“I’m grateful that Arthur, new to the city, ventured out exploring that weekend, grateful that he chose to walk up Sixth Avenue, grateful that he saw me through the shop’s window that Saturday in 1986, and came in to discover, ‘who belonged to that face.'”
Amy E. Schwartz, in conversation with New York Times best-selling author Laura Blumenfeld, discusses whether robots can be Jewish and other perennial questions, such as what Judaism has to say about love, miracles, the afterlife and so much more from Amy’s new book, Can Robots Be Jewish? And Other Pressing Questions of Modern Life , a selection of questions and answers drawn from Moment’s ever-popular Ask the Rabbis column. This smart and provocative talk is perfect for anyone interested in the rich diversity of Jewish thought on contemporary questions.
It seems beshert to have this small world to remind the three of us that we are needed to repair the larger one. As a family, we practice tikkun olam with Jewish values like tzedakah, teshuvah, gemilut Hasidim. And hakarat hatov, gratitude.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sits down for an in-depth interview with Robert Siegel, former host of NPR’s All Things Considered. She talks about her granddaughter asking, “what’s the big deal about Grandma Maddie being Secretary of State” and how the world is different today for woman in the workforce compared to when she graduated college. She also discusses the genesis of her famous pin collection; the definition of fascism; the changing nature of the Middle East; what it was like to find out late in life that her grandparents were Jewish and murdered in the Holocaust; and why retirement is a four-letter word. Secretary Albright is the 2020 recipient of “The Moment Women and Power Award.”
“An excruciatingly prolonged relationship with Mr. Not-Even-Jewish consumed the balance of my 20s. He was black and his cultural identity was a hugely significant part of his life. That motivated me to look more deeply into my own cultural identity.”
Two weeks have passed since election day, and there’s nothing anyone wants more than to put this whole thing behind us. But before we do so, we need to settle the least important question of these elections, yet the one most likely to come up during your (virtual) Thanksgiving, Passover or whatever family dinner table: How did the Jews vote?
“When he sings Eyshet Chayil before kiddush, he reaches across the table for my hand. Not one convert, but two, we’re partners on the journey in the fullest sense of the word; soulmates, beshert.”
B.F. Pierce is a brilliantly developed, multifaceted character, perhaps best analyzed by M.A.S.H.’s Army psychiatrist, the Jewish Dr. Sydney Friedman (played by Alan Arbus). The doctor’s observation that “while anger turned inward becomes depression, anger turned sideways is Hawkeye Pierce.”
A Fortunate Man, dubbed in English, is long and dark and drags some. Still, it reminds us that—wherever in the Diaspora Jews have settled—there are among us people driven by altruism and a passion for social justice.
What’s in store for America and what can be done to strengthen our democracy? Join us for a post-election conversation on the state of our democracy with E.J. Dionne, syndicated columnist for the Washington Post and Robert Siegel, former NPR host of All Things Considered.
“For Arie, it was love at first sight when I entered the Zolla Lieberman Gallery on the near north side of Chicago in the spring of 1979. For me, it was the glowing images on the walls of the cavernous loft. Light reflected from aluminum extrusions upon a white canvas created an evanescent aura of rich pastel colors. I had to meet the creator.”
Presidential candidates have wooed Jewish voters as far back as Abraham Lincoln. Why did candidates seek out the Jewish vote and how did they do it? How has the landscape of Jewish voters changed in modern times?
Jonathan D. Sarna, Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and Chief Historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History and Lauren B. Strauss, Scholar in Residence in the Jewish Studies Program at American University and Senior Historical Consultant for the forthcoming Capital Jewish Museum, in conversation with Moment’s opinion and book editor Amy E. Schwartz.
