History & Ideas
And why each has been preferred in different times and places.
A professor of Jewish art finds himself turning from one explanation of a puzzling drawing found in an old manuscript to another—and then possibly back again.
The word is freighted with both theological and national meaning, which points not just to a semantic tension but to a permanent tension within Jewish identity itself.
A much-loved new biography argues that the convicted Soviet spy “betrayed no one.” How has the myth of her innocence become so untethered from the evidence of her guilt?
How a group of Jewish physicists helped the United States beat Nazi Germany in the race for nuclear weapons.
Thirty years ago, Jews were violently attacked over three days in Brooklyn. This week’s podcast revisits what happened, and whether it could recur.
Jabotinsky was the rare political leader who devoted as much time to artistic pursuits as to his political activities. What can be learned from them?
Diversity has become a prime goal in the world of higher education. How did religious diversity get left out of the mix?
Although the Zionist leader tried to avoid statements that didn’t reflect his true beliefs, he wasn’t above doing so altogether. His late-in-life friendliness to religion might be one such case.
Two college professors were intrigued by the restlessness of their students. In a new book, they trace where it comes from and what it means for young Americans today.
More than most, Modern Orthodoxy is a movement constantly ensnared by ideological disputes. Here’s how it can survive.
How could the man who at one point openly scorned religion also be the forefather of the political coalition that ensured for it a key place in Israeli life?
“Oh, just some words that my family always says when we enter a church.”
Israel’s sixth prime minister was a leader of consequence and achievement. But how does he relate to Israel’s origins?
