JL;DR

Adam Sutcliffe's book, "What Are Jews For?", explores the question of the Jewish purpose throughout history. Sutcliffe discusses various explanations of the ...

In her memoir "At Home in America," Esther Safran Foer embarks on a journey to uncover her family's history, including her Holocaust-survivor father and her ...

In recent decades, a mythological counterhistory has emerged among contemporary religious Zionists in Israel, claiming that the true seeds of Zionism can be ...

"Emancipation Terminable and Interminable" by David Sorkin explores the history of Jewish emancipation from the 16th to the 20th century. The author challeng...

In this article, the author discusses the history of blood libel accusations against Jews and its connection to current conspiracy theories, such as the QAno...

This text discusses various topics in Jewish culture and scholarship. In the first section, there is a disagreement over the Jewish Review of Books publishin...

Winter Vigil is a memoir written by Steve Kogan that was published posthumously by his widow, Carol Rusoff. Kogan's manuscript received numerous rejections b...

"The Tunnel" by A.B. Yehoshua tells the story of Zvi Luria, a retired engineer in his seventies who is diagnosed with incipient dementia. As he grapples with...

In "A Moral Voice", Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks argues for the importance of the common good in a world dominated by individualism and identity politics. He em...

Honey on the Page is a new anthology of Yiddish children's literature edited and translated by Miriam Udel. It features lesser-known Yiddish stories and poem...

The article discusses Roald Dahl, a beloved children's author, and exposes his history of antisemitism, misogyny, and racism. Despite these revelations, his ...

David Fincher's film, Mank, explores the disputed authorship of the iconic movie Citizen Kane and tells the story of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz. Mankiewi...

In "A Sharp Word," Brian J. Horowitz examines the political development of Vladimir Jabotinsky, a prominent Zionist leader, during his Russian years from 190...

Yemima Mizrachi, an influential religious teacher and speaker in Israel, explores the themes of joy, love, and desire in the context of Yom Kippur in her boo...

In 1934, Senator William E. Borah accused Professor Horace M. Kallen of quoting a fake George Washington saying in support of internationalism. Kallen, an ar...

The article discusses the author's experience arranging a speaking tour for Yiddish poet Abraham Sutzkever in Canada in 1959. It highlights Sutzkever's life,...

This article discusses various retellings and interpretations of the biblical story of Jonah. It starts with a 1896 news story about a sailor who survived be...

"Our Lady in Tehran" is a compelling Israeli TV series set in Tehran, following the story of Tamar Rabinyan, an Israeli hacker and spy posing as an Iranian f...

The Coen Brothers, acclaimed filmmakers, are often seen as exploring various genres in their movies, but a closer look reveals that they are actually express...

Amos Oz's memoir, A Tale of Love and Darkness, was able to re-endeared him to readers around the world, despite its uneven literary texture and lack of struc...

In her book "Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World," journalist Tara Isabella Burton explores the rise of bespoke religious identities in contempo...

"The Accusation: Blood Libel in an American Town" by Edward Berenson tells the story of the Massena blood libel, which occurred in 1928 in Massena, New York....

Barry Gewen's book "Tragedy and Power" explores the life and worldview of Henry Kissinger, a prominent figure in international relations. Gewen highlights Ki...

"The Lehman Trilogy" by Stefano Massini, translated by Richard Dixon, tells the story of the Lehman Brothers bank's collapse in 2008. Although the play and n...

The Fall 2020 issue of Letters from the Jewish Review of Books features a variety of reader responses to various articles. One reader comments on the artwork...

In "Take Your Son...", Aaron Koller discusses the story of the Binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. He explores various interpretations of the text, including mid...

In his book "Ireland and the Promised Land," Alexander Kaye explores the relationship between religion and the state in Israel. He argues that the idea of a ...

The article discusses the increasing concerns over China's investment and influence in Israel, particularly through its Belt and Road Initiative. There are w...

In "Crazy Rich Sephardim" by Jonathan Kaufman, the author focuses on the interconnected stories of the Sassoon and Kadoorie families, two prominent Sephardic...

In "The Professor and the Con Man" by Ariel Sabar, the author unravels the story behind the Gospel of Jesus's Wife, a controversial fragment of papyrus that ...

Allan Arkush reviews Stephen Whitfield's detailed exploration of the intellectual and political landscape at Brandeis University, as documented in the nearly...

This exchange of articles explores the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewish response to COVID-19. Yehoshua Pfeffer's original article examines the haredi community...

In this article, the author responds to a previous critique of the Israeli haredi community's response to COVID-19. They agree with the criticism that haredi...

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the failure of haredi leaders in Israel to understand the difference between rabbinic rulings and public policy. Despit...

Ruth Gavison, a distinguished Israeli jurist and intellectual, was widely celebrated for her contributions to law and public service, her dedication to Israe...

"Camp Mountain Lake, 1977" is a collection of photographs taken by Andy Sweet, a young photographer who was tragically murdered in 1982. The book includes ph...

"The Law of the Baby" by Mara H. Benjamin is a philosophical exploration of the nature of obligation in Judaism, using the experience of motherhood as a lens...

"Mikhal Dekel's book, Tehran Children, tells the story of her father, Hannan, and his sister, who were part of a group of Polish refugee children who made th...

"The Milchik Way" by Ben Katchor is a book that explores the history and significance of dairy restaurants in American Jewish culture. Katchor, a graphic art...

"Morningside Heights" by Joshua Henkin is a novel that explores the changing landscape of Jewish life and intellectualism in New York City's Morningside Heig...

Benjamin Taylor's memoir, "Not a Nice Boy," explores the complex and sometimes contradictory character of the acclaimed writer Philip Roth. Taylor, who was a...

The article discusses the Haredi response to COVID-19 in Israel. It highlights the failure of the community to comply with government regulations and the hig...

This series of letters from the Summer 2020 issue of "Letters" discusses various topics related to Jewish history and culture. The first letter challenges Da...

"We Found Our Outrage" edited by Richard Landes is a book that recounts the story of Andrew Pessin, a professor who was falsely accused of being an anti-Pale...

"Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age" by Ayala Fader explores the lives of ultra-Orthodox Jewish individuals who publicly observe Jewish law but...

"Lives in Translation" by Hillel Halkin is a book that explores the relationship between Hebrew literature, the Hebrew language, and Zionism. The book consis...

The author discusses their experience of translating the characters and objects from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone into Yiddish. They give example...

The essay "Spinoza in Warsaw: Fragments of a Dream" explores the fascination of early 20th-century Yiddish intellectuals with the 17th-century philosopher Ba...

The burning of Jewish books throughout history, such as during the Trial of the Talmud, has been a cruel punishment experienced by the Jewish people. However...

This text discusses the history of the Hasidic movement in the late 18th century, particularly focusing on the leadership of Rabbi Dov Ber Friedman, known as...