JL;DR

"Karaism: An Introduction to the Oldest Surviving Alternative Judaism" by Daniel J. Lasker explores the history and significance of Karaism, a Jewish minorit...

In John Steinbeck's novel "East of Eden," the Hebrew word "timshel" is presented as an important concept, meaning "thou mayest" and representing free will an...

The article explores the relationship between Abraham and his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. It highlights the tension and ambiguity surrounding Abraham's love for...

This article explores the relationship between Abraham and his two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, in the context of the story of the binding of Isaac. The author a...

In a letter to the Jewish Review of Books, Jason Bedrick discusses the implications of the Carson v. Makin case and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold re...

Nir Baram's novel, "World Shadow," explores the concept of conspiracy and power in different social spheres. The book follows three interconnected stories—a ...

"The Literary Mafia" by Josh Lambert explores the notion of Jewish power in the literary world. Lambert investigates the accusations made by figures like Jac...

The article explores the history of Jewish Bible translations, starting with William Tyndale's influential English translation in the 16th century. It discus...

In his book "Revolutionary Jews from Spinoza to Marx," Jonathan I. Israel explores the role of Jews in the Enlightenment and the impact of radical Enlightenm...

This text is the first chapter of a poem called "Eugene Nadelman: A Tale of the 1980s in Verse." It follows the story of Eugene, a fourteen-year-old Jewish b...

This text discusses the importance of synagogues as both physical spaces and communities. It highlights the significance of human connections made within syn...

This article discusses the involvement of Jews in the Ukrainian revolution and the ongoing war in Ukraine. It tells the story of Natan Khazin, a young rabbi ...

The poem "Moiss Ville" celebrates a small Jewish community in Argentina. It describes the town as a place where Jews are the main inhabitants, with various J...

In "Revolution, the Jews, and Hitler's Munich," Michael Brenner explores the role of Jews in revolutionary movements and the impact it had on the rise of Hit...

Alex Edelman's one-man comedy show, "Just for Us," combines humor and self-reflection as he explores his Jewish identity. Edelman skillfully weaves together ...

Belonging and Betrayal by Charles Dellheim explores the role of Jewish art dealers in the art world. The book argues that the shift from trade in commodities...

The book "Tanais" by Iossif Ventouras tells the story of the sinking of the Tanais ship during World War II, carrying Jewish prisoners bound for Auschwitz, i...

"The Natural" by Bernard Malamud is a novel about a baseball player named Roy Hobbs who overcomes adversity to make it to the major leagues. The story explor...

"The Recruiter" by Douglas London is a rare book that captures the essence of intelligence work while remaining interesting. London, a Jew who spent three de...

Elisheva Baumgarten's book "Biblical Women and Jewish Daily Life in the Middle Ages" explores the religious practices of medieval Ashkenaz, focusing on the e...

In "Are We all Kahanists Now?", Shaul Magid discusses Meir Kahane, a controversial figure in American Jewry and Israel. Despite many historians and scholars ...

In her book God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion's Surprising Impact on Academic Success, Ilana M. Horwitz argues that religious teens have an advantage in ...

"Wandering Jews" is an edited volume that explores Jewish travel writing from biblical times to the present day. The book examines the significance and direc...

"Aerograms Across the Ocean" is a personal memoir that tells the story of the evolving friendship and love between Rachel Korati and David Biale through thei...

Lawrence M. Wills' book "Introduction to the Apocrypha: Jewish Books in Christian Bibles" challenges the common categorization of the Apocrypha as non-canoni...

In "Hardware, Software, or Love?", Menachem Kellner explores the concept of chosenness in Judaism and the relationship between truth claims of Judaism and ot...

In "Wishful Republic," Omri Boehm presents Haifa as a model for a binational federation in Israel that incorporates both Jews and Palestinians. Boehm argues ...

The Letters section of the magazine discusses various topics related to Jewish culture and history. One letter criticizes a review of a biography of Sydney T...

"Who By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai" by Matti Friedman is a book that explores Leonard Cohen's singing tour during the Yom Kippur War in Israel in 1973....

Alex Singer, a lone soldier, was an American Jew who enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and served as a paratrooper from 1985 to 1987. This book, "A...

In his book "The Nazi Rosetta Stone," Peter Longerich examines the Wannsee Conference, a meeting held in November 1941 where high-ranking German officials ga...

This text describes the author's experience helping Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, specifically those fleeing the Russian invasion. The author encounters var...

The book "Graven Images" explores the drawings and sketches of the famous writer Franz Kafka, which were previously overlooked and undiscovered. The book rev...

"The Treason of the Intellectuals" by Julien Benda is a book that discusses the moral obligations and failures of intellectuals. Benda argues that intellectu...

The article discusses the controversial issue of the Yemenite Children Affair in Israel during the 1950s. It begins by recounting the story of Varda Fuchs, w...

"Memories of Morocco", edited by Joseph Chetrit, Jane S. Gerber, and Drora Arussy, explores the Jewish experience in Morocco. The book highlights the complex...

In "Days of Redemption" by Arieh Saposnik, the author explores the concept of redemption in Zionist thought. While traditional Judaism initially denounced Zi...

"The Books of Jacob" by Olga Tokarczuk is a massive novel about Jacob Frank and his followers, a heretical movement in the 18th century. Frank was born in Po...

In Andrew Lawler's book "Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World's Most Contested City," he explores the history of archaeological expeditions in Je...

This text is a personal reflection on the author's discovery of their eighteenth-century great-grandmother, Leah Horowitz, who was a scholar and writer of wo...

"Shababnikim" is an Israeli sitcom that follows the lives of four yeshiva students as they navigate contemporary Israel. The show explores the experiences of...

The book "Storytelling, or: Yiddish in America" explores the work of Isaac Bashevis Singer, the best-known Yiddish writer of the 20th century. The author ini...

The Jewish Review of Books (JRB) is celebrating its thirteenth year and marking an important turning point as it transitions to become a wholly independent n...

During World War II, North Africa was under the rule of the Vichy French, Italian fascists, and Nazis, leading to widespread suffering for the local populati...

The article discusses the debate around the separation of church and state in the United States and its implications for religious education. It highlights t...

The essay discusses the case of Carson v. Makin, which raises questions about religious freedom and the First Amendment. The central issue is whether Maine's...

In 2002, Nathan Kamenetsky self-published his controversial book "Making of a Godol: A Study of Episodes in the Lives of Great Torah Personalities." The book...

The Passover Seder has evolved over time, with different Jewish communities leaving their mark on the ritual. The Seder as we know it today was influenced by...

This article discusses the connection between poet-singer Leonard Cohen and Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal. Cohen's grandfather, Lyon Cohen, was a...

The author explores the history of American Jews and their involvement in the alcohol industry. The Rheingold Corporation, a Jewish-owned company, became pop...