“I’m not materialistic, but I believe in the power of things to evoke people, places, days of one’s life.” These words inspired us to launch the Jewish Objects Project, where we asked Moment readers to share photos and stories of things that inspire meaning and memories of their own. Below is a collection of some of our favorites.
“I dreamed of certain outcomes. But it’s the ones I didn’t see coming that feel exactly right—beshert.”
Israel was one of the first countries to respond quickly and sternly to the pandemic. Internationally, it was one of the first countries to shut ourselves off from the rest of the world. Foreigners are almost completely forbidden from entering the country and there are almost no flights in or out. International conferences and gatherings have been cancelled.
Sharansky, the refusnik who spent nine years in a Soviet prison, gives advice for those facing self-quarantine.
The nation is shutting down, its economy is grinding to a halt, but politics, so it seems, is still showing signs of vitality, perhaps even of growth.
We constantly seek out and publish stories about powerful and inspiring women who work hard to create change and make an impact. This Women’s History Month, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorites.
Estee Rieder-Indursky is fighting for women’s rights in Haredi community.
“Fred and I shared a love for skiing and hiking. We had the same values about family life; he took care of the children when I was busy with lectures and talk shows. He loved Miriam like his own daughter and ended up legally adopting her. He was a wonderful father to her and Joel—our son. We all miss him.”
“Just as Trump was there for Netanyahu when he needed a nice diplomatic gesture on the eve of Israeli elections (and then on the eve of the next one, and the next one) and just as he was willing to go further than any other American president in fulfilling the wishes of an Israeli center-right government, now Trump needs Netanyahu to do him a solid.”—Nathan Guttman
“In the theater you are either Jewish, Italian or gay and I chose Jewish,” says Protestant-born lyricist Richard Maltby Jr. during a conference call that includes his long time Jewish collaborator, composer David Shire. “Musical theater is so profoundly Jewish—it’s like living in a Kibbutz—you can’t help becoming Jewish. Also, my wife is Jewish, my children are Jewish and we belong to a temple.”
