Dr. Seuss And The Jews
Seuss’s wartime cartoons denounced American discrimination against Jews and called attention to the early stages of the Holocaust.
Gen. Patton’s Appalling Anti-Semitism
Patton not only showed utter contempt, even hatred, for Jewish survivors, he also expressed a kind of admiration for the Nazi prisoners of war under his watch and bitterly criticized attempts to bring Nazi leaders to justice for war crimes.
Dr. Seuss And The Jews
Seuss’s wartime cartoons denounced American discrimination against Jews and called attention to the early stages of the Holocaust.
The Khazar Myth and the New Anti-Semitism
It is one of the great ironies of the 21st century that anti-Zionists and anti-Semites on both the Left and the Right, have returned to racialist arguments against Jews that most of us thought had died out after World War II.
What Judea & Samaria Mean to the Jewish People
For Jews, the ancient tribal territories of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and west Menasheh – a.k.a. Judea and Samaria or the West Bank – form the very heartland of the homeland.
The Holocaust’s Most Vicious Killers
During the Holocaust, one group of killers stood out as more vicious, murderous, and bloodthirsty than all others.
Putting the Oy Back into ‘Ahoy’
They did not sing "Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Manischewitz," nor do they ever seem to appear in any of the Disney films about pirates in the Caribbean.
I Cannot Apologize
Throughout Europe these hideous libels persisted and gave rise to the persecution of innocent Jews.
City of Graveyards: The Demise of Jewish Newark
It is a story that should serve as the ultimate cautionary tale for any Jewish community tempted to mistake a period of vibrancy for a guarantee of immortality.
Qualities I Look For In A Rabbi
I’ve learned that though pulpit rabbis all have basic roles, they can be as diverse in their calling as they are in their personalities.
Unforgettable Uncle Lajos: The Life & Legacy Of Ludovit Feld
I was 20 at the time of my first escape attempt. It was unsuccessful – someone had informed the authorities of my plan – and I was sent home from the Czech - German border, back to my prison of invisible bars. That only made me more determined.
The Many Legacies Of Rabbi Wallerstein, zt”l
An ordinary man who led an extraordinary life, Rabbi Wallerstein was never one who chased the limelight or enjoyed the trappings of fame.
Who Was The First Genuinely Pro-Israel U.S. President?
Whatever else can be said of Johnson, he proved a true friend to Jews and Israel.
The 1939 World’s Fair Palestine Pavilion
The World's Fair is in a way a reflection of mankind, its work and aspirations.
Justice Scalia As Talmudic Scholar
“Talmudic sages believed that judges who accepted bribes would be punished by eventually losing all knowledge of the divine law.”
The Vanishing Jewish Baseball Player
Whatever happened to Jewish baseball players? Not that they're an extinct species - several Jews are currently playing in the major leagues or working their way through the minors - but Jewish baseball fans will tell you the present-day crop is relatively unaccomplished and unknown.
Anti-Zionism, Sephardic Style
There is a widespread perception in Israel that Sephardic Jews are more sensible than the rest of us. Sephardim, or "Oriental Jews" as they are commonly if mistakenly called (strictly speaking, the two terms are not interchangeable), tend to shy away from the various manifestations of non-moderation that afflict Ashkenazi or "Western" Jews.
The Beatles In Israel: The Concert That Never Was
Any number of false narratives regarding the reason the Beatles did not perform at Ramat Gan continue to circulate, ranging from a dispute between Ori and another music promoter, Giora Godik, to the recalcitrance of Golda Meir.
My Father, Dayan Grunfeld
One cold December evening, I walked into my father’s book-lined study to light the Chanukah candles, which were placed beside the window that overlooked a high street in North London.
The Levush: His Life And Works
The more I read, the more confused I became. The sefer followed the same order of the Shulchan Aruch, chapter by chapter, but unlike the Shulchan Aruch’s matter-of-fact approach, this sefer included the reason behind each halacha.
The Genizah Journey: Where Does Your Shaimos Go After You Drop It Off?
Genizah is not overseen by any national rabbinic authority in the United States, and it is a tradition practiced not only in the Orthodox world but by other streams of Judaism as well.
Hakarat Hatov – More Than ‘Thank You’
Last year, not long before Passover was to begin and my thoughts were already on the coming Seders and great drama we would be observing, I happened to be just outside a building when I observed the following small scene unfold before me.
The Legacy Of Rav Aharon Kotler
As we commemorate the fiftieth yahrzeit this Friday, the second day of Kislev, of Rav Aaron Kotler – the greatest Jew, in the opinion of even many of his fellow Torah luminaries, ever to set foot on North American soil – we are obligated to reflect on his achievements and the lessons he taught.
Sinatra, Jews, And Israel
His deep affection for the Jewish people may have had its origins in the kindness of an elderly Jewish neighbor, a Mrs. Golden, who occasionally cared for him during his lonely boyhood.
The Religious Zionism Of Rav Soloveitchik
There are two key questions to consider when examining Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s relationship with Religious Zionism. The first is why the Rav was so firmly anti-Zionist when he arrived in America. The second is how the impact of the Holocaust and birth of Israel caused the Rav to fundamentally change his perspective.
The Mystery Of Golda’s Golden Gems
It will be hard for many to accept that some of Golda's gems may not have come from Golda's mouth
Southern Jews and the Confederacy
Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell's recent proclamation of Confederate History Month provoked a firestorm of criticism, with many accusing him and those who commemorate their Southern ancestors' bravery of ignoring or even defending slavery.
An Accident of History: Jimmy Carter and the Israel-Egypt Peace Accord
It was with no apparent sense of irony that Jimmy Carter’s 1976 campaign autobiography was titled Why Not the Best? That very question would come up with increasing frequency in the years after Carter’s election, only then it was being asked not as a rhetorical device to sell books but by Americans who refused to believe that this ineffectual, uninspiring milquetoast was the best a great nation could do.
Gratitude Is Good For The Soul
A thousand years ago, the great Rabbi Sa’adia Gaon taught that our Torah is reasonable and that the human intellect, by itself, can discover the great truths taught in Scripture. Given enough time and brilliance, the human mind can, unaided, arrive at the precepts and concepts revealed by God at Sinai.
The Values That Make Judaism Unique
Two weeks ago I debated Michael Steinhardt, the renowned philanthropist and self-declared atheist, and Prof. Noah Feldman, arguably America's foremost thirty-something legal mind, on the subject of whether or not Jews are different based on their values.