Are We Moving Towards a Better Society—or Regressing?
In this challenging, chaotic time, there are moments when many of us, even optimists, fear that society is regressing.
The Woman Who Drove Old Dixie Down
Eileen Filler-Corn, Virginia’s first female—and first Jewish—Speaker of the House of Delegates, is playing a key role in dismantling the state’s Confederate legacy, statue by statute.
Talk of the Table | Fasting for Body and Soul
Eitan Okun only eats between the hours of 8 and 10 p.m., or, on days when he rides his bike, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Smashing Idols, Then and Now
The demolition of a statue, the withdrawal of public adulation for the erstwhile hero the statue commemorates, has echoes of a fundamental Jewish principle: the injunction against graven images.
A Wide-Open Conversation with Historian Simon Schama and Journalist Robert Siegel
Historian and documentarian, Sir Simon Schama, author of The Story of the Jews, joins Robert Siegel, former NPR host of All Things Considered, for a wide-open conversation about history, Jewish culture, art and more.
The Triumphs and Failures of a Jewish Son-in-Law
Nearly four years into Donald J. Trump’s presidency, Jared Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, remain the prince and princess of the administration and arguably the nation’s “First Jews.”
Are People Tired of Middle East Peace Progress?
Remember when Donald Trump first ran for office in 2016 and promised that “we’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning”? Well, it’s a matter of anyone’s political persuasion to judge just how much America has been winning in the past four years and whether there really are people out there who are sick and tired of winning.
But to paraphrase Trump’s promise, could people be sick and tired of too much Middle East peace?
As COVID Drags On, Rabbis Work to Adapt High Holiday Services
For the past six weeks, members of Beth Sholom Congregation & Talmud Torah in Potomac, Maryland, have attended services in the parking lot.
Trump Plays the God Card Against Democrats
Donald Trump has been actively drawing God into his campaign for the past few weeks. It started with the claim earlier this month that his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, is “against God,” has “no religion” and will “hurt the Bible, hurt God.”
Opinion | Returning A Mensch to the White House
“In this age of pandemics and polarization, it may be hard to envision. But it’s not a mystery. Someone who prizes decency and embodies dignity. Someone who exercises empathy and exhibits patience and understanding. Someone who lives, breathes and acts on the basic beliefs which are unique to Jewish tradition and universal in application—to pursue justice, welcome the stranger, open your hand and your heart to the needy and love your neighbor.”
Beshert |“A Fiddler on the Roof. Sounds Crazy, No?”
Twenty years ago, I fell in love with The Fiddler. You know who I mean, right? That ubiquitous guy on
When Rabbis Bless Congress with C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman
Since the Civil War, over 400 rabbis have offered prayers during the opening sessions of Congress. C-SPAN Communications Director Howard Mortman shares fascinating stories about some of these rabbis, the mixing of politics into prayers and how words of Torah are tied to the issues of the day.