Israelis are also becoming more aware that the bravado is just bravado, and that, like all humans, we, too, are psychologically and socially vulnerable. A new survey proves this point....

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