for Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Welcome, visitor! Here's a digest of what's been published in Jewish media over the last day. JL;DR members have access to summaries of everything plus our full archive. Donate & start reading »

Jewish Law ›

0 Jewish Law Communities

Beyond the Miracles

Rabbi Eliezer Brand in Ami

The legacy of the Baba Sali, Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeira, continues to draw people from around the world to his resting place in Netivot, where many seek miracles and blessings.

0 Jewish Law Ethics

Ask the Rabbis | Does Jewish Law Require that Hostages be Redeemed Regardless of Cost?

Moment in Moment

The question of whether Jewish law demands the redemption of hostages regardless of cost remains complex and unresolved within Jewish jurisprudence.

0 Jewish Law History

Bewitched and Between

Shai Secunda in Jewish Review of Books

In "Seder Maziqin: Law and Magic in Late Antique Jewish Society," Avigail Manekin-Bamberger explores the interplay between magic and rabbinic law in Babylonian Jewish culture, focusing on the use of incantation bowls to combat demons like Lilith.

0 Jewish Law Communities

The Future Is Old

Mira Balberg in Jewish Review of Books

Mira Balberg explores the complex dynamics between adult children and their aging parents through a personal lens, juxtaposing a self-help book she found with Talmudic narratives that elevate filial piety to challenging extremes.

Leadership ›

0 Leadership Communities

Humble Nobility

Rabbi Eliezer Brand in Ami

The article offers an intimate glimpse into the life and leadership of the Rebbe of Machnovka-Belz, Rav Yehoshua Rokeach, in Bnei Brak.

0 Leadership Torah

A Timely Lesson In Leadership From The Weekly Torah Portion

Gary Rosenblatt in Between The Lines

The article draws a parallel between the current political climate and a lesson from the Torah, as illuminated in Rabbi Shai Held's commentaries.

Politics ›

0 Politics History

From Espionage and Prison to Freedom

Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter in Ami

Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former US Navy intelligence analyst, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for passing secrets to Israel, marking a significant espionage case involving an ally nation.

0 Politics Communities

Courage and Carnage in Gaza // Hamas embarks on a tour of revenge

Avi Shafran in Ami

The article highlights the brutal suppression of anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, where demonstrators demanding the end of Hamas's regime faced severe retaliation, including public beatings and executions.

0 Politics Israel

Meeting with Netanyahu, Trump again floats proposal for US to take over Gaza

Ben Sales in JTA

During a meeting in Washington, President Trump revisited his controversial proposal for the U.S. to take control of Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

0 Politics Israel

Trump says US has begun direct talks with Iran over its nuclear program

Ben Sales in Forward

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that direct negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program will commence, following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

0 Politics Antisemitism

In new letter, Mahmoud Khalil downplays campus antisemitism and accuses some students of ‘participating in the genocide’

Grace Gilson in Forward

Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist and recent Columbia University graduate, has stirred controversy with a letter from an ICE detention center, denouncing the university’s approach to antisemitism and likening it to Nazi-era collaboration.

0 Politics History

Book Review | Israel Doesn’t Fit Your Frameworks

Carlin Romano in Moment

Carlin Romano reviews two thought-provoking books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Adam Kirsch's "On Settler Colonialism" and Peter Beinart's "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza."

0 Politics Culture

The Passover seder is a model for healing democracies in peril

Rabbi Meesh Hammer-Kossoy in JTA

Rabbi Meesh Hammer-Kossoy explores how the Passover seder offers a framework for healing democracies under threat worldwide.

0 Politics History

Following an Orwellian 'Liberation Day,' is a doublethinking America on its way to becoming another Oceania?

Robert Zaretsky in Forward

Robert Zaretsky explores the chilling parallels between George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984" and contemporary America, emphasizing how antisemitism, totalitarianism, and nationalism continue to pose significant threats.

0 Politics Israel

Israel Says It’s Only Fighting Hamas

Peter Beinart in The Beinart Notebook

Peter Beinart criticizes the framing of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a solely anti-Hamas war, arguing it's more accurately a war against Gaza as a whole.

0 Politics Israel

The IDF made a mistake. Hamas made it inevitable.

Andrew Fox in Future of Jewish

Andrew Fox examines a tragic incident in Rafah, Gaza, where the IDF, during operations against Hamas, killed several unarmed aid workers, mistaking them for hostile forces.

0 Politics Israel

Daniel Hernandez pitches himself to Tucson voters — and pro-Israel backers

Gabby Deutch in Jewish Insider

Daniel Hernandez, former Arizona state representative and pro-Israel advocate, is running for the congressional seat left vacant by the late Rep. Raul Grijalva.

