Book Excerpt | ‘Who Will Lead Us?’
Like most of Polish Jewry, the Bobovers realized, perhaps too late, that what was happening in neighboring Germany would affect them profoundly.
Opinion | Should 1967 be Celebrated or Mourned?
Fifty years. More than half of them, many more, have been years of acrimony. Was the Six-Day War just a great triumph—or a triumph whose consequence is grave devastation? Was it worth it? Pick the facts that support your viewpoint: The 1967 war resulted in overconfidence that brought about the 1973 war; the 1967 war convinced some Arab leaders that Israel was no longer weak and that removing it by force was not a realistic option; the war enabled Jews to settle the more important regions of its ancient homeland; the war put Israel in charge of territory occupied by Palestinians.
Martin Luther’s Anti-Semitic Legacy—500 Years Later
While Martin Luther initially had a relatively positive relationship with German Jews, he eventually adopted vociferously anti-Jewish rhetoric and promoted violence against Jews.
Why No Jew in Albania Was Turned Over to the Nazis
Few Americans have heard of Besa, but Besa is the reason that during the dark days of the Nazi takeover of Albania not a single Jewish citizen of Albania, nor any other Jew seeking refuge in Albania, was turned over to the Nazis or sent to the death camps.
On Yom HaShoah, Why Don’t We Read All the Names?
What I had naively imagined was this: Some central authority parceled out lists of names systematically to all of the Jewish communities around the world that read names aloud on Yom HaShoah
The Rabbi Who Tracked Down Nazis
While a handful of authentic former Nazis were gathered at the New York meeting along with like-minded individuals, so was a Jew.
The Passion of Passover
At the Passover seder, Jews across the world retell the greatest love story of all time: the story of what happened when God fell in love.
Einstein’s Hidden Spirituality
Biographers typically describe Einstein as a man who disdained Jewish rituals. But what if we have been given an incomplete picture of Einstein’s spirituality?
Is Normalization Normal?
“Keep reminding yourself: This is not normal,” warned comedian John Oliver on Last Week Tonight. It was less than a week after Election Day, and the country was just beginning to process Donald Trump’s unexpected victory. Opponents of the president-elect were scrambling to discern what had changed in a world they thought they understood.
Book Review // Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman
A double myth about Yitzhak Rabin has prevailed since his assassination in 1995. For the Israeli right, his peacemaking attempts were and still are evidence of traitorous subversion. For the Israeli left, and especially to much of the outside world, his memory is crowned with rare nobility.
The Best Books on World War I
On the anniversary of the United States’ entrance into the war, here are some of the books marking the beginnings, the events of the Great War itself and some books on special areas of interest.
As Baseball Season Starts, Still Cheering for Team Israel
As the Major League Baseball season starts this week, some of us Jewish baseball fans are still reminiscing how well Team Israel did last month in the World Baseball Classic.