Monthly Essay ·
The Very Model of a New York Intellectual
By Dr. Ruth WisseAbraham Cahan was one of America's first great Jewish newspapermen, and set an example of independent thinking that the nation could sorely use today.
American Judaism
Latest Mosaic Content for American Judaism
Monthly Essay ·
The Apocalyptic Visions of Jacob Taubes and Meir Kahane
By Samuel GoldmanAs 1970s America unraveled, both radicals posed “uncomfortable questions for comfortable Jews.” What did they ask, and are conditions ripe for similar figures to emerge?
Monthly Essay ·
How Will Synagogues Survive?
By Jack WertheimerIt's been a year since most American synagogues closed their doors. Will the practices they adopted to survive undermine their prospects when the pandemic ends?
Response ·
Liberal Judaism Is Dedicated to Identity Formation, Not a Religious Worldview
By John MoscowitzNorth American synagogues experience these two purposes not as mutually reinforcing but as incongruous—which is why they're in trouble.
Response ·
The Problem of (Jewish) Positive Thinking
By Tara Isabella BurtonThe belief that we can manifest good wishes and look inwards to find God has a long history in the United States. Its influence has left many of the nation's Jews deluded.
Observation ·
American Judaism’s Old Dinosaurs Roar Again
By Jack WertheimerAfter being written off for years as slow and outmoded, Jewish federations and other large institutions are proving themselves indispensable in their response to COVID-19.
Monthly Essay ·
How America’s Idealism Drained Its Jews of Their Resilience
By Dr. Daniel GordisIn Israel and in traditional communities, life and liturgy don't run away from hardship. Most American Jews prefer to think on the brighter side, but that comes at a high cost.
Observation ·
Graveyard: A Story
By Edward GrossmanTwo Israelis on a road trip venture to Arlington National Cemetery and encounter there the graves of brothers.
Observation ·
What the Success of “Mikva the Musical” Says about Orthodox Judaism Today
By Sarah RindnerBy and for Orthodox women, Mikva, which has affinities with The Vagina Monologues , opens up a once-secretive ritual while staying firmly in line with tradition.
Response ·
American Jews: Doomed to a Thin Culture with No Future?
By Jack WertheimerTo avoid that fate, rabbis and synagogues might begin by acknowledging where and how Judaism differs, and proceed from there.
Response ·
Jack Wertheimer’s Critique of American Synagogues is On-Target—and Woefully Off
By Elliot CosgroveToday’s liberal Judaism may or may not have struck the right balance between tradition and change; but that's a conversation worth having.
Response ·
What’s Wrong with Nostalgia for Judaism’s “Millennia-Long Tradition”
By Lawrence A. HoffmanUnless they feel personally welcome, non-traditional Jews won't care to own anything at all of the tradition.
Monthly Essay ·
The New High Holy Days
By Jack WertheimerWhat happens when, once a year, the urge to accommodate every consumer fashion meets massive Jewish cultural illiteracy?
Observation ·
Turns out Everybody Likes to Talk about an Aliyah of the Soul
By PhilologosBut not Philologos.
Observation ·
What’s with the Talk about an Aliyah of the Soul?
By PhilologosA strange new case of linguistic evolution.
Observation ·
The Other Other L. Strauss
By Allan ArkushMeet Lewis (not Levi, and not Leo) Strauss, the now-forgotten American Jew who helped German Jews escape the Nazis, played a key role in developing nuclear weapons, and more.
Observation ·
An Eye-Opening Introduction to the Jewish Influence on America’s Founding
By Tevi TroyA new online course illuminates how Jewish teachings, combined with the age's best Enlightenment sensibilities, helped to create and to guide the young republic.
Observation ·
Why Are Jewish Children’s Books so Bad?
By Michael WeingradYear after year, most of what gets served up to young Jewish readers is poorly conceived, substantively shallow, and reeking of chicken-soup nostalgia.
