Beshert | Because I Wasn’t the Jazz Age
After meeting on a blind date, George and Laurie Fendel discovered they had a family connection going back generations.
Artist Tobi Kahn’s Works Explore Memory, Spirituality and Healing
Artist Tobi Kahn’s paintings and sculptures celebrate life and explore the realms of memory, spirituality and meditation.
Kyiv Diary 4/21/22: The Animals of Ukraine Are Also Suffering
The atrocities committed by the Russians, who attacked not only people but also animals, are beyond comprehension.
A Gothic Rendering of a Hero of Judaism
Slightly more slender than life-size, Moses sits on an unadorned stone bench, supporting the tablets with his left hand and making the apparent sign of benediction with his right hand.
Blacks, Jews, Jazz & Blues with Loren Schoenberg, Eric K. Ward and Nadine Epstein
In the 19th century Black spirituals were inspired by biblical stories in the Old Testament, especially those we remember during Passover. In the early decades of the 20th century, Black and Jewish musicians, often living side by side in the same impoverished neighborhoods, connected through legacies of oppression. With the music industry one of the few fields open to them both, it’s no surprise that blues and jazz became rich, crossover genres. Join Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Eric K. Ward, executive director of Western States Center and Nadine Epstein, Moment editor-in-chief, for a conversation about these musical connections, the bonds and tensions, and a taste of the music itself including Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho and Go Down Moses to Bei Mir Bist Du Shein.
Kyiv Diary 4/19/22: A Wartime Passover Seder
This Passover, I attended a seder at Kyiv’s Central Brodsky Synagogue.
Kyiv Diary 4/18/22: Boris Johnson and Volodymyr Zelensky Stroll Past My Balcony
I wish more prominent world leaders would not only visit Ukraine but also become harsher and more decisive in their attempts to stop all the war monstrosities.
Kyiv Diary 4/15/22: Passover, the Holiday of Freedom, Is More Relevant Than Ever
The story of Passover is about freedom and sacrifices made on the road to liberation, and this year it seems more relevant than ever. It might as well be about Ukraine.
The Jews Who Saved Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
“When I tell people that a Jewish family once owned Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello, their jaws drop,” says director Steven Pressman.
The Violent History—and Remarkable Transformation—of Jewish Life in Ukraine
When Russia attacked Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin stated that his goal was “denazification.” Historians agree that there is no substance to this claim—and that by invoking Nazism, Putin is attempting to weaponize the trauma of World War II to justify an invasion, and the many lives it has cost.
Kyiv Diary 4/13/22: My Conversation With a Kyiv Rabbi
When I met Moshe Azman, he identified himself not only as the rabbi of Kyiv’s central synagogue, but also as the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine.
Tzedek Chicago Is America’s First Anti-Zionist Synagogue
On March 30, the congregation voted to officially adopt anti-Zionism as a core value.