Ask the Rabbis // Sin
“In contrast with other views, we are not born sinners, but by virtue of the human condition and our free will, we are bound to act sinfully from time to time.”
Jewish Word // Kinehora
In 2004, the stoic, cowboy-esque Clint Eastwood unexpectedly proved himself more Tevye the Dairyman than Dirty Harry. In response to a reporter’s question about the chances of his movie, Mystic River, winning the Best Picture Oscar, Eastwood cried, “Kinehora!” He explained that it was a Jewish expression used to ward off a jinx, one of countless protective folk actions intended to avoid, fool or attack evil spirits.
From Ghetto to Glamour
Entrepreneurial 19th-century Jewish immigrants reshaped the garmnet industry and paved the way for today’s fashion superstars. From jeans to attached collars to Hollywood glamour to preppy clothes and schmatte chic, Jews have defined the American look.
A Jewish State? Einstein and Opponents in 1944
by Harold Ticktin I recently plucked a yellowed 95-cent paperback from my burgeoning backlog–one called The Jews Among the Nations,
Sweets & Symbols on Rosh Hashanah
It's almost time for Rosh Hashanah, the sweetest holiday of the year. In case you need a little easing into
Behind the Scenes at East Ramapo
Last Sunday, listeners of This American Life caught an hourlong episode devoted to the story of a school district in East Ramapo, New
A Question Revisited: Are The Old Synagogues of Eastern Europe Worth Saving?
by Phyllis Myers I traveled to Poland in October 1989 as Central and Eastern Europe was emerging from a half-century
Becoming Jan Karski
One of the lesser-known heroes of World War II was Jan Karski (1914-2000), an officer in the Polish Underground resistance who infiltrated the Warsaw Ghetto twice… This past April, actor David Strathairn took on the role of Karski in a dramatic reading of Derek Goldman’s play, Remember This: Walking with Jan Karski, at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Book Review // The Torture Trap
This thriller about the Israeli-Arab conflict comes with rare praise from one of the masters of suspense fiction and with a premise that suggests exploration of deep moral dilemmas. The endorsement comes from Stephen King, who says the book is “about the lies we tell ourselves until the truth is forced upon us,” and is “what great fiction is all about.”
Our Man in Warsaw: Konstanty Gebert
Born in 1953 when Poland was under communist rule,Konstanty Gebert viewed his Jewish lineage as a “biographical accident” until he was 15.
2014 Spotlight on Poland
PREVIEW OF THE CORE EXHIBITION OF THE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS
My personal journey to Jewish identity has taken place by way of the past. Like many immigrants from Eastern Europe, my grandparents and great-grandparents rarely spoke of the Old Country, leaving me to spend years trying to piece together the clues. This longing to know more about my family’s origins led me to genealogical research and DNA testing, to towns and shtetls in Ukraine, and to Moment.
Hungary at the Turning Point
It’s a few days before the May 25 European Parliament elections, and the streets of Budapest are awash with colorful campaign posters urging Hungarians to vote for delegates to represent their country in Brussels. It would be a shining display of democracy in action, a comforting reminder of Hungary’s ten-year membership in the European Union after decades of repressive communist rule, if not for the fact that…