By Sarah Breger
Our commemorative issue is here! Check out
• Moment Magazine Symposium 2010,
Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Itzhak Perlman, Leon Wieseltier, Geraldine Brooks and 30 other Jewish luminaries and thinkers ponder two big questions: What does it mean to be Jewish today? What do Jews bring to the world? And, celebrate the debut of our newly designed website on May 10th when 35 more fascinating responses from more amazing people go live—available online only!
Celebrate Jewish American History Month with:
• The story of the pivotal role played by Holocaust survivors in Skokie, Illinois, in ushering a new era of tolerance in the United States. When neo-Nazis threatened to march through the town, Holocaust survivors broke their long silence to educate Americans about the consequences of extremism. Chicago Tribune arts critic Howard Reich recalls his childhood in Skokie and how the past came back to haunt his mother, who awoke one morning to see yellow stars on her lawn.
• Just in time for summer: our second annual guide to Jewish American museums, historical societies and archives, featuring fascinating exhibits plus wonderfully kitschy roadside attractions. There’s also the whirlwind tour of sites loved by and lived in by American literary stars from Philip Roth to Edna Ferber, Chaim Potok to Faye Kellerman with stops in New York City, Boston, New Jersey, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Seattle, Appleton, Surfside, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and more.
PLUS:
• How the phrase tikkun olam soared from obscurity to encompass the spirit of American Jews
• Calvin Trillin writes a happy birthday poem just for us!
• Pastrami, pickles and the delectable history of deli foods
• Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan picks his 10 favorite Jewish American films
• Capitalism and the Jews reviewed by Robert Solow, The Rebbe reviewed by Robert Pinsky and find out who’s being hailed as the heir to Jane Austen
Just finished reading my issue and loved it. I could not believe that I was fascinated enough to read every one of the 35 answers to the same questions about what it means to be a Jew today. The feature naturally made me wonder how I would answer that question.
I grew up as one of a few Jews in a small town and always was forced to think of myself as a minority, as someone different. Not connected to other Jews or a temple in a meaningful way as a youth, I found my way closer to Judaism as an adult.
What does it mean to be a Jew today? The answer so depends on the individual’s personal experience. I treasure my Judaism much more as an adult than as a child. I understand better not only Jewish history but its power as a faith. Judaism gives us a structure to follow in times of great joy — and sorrow. The rituals of Judaism are powerful – if we know about them and use them.
And as Geraldine Brooks wrote with poignancy in your magazine, I understand too how Judaism nudges us to “notice the small gifts of daily life.”
I wonder how prominent Jews would have answered your questions 35 years ago – and how they will ask them 35 years from now. Will our views change that much?
Thank you for a thought-provoking issue.