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What Artificial Intelligence Has In Store for Judaism
March  

What Artificial Intelligence Has In Store for Judaism

AI has the potential to change the way Jews study Torah, observe Jewish law, work with rabbis, and teach their children. Will Jews resist those changes or welcome them?

The Very Model of a New York Intellectual
February  

The Very Model of a New York Intellectual

Abraham Cahan was one of America’s first great Jewish newspapermen, and set an example of independent thinking that the nation could sorely use today.

What Would Ben-Gurion Do?
January  

What Would Ben-Gurion Do?

Israel’s founding father argued for a conception of politics uniquely tailored to the Jewish state. Fifty years after his death, his country could use it more than ever.

Ecstasy and Amnesia in the Gaza Strip
November  

Ecstasy and Amnesia in the Gaza Strip

Three catastrophes, all marked by euphoria at the start and denial at the end, have shaped the Palestinian predicament. Has the fourth arrived, and is the same dynamic playing out?

The Hidden Calculation Behind the Yom Kippur War
October  The Yom Kippur War at 50 Years

The Hidden Calculation Behind the Yom Kippur War

It’s long been the greatest question about the war: why Israel waited to be attacked. But what if it was convinced to wait by its closest ally, the United States?

The Perennial Power of the Nakba
September  

The Perennial Power of the Nakba

How generations of Arab thinkers and leaders tried to turn the humiliation of their losses to Israel into a springboard to launch their nations into an enchanted new age.

I.L. Peretz and the Golden Chain
August  

I.L. Peretz and the Golden Chain

The great Yiddish writer envisioned an unbroken transmission of Jewishness through the generations, from biblical prophets to talmudic sages to literary giants like Heine—and himself.

The Looming War Over Israel’s Law of Return
July  The New Dividing Line in Israeli Politics

The Looming War Over Israel’s Law of Return

Over the coming years, Israel’s most famous law will become an object of political gamesmanship and a potential tool for demographic engineering—no matter who will be in power.

Herzl Before Herzl
May  The Other Architect of Political Zionism

Herzl Before Herzl

Fifteen years before Herzl’s The Jewish State, a doctor named Leon Pinsker called for the Jews to reassert their honor by freeing themselves from the debasement of the diaspora.

Why Is Europe Repressing Ritual Slaughter?
April  

Why Is Europe Repressing Ritual Slaughter?

Countries across Europe are cracking down on ritual slaughter, making the position of observant Jews and Muslims there more tenuous. Is concern for animals really the motivating factor?

Israel's Judicial Reckoning
March  The Knesset and the Court

Israel’s Judicial Reckoning

Israel’s court is abnormally powerful and has caused half the nation to lose faith in its government. Reform will help, as long as it doesn’t cause the other half to do the same.