Travels with Pnin
In college, I made the ill-advised decision to join the cross-country ski team. Slow, given to daydreams, and so lacking any sense of direction that...
How Jew-Friendly Persia Became Anti-Semitic Iran
The complex tale of how the Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great—the world’s “first” Zionist—metamorphosed into the Israel-Hating nation we know today.
Abdol Hossein Sardari...
Jewish Word | Ghetto
Venice, Harlem and Beyond
There are few words that so acutely symbolize discrimination as “ghetto.” It was coined in Venice in 1516 to refer to a...
Jews and the San Francisco Gold Rush
In the early 1850s, Adolph Sutro, a cocky young man with a thick walrus moustache, headed west to make his fortune. Originally from Prussia, Sutro...
Moment Mythbusters: Jews and Pets
Today, the question of whether Jews dislike domestic pets may seem preposterous.
Jewish Routes | Washington, DC
In Celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month
Jews have had a major presence in Washington, DC, ever since young land speculator Isaac Polock arrived in 1795...
Funnyman Carl Reiner
The legendary Reiner riffs on his best pal Mel Brooks, talks comedy, reveals his favorite TV show and recites his most-loved Yiddish curses.
Is The Two State Solution Dead?
Are separate Israeli and Palestinian states still the answer? Moment speaks with peace negotiators, policy makers, activists and a former head of the Mossad. Noam Chomsky, Dani Dayan, Ruth Gavison, Efraim Halevy and others share their views.
Wine: Ambrosia of the Jews
The Torah is full of oenophiles: One of Noah’s first actions after emerging from the ark is to plant a vineyard, and the Five Books...
Forbidden Love
Anti-Semites who loved Jews—and the Jews who (sometimes) loved them back.
A Jewish Time Capsule
Five years ago, I got the thrill of a lifetime when, as a collections manager for the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC, I...