JL;DR

This text is a collection of responses from various individuals reflecting on their beliefs before and after October 7, 2023. The first contributor, David Bi...

In this poem titled "Oh Homeland, Don't You Wonder (Tzion Ha-lo Tishali)", the speaker expresses deep longing and love for their homeland. They call out to t...

In a 1964 interview, S.Y. Agnon, a renowned Jewish author, reflected on the significance of a Jewish army defending the State of Israel. Agnon expressed conc...

"Reprise of the Repressed" discusses two musicals, "Harmony" and "I Can Get It for You Wholesale," and their themes of Jewish trauma and guilt. "Harmony" tel...

The author reflects on a situation where his daughter's classmate accused her of glorifying colonialism because of her paintings inspired by her wife's child...

In "Stuck in the Middle," Pierre Birnbaum, a prominent Jewish historian, explores the history of right-wing antisemitism in the United States. He argues that...

"Readjusting Sights" is a comparison between the experiences of two Israeli soldiers, Roi and Haim Sabato, during different wars. Roi, a tank crewman, fights...

This poem, titled "Pogrom," expresses the fear and anticipation of imminent violence and persecution. The speaker ponders whether the attackers will return t...

In Derek J. Penslar's book "Zionism: An Emotional State," he explores the emotional states underlying the Zionist project and the various reactions to it. He...

In a recent article, Ethan Schwartz critiques Edward Feld's book, "The Book of Revolutions: The Battles of Priests, Prophets, and Kings That Birthed the Tora...

Yonatan Adler's book, "The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal," challenges the traditional Jewish origin story by arguing that Jews...

Avram Davidson, a fantasy and sci-fi writer, wrote a story called "Goslin Day" which is set on a day that is believed to be significant in Jewish folklore. T...

Deborah E. Lipstadt's biography of Golda Meir portrays a life marked by accomplishments and guilt for not doing more to save Holocaust victims. Meir, born in...

In this piece, the author reflects on the power of faces in the context of war and conflict, particularly in Israel. They describe the ritual of looking at t...

There is a growing trend of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) young men in Israel volunteering for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Previously, haredi men were exempt ...

Anti-Israelism is a prejudice against all things Israeli, which should not be confused with hatred of Jews. It is a form of bigotry that attributes negative ...

The essays by Jonathan Karp and Reviel Netz discuss the rise of anti-Israelism, a new form of bigotry that targets Israel and Israelis rather than Jews and J...

The author reflects on their childhood in the kibbutz of Kfar Aza, which was recently attacked and left in ruins. They express the pain of remembering their ...

The article discusses the character of Tamar in the Bible and Thomas Mann's interpretation of her in his book Joseph and His Brothers. Tamar plays a signific...

Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef discusses the question of whether it is permissible to pay a higher ransom for Jewish hostages in cases where their lives are in immediat...

Israeli American novelist Ruby Namdar discusses the novelistic plight of American Jewry and Israeli Jewry in the aftermath of October 7. Namdar reflects on t...

The authors, a couple of Modern Orthodox-trained rabbis from New York, moved to the Neuklln neighborhood in Berlin, known for its large Arab and Turkish immi...

The article discusses the well-known Hanukkah song "Maoz Tzur" and its final stanza. It explores the history and possible controversy surrounding the inclusi...

In this article, the author explores the character of Tamar in the biblical story of Genesis. Tamar is the mother of Perez and therefore the ancestor of Davi...

Herbert Gold, a prolific and versatile author who recently passed away at the age of ninety-nine, was known for his diverse range of writing including essays...

In this article, the author discusses Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's views on the exchange of imprisoned terrorists for hostages, focusing on the concept of pidyon she...

This text is a collection of letters and responses related to two different topics. The first topic is a disagreement between Shlomo Avineri and Henry Kissin...

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef explores the question of whether it is permissible to exchange hostages for imprisoned terrorists. He examines the duty to save another pe...

The author reflects on their experiences and perspective regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict. They discuss their interaction with a Palestinian classma...

The article discusses the increasing integration of the Haredi community into Israeli civic culture following the Hamas massacre. It highlights two examples:...

The article discusses the experience of attending the March for Israel rally in Washington DC. The author describes the mood of the rally as a mix of pride, ...

This article discusses the contrasting experiences of two wars: the Yom Kippur War in Israel in 1973 and World War I. The author reflects on the dedication o...

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a prominent halakhic thinker, addressed the question of whether Israel should release terrorists in exchange for hostages. In his respons...

This article describes the experiences of Jewish students at Ohio State University following a series of anti-Semitic incidents. The author, a Jewish profess...

The author describes visiting Kibbutz Beeri, near Gaza, after it was attacked by Hamas. The kibbutz, which was once a thriving community, now lies in ruins. ...

The author expresses disappointment with the statement released by the Association of Jewish Studies (AJS) following the recent violence in Israel. The state...

The author recounts their experience on Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday marking the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle, which coincided with the ou...

In a series of letters, there are discussions and responses to various topics in Jewish literature. Paul Goldberg defends his novel, The Dissident, against a...

The author reflects on the current state of Israel, describing the ongoing anti-government demonstrations and the disarray within the country's air force due...

The book "The Revelation at Sinai: What Does Torah from Heaven Mean?" edited by Yoram Hazony, Gil Student, and Alex Sztuden explores the tension between trad...

In this book, author Azzan Yadin-Israel explores the question of why apples are commonly associated with the forbidden fruit in the story of the Fall of Man....

The Mishnah, an important Jewish text, is shrouded in mystery regarding its origins and purpose. Some believe it was written by Moses, while others attribute...

In his book "The Adjectival Liberal and The Kingship of God," Michael Walzer proposes defending liberalism not as an overarching ideology, but as a way of be...

In the book "Kidnapped!" by Motti Inbari, the author explores the story of Ruth Ben David, a French convert to Judaism, who was involved in the kidnapping of...

"Maestros & Monsters" is a memoir by Robert Boyers that explores his relationships with two Jewish intellectuals, Susan Sontag and George Steiner. Boyers adm...

This text discusses the poetry of Paul Celan, a Holocaust survivor and German-language poet. Celan's most famous poem, "Deathfugue," depicts the Nazis' forci...

"My Hijacking" by Martha Hodes is a personal account of the author's experience being held hostage on a hijacked plane by the Popular Front for the Liberatio...

Rough Diamonds is a Belgian crime drama available on Netflix that revolves around the affairs of a wealthy Hasidic diamond-trading family, the Wolfsons. The ...

The author reflects on his journey in Jewish studies, starting with an interview with Gershom Scholem, who emphasized the need to breathe new life into the f...

The article discusses the rise of a group of Catholic intellectuals known as integralists, who advocate for a form of illiberal legalism that prioritizes the...