Celebration and Exploration: Why Good Israel Education Needs Both
In this timely essay, Noam Weissman of OpenDor Media argues for a form of Israel education that tackles challenging topics in Israel’s history.
Apres Moi: Religious Jews after Trump
What is President Trump’s legacy for Orthodox Jews? Shalom Carmy, taking stock of the past four years, considers religious liberty, Israel policy, and the bitter polarization that dominates American politics
Between Berlin 1936 and Beijing 2022
Chesky Kopel explores the similarities between the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Modern Orthodoxy is a Swing State
As this election season draws to a close at last, Zev Eleff crunches the numbers on the Modern Orthodox vote—a demographic whose politics are not so easy to pin down.
(Mis)Quoting Scripture in American Politics
AJ Berkovitz offers a charitable perspective on American politicians' apparent errors in citing the Bible.
Pandemic, Partnership, and Progress: A Vision for a post-Covid Modern Orthodoxy
Alan Jotkowitz explores how frequently overlooked passages in the writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks can help pave a path forward for us on theological issues in a post-Covid world.
When the Beggar Knocks
Avi Killip explores three Talmudic stories dealing with the feelings of discomfort that can be involved in helping the poor, even when we know it’s the right thing to do.
Climate Change and Prayers for Rain and Dew
By examining the prayers for rain and dew through the lens of meteorology and Rabbi Soloveitchik’s Lonely Man of Faith, Chaim Trachtman presents a unique religious model for thinking about climate change.
The Exodus, America’s Ever-Present Inspiration
Stuart Halpern explains how, when faced with uncertainty, danger, and personal and communal hardships, Americans have turned to the story of the Exodus for inspiration.
Rudolph Kastner and How History Becomes Midrash
Chesky Kopel looks at the various tellings and retellings of the controversial deal that Rudolph Kastner made with Nazi leadership in Budapest and argues that they represent a modern-day Midrashic presentation of the history.