George E. Johnson z"l
George E. Johnson was a senior editor from 2013 until his death on March 30, 2023. George cared deeply and passionately about the Jewish community both in America and Israel, and wrote frequently about its future in both places. His commitment to social justice and devotion to Judaism, informed his work and writing. During his time at Moment, George specialized in writing about language, and finding the nuances of words in the Jewish lexicon. He also conducted symposium interviews of dozens of luminaries, ranging from great rabbis and novelists to concert pianists and Israeli leaders. His Moment ebook, What Will the Jewish World Look Like in 2050? was published in 2017.
Below is a collection of his contributions to Moment. We encourage you to read and watch his work and remember him as we do.
Memoir
When One’s Duty and the Right Thing are not the Same
“Growing up, I had believed that serving my country and doing the right thing were one and the same thing. I was born three years to the day before the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, effectively ending the Second World War. My early childhood was shaped by the popular culture that grew out of the American victory….”
“I wanted to clear away the wreckage of Vietnam and find the moral direction of my youth. Vietnam had shut down my spirit, numbed the creativity and moral sensitivity out of me. I had turned off the faucets of feeling–to people, to art, to everything. My soul had been shut off. I had to find the faucets and try to turn them on again….”
