Judaism and Politics

As Juneteenth sparks another round of discussion of blacks and the American experience, Chaim Trachtman compares and contrasts the Jewish and Black experiences in America through the lens of Jason Mott’s Hell of a Book.

Ari Zivotofsky responds to two letters criticizing his recent article regarding the alleged abuse of Palestinian prisoners at Sde Teiman.

A Talmudic poem about Holocaust appropriation.

Jonathan Muskat responds to Jonathan Sarna regarding a proposed change in the text of the Orthodox Jewish prayer for the government.

In honor of Flag Day, Michael Bernstein argues that national flags do not belong in our shul sanctuaries. Drawing on halakhic responsa, news reports, and photographic evidence, Bernstein locates the practice of displaying flags in shuls in its historical context and proposes that flags do not ever belong in prayer spaces.

Sarah Rindner contemplates whether Torah u-Madda as it’s sometimes interpreted can engender unreflective allegiance to trends in contemporary society that might harm our religious communities.

Nathan Diament of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center on the political advocacy of faith communities today.

Fix the Israeli Rabbinate, says Elli Fischer, but first identify the problem.

Menachem Butler responds to Michael Bernstein's article about the propriety of placing flags in shul sanctuaries.

R. Meir Simcha Cohen of Dvinsk, the legendary author of Meshekh Hokhmah and Ohr Sameiah and early-20th century community leader, passed away exactly one century ago. In honor of this centennial, Chaim Oscar Jacob reappraises the legacy of R. Meir Simcha.