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.
In the early 20th century, Jews continued to use “goy” when speaking among themselves, but “gentile” became the word of choice in public discourse.
The recent English-language publication of Yitzhak Gormezano Goren’s Alexandrian Summer, writes Juliana Maio, attests to the fact that the story of the Jews of the Arab world, long neglected, is ready to be heard.
In her compelling study of the role of the camps in the early years of the Nazi regime, Kim Wünschmann shows that they were “instrumental” in the development of the plan to transform German Jewry into a special category of enemy, deserving not just of brutal treatment but of eradication altogether.
We all want Jewish grandchildren—but are we going about it the right way?
If you think Israel’s “right” is “nationalistic” and the “left” wants “peace,” think again.
The assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 20 years ago produced instant analysis of unusual accuracy. Typically, it takes decades for the air to clear enough for history to make a sound judgment, especially in the Middle East. But when Rabin was shot in the back in November 1995, the Israelis of various camps who either mourned or celebrated what they thought the murder meant for their country turned out to be exactly right.
The darkness lurking around the edges of heroism is the underlying and faintly troubling theme of Charles Kaiser’s The Cost of Courage, the story of a French family and the steep price its members paid for their work in the Resistance.
Can a small group of Orthodox leaders shake up the Israeli rabbinate?
