Anti-Modern Anti-Semitism
The cultural chaos of the current era seems to map perfectly onto the anxieties of the 19th century. The same goes for today’s flavor of anti-Semitism.
Podcast: Tara Isabella Burton on the Creation and Curation of the Modern Self
The author of Self-Made stops by to talk about how the modern self came to be, and how it differs from older, traditional modes of living.
Can Algorithms Satisfy the Human Need for Ritual?
The Startup Wife, a buzzy new novel, has been hailed as a serious exploration of modern spirituality. All it explores is a tech-fantasy of hyper-individualism and personal fulfillment.
The Problem of (Jewish) Positive Thinking
The belief that we can manifest good wishes and look inwards to find God has a long history in the United States. Its influence has left many of the nation’s Jews deluded.
Podcast: Reflections for the Days of Awe
This week, we dig through the archives to bring you excerpts from our best conversations on faith, mortality, tradition, obligation, and sin.
Podcast: Tara Isabella Burton on New Religions and Strange Rites
The author of Strange Rites joins us to talk about the expansion of spiritual energy into nearly every domain of contemporary life, from shopping to health to politics.
Yoga and Judaism Are Incompatible—But Not In the Way Menachem Wecker Thinks
Contemporary yoga culture fits in with the widespread sense of religiosity as something inner and instinctual rather than communal and tradition-bound.