History ›

0 History Communities

A Brooklyn street gets co-named for late Chabad rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Joseph Strauss in JTA

The Chabad-Lubavitch community in Brooklyn celebrated the co-naming of a street as Lubavitcher Rebbe Way, honoring their late leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

0 History Politics

Book Review | It’s All Happened Here

Robert Siegel in Moment

Clay Risen's book, "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America," chronicles the chilling resonance between past and present political climates in the United States, where suspicion and loyalty tests have historically threatened civil liberties.

0 History Ethics

American Pharaohs

Allan Arkush in Jewish Review of Books

Allan Arkush reviews Richard Kreitner's book "Fear No Pharaoh," which examines the complex and often uncomfortable role American Jews had in the institution of slavery.

0 History Holocaust

Letters, Spring 2025

Jewish Review of Books

A two-part letter section on Polish-Jewish historical relations and American Revolutionary history illustrates complex themes.

0 History Politics

In Dissent

Marci Shore in Jewish Review of Books

"In Dissent," authored by Benjamin Nathans, delves into the history and significance of the Soviet dissident movement, highlighting key figures and events.

Antisemitism ›

0 Antisemitism Politics

Suddenly, antisemitism is activism and 'Islamophobia' is terrorism.

Daniel Greenfield in Future of Jewish

Daniel Greenfield critiques what he perceives as a double standard in how justice is served between attacks on Muslims and Jews in Los Angeles.

0 Antisemitism Television/Film

Play about Roald Dahl’s antisemitism wins 3 Olivier Awards

Grace Gilson in Forward

The play "Giant," by Jewish playwright Mark Rosenblatt, highlights the antisemitism of celebrated children's author Roald Dahl and received three Olivier Awards, including best new play.

0 Antisemitism Education

U.S. Naval Academy removed books about the Holocaust, antisemitism and Jewish Americans ahead of Hegseth visit

Andrew Lapin in JTA

Ahead of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's visit to the U.S. Naval Academy, nearly 400 books including those on the Holocaust, antisemitism, and Jewish American history were removed from the academy's library.

Food ›

0 Food History

How your matzah gets made: A peek inside the Streit’s factory

Joseph Strauss in JTA

Streits, a renowned kosher food company best known for its matzah, is celebrating its centennial anniversary.

0 Food Holidays

Braised Brisket with Red Wine & Honey

Leah Koenig in Jewish Table

Leah Koenig shares her popular Braised Brisket with Red Wine & Honey recipe from her book *Modern Jewish Cooking*, evoking the nostalgia of traditional Jewish cooking.

Holidays ›

0 Holidays Politics

A legacy of defiance: Why I'm holding my Seder in one of the oldest Black churches in the country

Tamar Manasseh in Forward

Amidst rising authoritarian concerns under President Trump's second term and societal divisions, Tamar Manasseh plans to hold her Passover Seder in one of Chicago's oldest Black churches, symbolizing a union of Jewish and Black histories of perseverance and liberation.

0 Holidays Food

This Passover, try a big, glorious spring salad for the karpas

Rob Eshman in Forward

Rob Eshman reflects on his experience of enhancing the Passover karpas ritual by creating a vibrant spring salad instead of the traditional single leafy vegetable.

0 Holidays Culture

Kidnapped Choruses?

Yosef Lindell in Jewish Review of Books

Exploring the origins of the beloved Passover Seder songs "Echad Mi Yodea" and "Chad Gadya," Yosef Lindell delves into their historical roots, which potentially trace back to non-Jewish folk traditions.

Ethics ›

0 Ethics Culture

Just Like All the Others

InternsFall21 in Lilith

A new mother recounts her experience in the emergency room with her infant daughter, initially believing she had a fever.

Culture ›

0 Culture History

Talk of the Table | This Passover, Try Inquisition Soup

Vered Guttman in Moment

In this exploration of historical Sephardic culinary traditions during Passover, Vered Guttman delves into the Inquisition records of Mara Das, a woman prosecuted for secretly maintaining Jewish customs.

0 Culture Holidays

What pre-pesach cleaning was like in the shtetl

Mayer Kirshenblatt in Forward

Mayer Kirshenblatt's illustrated memoir provides a vivid depiction of pre-Pesach (Passover) cleaning in the 1920s shtetl of Opatow.

0 Culture Holidays

Drew Barrymore Is Preparing for Her Daughter’s Bat Mitzvah

Lior Zaltzman in Kveller

Drew Barrymore is gearing up for her eldest daughter Olive's bat mitzvah, embracing the Jewish traditions shared by her ex-husband Will Kopelman.

