Trying Abraham

by Cole S. Aronson

Abraham is closest to God when, in Kierkegaard’s phrase, he goes “no farther than faith”—when he simply, merely, obeys the command. Continue Reading »

29 Nov 2019

The Original Nation

by David P. Goldman

No one views Israel with indifference. As an old joke puts it, a philo-Semite is just an anti-Semite who likes Jews. Bari Weiss quotes this joke (to disparage Donald Trump) without grasping its deeper meaning. Anti-Semitism and philo-Semitism respond to the same thing, namely, God’s promise to the . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Nov 2019

Does Natural Law Need Theology?

by David Novak

Until quite recently, natural law thinking had been a Catholic preserve. My interest in it was awakened during my days as a Jewish undergraduate at the University of Chicago, by the great Leo Strauss—himself a serious, though nonobservant, Jew. When I told Strauss of my interest in natural . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Nov 2019

Hannah Arendt and Judaism

by Shalom Carmy

On the American “Jewish street” of the mid-1960s, you did not need to have read her work to have an opinion about Hannah Arendt. The German Jewish émigré to the United States had written a famous book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, which showed that anti-Semitism was at the core of the . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Nov 2019

Balm for Germany?

by Cole S. Aronson

Germany must stake its national honor on the welfare of the Jewish people. Continue Reading »

29 Oct 2019

Israel’s Political Mythology

by Ari Lamm

The Jewish tradition plays a crucial role as the basis for Israel’s political mythology and identity.  Continue Reading »

10 Oct 2019

We Are All Children

by Cole S. Aronson

The Jewish tradition enthusiastically includes children in both Hakhel and the Passover night, becoming instances of “memory formation.” Continue Reading »

4 Oct 2019

Mitzvah

by Paul Mariani

A Saturday night, late February. Eileen and mein the back of the cramped car, Julie driving,Bruce riding shotgun. We’re heading downto Amherst for an evening of Borscht Belt vaudeville,Fifty Shades of Oy Vey at the local Jewish temple,and Julie’s taking all the back roads, so that, thoughI’ve . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Oct 2019

Hating Netanyahu

by Peter Hitchens

Bibi:  The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu by anshel pfeffer basic, 432 pages, $32 After Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin was murdered by an ultra-­Zionist fanatic in November 1995, the veteran anti-Israel terrorist Yasser Arafat was among the mourners welcomed at Rabin’s home to . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Aug 2019

Singer's Stories

by John Wilson

John Wilson recommends the writings of Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Continue Reading »

26 Jul 2019