Ask the Rabbis // Proselytizing?
Should Jews advocate for their religious choices in conversation with Jews who have chosen differently?
Jewish Word // Baal Teshuvah
Religious seekers are as old as religion itself. But it wasn’t until mid-20th-century America that there was a full-fledged, organized movement of Jews who moved from less observant to more observant—and a name for them. Behold, the birth of the baal teshuvah.
Visual Moment // Moshe Safdie
In 1967 a 29-year-old Israeli-born Canadian architect by the name of Moshe Safdie gained international recognition for his groundbreaking, visionary design for high-quality, affordable urban housing.
Opinion // Who Will Be Israel’s Champion?
It’s never been easy for the Israeli establishment to foresee how a newly elected American administration is going to behave. Israel did not know in advance that Lyndon Johnson was going to be Israel’s best American friend, possibly ever.
From the Editor // March/April 2016
Not long ago, I visited dear old friends for dinner and, over dessert, fell into a conversation with their daughter, whom I have known since she was born. She recently graduated from college and is an artist and activist who participated in the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the death of Michael Brown.
Jewish Routes // Chicago
Today, with nearly 300,000 Jews, the Chicago metropolitan area is home to the third-largest Jewish population in the United States. But to many Chicagoan Jews, it has the feel of a small town.
Talk of the Table // Babka
What is babka? The iconic Jewish treat is similar to—but not exactly synonymous with—coffee cake (which is lighter, fluffier and sweeter), and it’s not quite rugelach (which has a flaky cream cheese dough and is made without yeast).
Symposium // Is There a “Jewish” Way to Parent?
Jewish parenting has never been simple: The original dysfunctional families are found in the Hebrew Bible. But today parenting is more nuanced and complicated than ever. Moment speaks with a range of Jewish parents and experts to explore what role, if any, Judaism plays in 21st-century parenting.
Vanished Jews of Hetta
In the second place-winning story from the Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest, a Manhattan publicist returns to his sleepy Southern hometown and attempts to revitalize its Jewish life.
From the Editor
by Nadine Epstein
Late in the afternoon of Friday, November 13, I was in our Washington, DC office finalizing details for Moment’s 40th anniversary celebration at...
Opinion // The Victimhood Olympics
On a recent visit to America,I found myself one Shabbat morning in a large suburban shul. During the Torah service, after one of the aliyot, the rabbi gave a brief talk. He started by noting that it was the anniversary of Kristallnacht and ended by stressing the importance of the Holocaust to “our identity.”