History & Ideas

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?

Oct. 4 2021 12:01AM

How a group of Jewish physicists helped the United States beat Nazi Germany in the race for nuclear weapons.

Sept. 17 2021 12:01AM

Thirty years ago, Jews were violently attacked over three days in Brooklyn. This week’s podcast revisits what happened, and whether it could recur.

Aug. 26 2021 12:01AM

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?

Aug. 25 2021 12:04AM

Diversity has become a prime goal in the world of higher education. How did religious diversity get left out of the mix?

Aug. 18 2021 12:01AM

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.

Aug. 16 2021 12:31AM

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.

Aug. 6 2021 12:01AM

More than most, Modern Orthodoxy is a movement constantly ensnared by ideological disputes. Here’s how it can survive.

Aug. 3 2021 12:01AM

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?

Aug. 2 2021 5:22AM

“Oh, just some words that my family always says when we enter a church.”

July 28 2021 12:01AM

Israel’s sixth prime minister was a leader of consequence and achievement. But how does he relate to Israel’s origins?

July 22 2021 12:05AM

My late mother Pesya was the youngest child of immigrants to America from Kiev and Odessa, one reader writes. Here’s the story of her name.

July 14 2021 12:09AM

An impassioned letter about how to refer to Israel’s Arab minority.

June 23 2021 12:13AM

Modern freedoms leave us wanting more. The author of our monthly essay joins us and a noted rabbi to talk about how conversion came to be an antidote to liberal restlessness.

June 1 2021 12:01AM