Culture ›

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bookmark How Ayn Rand, Emerson and Thoreau perverted the American Dream

Dan Friedman in Forward

Dan Friedman's article explores Alissa Quart's critique of the self-reliant American Dream in her book, "Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream."

Literature ›

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bookmark Jews at the Gates of Law

Sources

In Franz Kafka's story "Before the Law," a man from the country seeks entry into a metaphorical law but is continually delayed by a gatekeeper, serving as an allegory for the complexities and frustrations of legal and bureaucratic systems.

Jewish Law ›

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bookmark A Choosing People

Elliot Cosgrove in Sources

This article explores the evolving relationship between American Jews and halakhic practice, highlighting modern Judaism as a "buffet" where individuals pick and choose practices that fit their lifestyles.

star 0 Jewish Law Gender/Identity

bookmark Civil Law vs <em>Halakhah</em> in Israeli Courts: The Case of Gender Equality 

Yofi Tirosh in Sources

Israeli courts often grapple with tensions between civil law, which guarantees gender equality, and halakhah (Jewish law), which can be at odds with this principle.

star 0 Jewish Law Philosophy

bookmark Is There a God in This <em>Halakhah</em>? 

Micha’el Rosenberg in Sources

The article explores the relationship between halakhah (Jewish law) and the presence of God, challenging the notion that halakhah inherently reflects divine will.

star 0 Jewish Law Gender/Identity

bookmark The <em>Mikveh</em> Rebellion that Wasn’t: Recovering Ritual Space Beyond Jewish Law

Meirav Jones in Sources

This article explores the historical and contemporary tensions between halakhic authority and longstanding women's ritual practices, focusing on Maimonides' impact on Jewish menstrual purity practices.

Philosophy ›

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bookmark In Defense of Surrender in Liberal Jewish Life

Leon A. Morris in Sources

This article explores the distinction between submission and surrender in liberal Jewish life, arguing that while submission connotes a loss of self to external control, surrender is a conscious, empowering release to a higher force.

Politics ›

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bookmark Responding to the Dobbs Decision: American Jews & Religious Freedom

Isaac Weiner in Sources

The article examines how American Jews perceive and engage with religious freedom in the context of the Dobbs decision and broader reproductive rights discussions.

star 0 Politics Israel

bookmark Fear, Fury, and the Struggle for Equal Rights in Israel

Leah Solomon in Sources

The piece reflects on the ongoing demonstrations in Jerusalem against the Israeli government's proposed judicial restructuring, highlighting a disconnect between the protesters' immediate concerns for domestic democracy and the broader, ongoing plight of Palestinians in the occupied territories.

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bookmark Richmond’s Levar Stoney, recently returned from Israel, eyes governor’s mansion

Gabby Deutch in Jewish Insider

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, a Democrat eyeing the Virginia governor's mansion in 2025, has emphasized the importance of combating antisemitism and hate, praising Republican Governor Youngkin's efforts in this regard.

Israel ›

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bookmark How Do You Say <em>Tikkun Olam</em> in Hebrew? Israel and International Development

Dyonna Ginsburg in Sources

The article explores Israel's role in international development during the 1950s to the 1970s, under leaders like Ben Gurion and Golda Meir.

Antisemitism ›

star 0 Antisemitism History

bookmark Lessons on American Antisemitism from the Grand Union Hotel

Zev Eleff in Sources

The article revisits the infamous Seligman Affair, an incident in 1877 where prominent Jewish banker Joseph Seligman was barred from the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs due to antisemitic policies imposed by hotel manager Henry Hilton.