Television/Film ›

0 Television/Film Holocaust

At 87, one of the great Jewish film directors thinks there's still time to start over

Simi Horwitz in Forward

At 87, acclaimed Jewish filmmaker Claude Lelouch remains vibrant in the cinematic world, celebrating a new restoration of his classic film "A Man and a Woman" while premiering his latest work, "Finalement."

0 Television/Film Culture

Form Without Function

Edward Rothstein in Jewish Review of Books

"The Brutalist," a film by Brady Corbet, dives into the immigrant experience in post-World War II America through the lens of Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody.

Literature ›

0 Literature Culture

An Ode to Sefarad

Astera Marcos in New Voices

Poet Astera Marcos crafts a poignant collection of Ladino and English poems that evoke the beauty, nostalgia, and sorrow of the Sephardic Jewish experience.

0 Literature History

Delmore’s Gift

Neil Arditi in Jewish Review of Books

Delmore Schwartz, a literary prodigy immortalized as Von Humboldt Fleisher in Saul Bellow's "Humboldt's Gift," is remembered more for his tragic life and potential unfulfilled than for his substantial contributions to modernist poetry.

0 Literature Philosophy

Strange Air Above the Ladder

Jake Marmer in Jewish Review of Books

Yehoshua November's latest poetry collection, "The Concealment of Endless Light," straddles the boundaries between the kabbalistic and the everyday.

0 Literature History

Manea’s Shadows

Benjamin Balint in Jewish Review of Books

Norman Manea, a prominent Romanian author from the historic Jewish community of Bukovina, navigates themes of memory, identity, and survival in his literary works.

0 Literature Communities

The Shopkeeper on East Broadway

Yenta Serdatsky in Jewish Review of Books

Yenta Serdatsky's short story "The Shopkeeper on East Broadway" explores the Jewish immigrant experience in New York City through the lens of an idealistic shopkeeper, whose gesture of decorating his store with American and Zionist flags reflects the dual identity faced by Jewish immigrants.

0 Literature Holidays

Escape Goat

Jeremy Dauber in Jewish Review of Books

Jeremy Dauber explores "One Little Goat," a graphic novel by Dara Horn and Theo Ellsworth, that offers a unique twist on the Passover Seder.

Communities ›

0 Communities Jewish Law

Building a data-driven synagogue

eJewishPhilanthropy

Synagogues like Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, are increasingly turning to data-driven strategies to enhance community engagement and improve operational efficiency.

0 Communities Antisemitism

You can’t solve antisemitism. But you can raise a generation of vibrant, proud young Jews.

eJewishPhilanthropy

Leading philanthropist Barry Finestone argues that Jewish communal resources should be focused more on building a vibrant Jewish identity than solely combating antisemitism.

Philosophy ›

0 Philosophy Culture

Chariot and Saucer

Daniel Socher in Jewish Review of Books

David J. Halperin's book, "Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO," investigates the enduring American fascination with UFOs through the lenses of religious studies and psychology, drawing parallels between UFO sightings and ancient Jewish visionary experiences like Ezekiel's Merkavah vision.

0 Philosophy Jewish Law

Resurrection: The Triumph of Life in Judaism

Irving Greenberg in Jewish Review of Books

Irving Greenberg explores the often-overlooked Jewish doctrine of resurrection of the dead, contrasting it with more commonly discussed concepts like the world to come.

Holocaust ›

0 Holocaust History

My Father’s Resistance: A Memoir

Shulamit Reinharz in Jewish Review of Books

Shulamit Reinharz's memoir, "My Father's Resistance," uncovers the hidden life and untold acts of resistance by her father, Rabbi Max Rothschild, primarily during the Nazi regime.

Education ›

0 Education Jewish Law

Israeli parents have more confident kids.

Joshua Hoffman in Future of Jewish

The article discusses the disparity in resilience and confidence between Jewish children raised in Israel compared to those in the diaspora.

JL;DR

for Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Jewish Law ›

Leadership ›

Politics ›

History ›

Antisemitism ›

Food ›

Holidays ›

Ethics ›

Culture ›

Television/Film ›

Literature ›

Communities ›

Philosophy ›

Holocaust ›

Education ›

Editors' Note

Top Topics in Jewish Media

April 8's Short Reads

Recent podcast episodes

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Jewish Law ›

Leadership ›

Politics ›

History ›

Antisemitism ›

Food ›

Holidays ›

Ethics ›

Culture ›

Television/Film ›

Literature ›

Communities ›

Philosophy ›

Holocaust ›

Education ›

Editors' Note

Top Topics in Jewish Media

April 8's Short Reads

Recent podcast episodes

for Tuesday, April 8, 2025