Ask the Rabbis // Happiness
Should Jews strive to be happy?
INDEPENDENT
No. Jews should never strive to be happy.
Happiness should not be something to strive for. It should be solidly entrenched...
Gaza: A History // A Long Look at a Small Place
Today, the Palestinian enclave of Gaza is known as a flashpoint for conflict that far eclipses its minuscule size. At 140 square miles—sharing an eight-mile frontier with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and hugging Israel’s border for nearly 32 miles—the sliver of desert is only twice the area of the District of Columbia.
Film Watch // Three Minutes in Poland
A teenager with a big smile grins at the camera. Another waves his hand and keeps moving to stay in the picture. A bearded man is helped down the stairs of a building as groups of young and old crowd the streets of a small town, all anxious to be a part of this remarkable movie.
How Big is the ISIS Threat?
The Sunni extremist group in Syria and Iraq could cause turmoil in the entire Middle East.
The Theocracy in Democracy Project: An Uneasy Union
When it comes to marriage & divorce, Israel is a theocracy under the control of its Orthodox Rabbinate. What can be done?
Jewish Word // “NJB”
Maybe you know one. Maybe you want one. Maybe you are one. Go to JDate.com, and you’re guaranteed to find one: “Message me if you are looking for a nice Jewish boy who values family, respect and loyalty.”
Opinion // ISIS Commits Cultural Genocide
Militants sever the ties that connect the region to the world—and history
by Amy E. Schwartz
In 2010, Bonnie Burnham, president of the World Monuments Fund, paid a...
Opinion // The Enemy of My Enemy…
Should Israelis befriend moderate Sunnis such as the Saudis, or the region’s outcasts?
by Gabriel Scheinmann
At the United Nations in early fall, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...
Opinion // Why Women Are Still Not Heard
Even today, many Jewish women leaders are afraid to speak out with self-assurance.
by Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Sometimes, words speak louder than actions.
Women have proliferated lately in...
Opinion // Israel Fixes Everything and Resolves Nothing
Netanyahu and Israel are stuck in the status quo as the Palestinians go in another direction.
by Nahum Barnea
We’re living in a period of dramatic change, but...
From the Editors // Nadine Epstein & Sarah Breger
Israel is a bifurcated nation. On one side, it is a robust democracy with active executive, legislative and judicial branches. On the other, it has...
What Makes Us Happy? A Symposium
The search for happiness is as old as humanity itself. In Jewish culture, the subject of happiness surfaces in biblical psalms, rabbinic commentary, Talmudic pilpul...