Deborah Dash Moore, the author of numerous books on the history of American Jewry, talks about her research on the Jews of New York and about the transforming effect of the great move to the suburbs after World War II (interview by Rachel Gordan):

As Jews [during World War II] became identified with a Judaism that was considered one of the three fighting faiths of democracy, they began to [adopt] religious forms of Jewish life that followed the other two American faiths: Protestantism and Catholicism. Rather than understanding Jewishness as a way of being and perceiving the world, they came to think of it as set aside for specific occasions, such as lifecycle events or days on the calendar. Jews who moved to the suburbs especially privatized many aspects of Jewishness.

After several weeks of passionate political conflict in Israel over judical reform, the tensions seem to be defused, or at least dialed down, for the time being. In light of this, and in anticipation of the Passover holiday soon upon us, Eric Cohen considers the way forward for both the Jewish state and the Jewish people. (Video, 8 minutes. A text is available at the link below.)