A number of recent court cases have caused reexamination of interpretations of the First Amendment and the doctrine of separation of church and state. At the same time, several issues have confronted Jews in particular: attacks on ḥasidic education in New York, the question of whether private-school vouchers can be used for denominational schools, and a judge’s ruling that Yeshiva University must allow an LGBT club on campus, among others. Michael A. Helfand explains the legal and philosophical questions animating these cases, and what people most often misunderstand about them, in conversation with Scott Kahn. (Audio, 61 minutes.)

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.