JL;DR

"On the Eve: The Jews of Europe Before the Second World War" by Bernard Wasserstein delves into the rich cultural and social tapestry of Eastern European Jew...

The first letter discusses Lawrence Krauss' book "A Universe from Nothing" and criticizes it for being an attack on theism rather than a presentation of mode...

Yoram Hazony's book criticizes modern academia for trivializing the Hebrew Bible, particularly due to the influence of German research methods that viewed bi...

The text discusses the advent of digital technology and its impact on studying the Talmud, specifically through the ArtScroll Digital Library Schottenstein T...

The New Jerusalem Orchestra (NJO) has brought a jazz sensibility to the performance of Andalusian piyyut, a form of Sephardic liturgical music. NJO directors...

This text describes a series of underground philosophy seminars held with a group of Hasidic Jewish participants, including Satmar and Lubavitcher members, e...

Howard Jacobson is a British Jewish novelist known for his humorous and serious exploration of Jewish identity. His works, such as "Kalooki Nights" and "The ...

The article discusses Matisse's relationships with his Jewish patrons, particularly the Stein family and the Cone sisters. They were his earliest and most lo...

Jorge Luis Borges, a renowned Argentinian writer, was accused of being Jewish in a fascist magazine in 1934. He responded wittily, reflecting on the possibil...

Lawrence Krauss argues in his book "A Universe from Nothing" that the universe can be explained without invoking God. He explains that near the beginning of ...

In a series of letters published in the summer 2012 edition of a Jewish publication, the topic of discussion revolves around Leon Wieseltier's harsh critique...

Leora Batnitzky's book "How Judaism Became a Religion" offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of modern Jewish thought, focusing on the shift towards de...

In Peter Berkowitz's book "Lawfare: Israel and the Struggle over the International Laws of War," he defends Israel against accusations of violating internati...

In "Where Wisdom Begins," the discussion centers on the role of religion in modern society by challenging the idea that secularism alone can solve societal c...

This text discusses the concept of the human nature in Jewish thought. It compares the views of Saint Augustine and the rabbis on the nature of human beings....

"The World Without You" by Joshua Henkin follows a family, the Frankels, as they gather for the memorial of their beloved son and brother Leo, who was killed...

Sayed Kashua, an Arab Israeli writer, has gained popularity in Israel for his humorous and insightful columns in Haaretz, which explore his experiences as an...

Micha Josef Berdyczewski, a former Orthodox Jew turned Hebrew writer, advocated for a departure from traditional Judaism to a more vital Hebrew identity, cal...

Nelly Sachs, a Jewish poet who escaped the Third Reich and won the Nobel Prize for Literature, underwent a remarkable transformation in her work post-Holocau...

In a recent discussion, Bernard Lewis criticized the dominance of Saidian views in American academia regarding Middle Eastern studies. Jacob Lassner's new bo...

The article discusses Theodor Herzl's novel "Altneuland" and its relevance to contemporary Israeli politics and discourse. Published in 1902, the novel addre...

Project Mah Jongg, curated by Melissa Martens, initially displayed at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York and has since traveled to various Jewish muse...

The text discusses a saying of Antigonus of Sokho, a figure in Jewish tradition, found in the Mishnah Pirkei Avot. Antigonus advises against serving God for ...

In "The Peace and Violence of Judaism," Robert Eisen reflects on the impact of religious conflicts, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the ro...

"Melisande! What Are Dreams?" by Hillel Halkin tells the story of a love triangle involving the narrator, Hoo, his wife Mellie, and their friend Ricky. The n...

In the discourse from Letters, Spring 2012, the focus is on the placement of altars in Christian churches and bimahs in synagogues, particularly through the ...

"The Jewish Annotated New Testament" discusses the Jewish roots of the New Testament and the historical context of its texts, highlighting the commonalities ...

The Patagonian Hare by Claude Lanzmann is a captivating memoir that delves into the extraordinary life of the renowned Holocaust documentarian. Lanzmann, kno...

In "The Scandal of Kabbalah," Yaacob Dweck explores Leon Modena's work, Ari Nohem, written in 1639 but published only in 1840 due to its controversial conten...

In "Old Worlds, New Mirrors: On Jewish Mysticism and Twentieth-Century Thought," Moshe Idel critiques the new elite of 20th-century Central European Jewish i...

Karl Marx's rare empathetic depiction of the Jews of Jerusalem during the Crimean War in 1854 depicts their misery amidst Muslim oppression and intolerance, ...

The article discusses the illustrations in two medieval Jewish manuscripts, the Golden Haggadah and the Birds Head Haggadah, and explores the insights they p...

Peter Beinart's book "The Crisis of Zionism" addresses the disconnect between young, liberal American Jews and Israel, arguing that the American Jewish estab...

The New American Haggadah, edited by Jonathan Safran Foer and translated by Nathan Englander, presents a discussion on the complexities of translating Jewish...

In "Ben-Gurion: A Political Life" by Shimon Peres, the book explores the leadership and legacy of David Ben-Gurion, emphasizing his pivotal role in the found...

In April 1869, Rabbi Haim Zvi Sneersohn, a descendant of the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, approached President Ulysses S. Grant to advoc...

Shloyme-Zanvl Rappoport, also known as S. An-sky, a writer and ethnographer a century ago, embarked on an ambitious survey aimed at documenting vanishing Jew...

Saadi Besalel a-Levi's memoir, "Singing Gentile Songs," offers a unique insight into 19th-century Salonica, shedding light on the lost Ottoman and Jewish wor...

Jerry Weintraub, in his autobiography, paints a picture of a Bronx kid with chutzpah who made deals with Hollywood icons like Elvis and Sinatra. Shmuel Rosne...

Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza's treatise, "Theological-Political Treatise," sparked controversy for its radical theological and political ideas. Spinoza challe...

Rabbi Haim Amsalem's books, "Zera Yisrael" and "Mekor Yisrael," address the issue of conversion in Israel for immigrants from the former Soviet Union who are...

Following the 9/11 attacks, Graydon Carter's statement about the "end of the age of irony" prompted reflection on the clash between fanaticism and intellectu...

The discussion delves into the topic of Jewish secularization in the 18th century, touching on books like "Secularism and Sabbateans." It explores how tradit...

Chaim Gans, a political philosopher and law professor at Tel Aviv University, makes a notable contribution with his book "A Just Zionism: On the Morality of ...

The text discusses Jewish identity and the challenges surrounding it, focusing on how individuals grapple with their Jewishness in a modern context. It menti...

Norman Podhoretz, a Jewish intellectual and influential figure of neoconservatism, rose from a poor background in Brooklyn to become a leading literary criti...

The text discusses the historical accusations of host desecration against Jews, particularly in post-Reformation Poland. It examines how these accusations we...

Joshua Rubenstein's book, "Leon Trotsky: A Revolutionary's Life," explores the complex legacy of Trotsky, examining his contributions to the struggle against...

In a Jewish community in Uzbekistan, the dissolution of the Soviet Union prompts mass emigration, notably by the Bukharan Jewish Borukhov family, who relocat...

The Tent City Protests that began in Tel Aviv last summer, stirring up to 450,000 protesters throughout Israel in a show of both size and civility, have left...