According to his widow, Abraham Lincoln’s last words were “How I should like to visit Jerusalem sometime.” Although some historians contest her account, the leading scholar of American Jewish history, Jonathan Sarna, finds it entirely credible, as the sixteenth president was both a friend of the Jews and a devoted and careful reader of the Bible. Sarna, in conversation with Ari Lamm, discusses both aspects of Lincoln’s legacy. The conversation concludes with an anecdote about how a prominent U.S. rabbi was dubbed “the ayatollah of the Jews.”

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.)