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The Best Proletarian Novel Ever Written
Comparisons between the Great Depression and current economic conditions "remain relevant," says the financial columnist Robert Samuelson—"and unsettling." Economic growth for this year's second quarter was a paltry 1.6 percent; unemployment hovers above 9.5 percent; sales of existing homes have fallen to their lowest rate in more than a decade; consumers show little sign of having recovered their confidence. At such a moment, American literature must surely be ripe for a revival of the Marxist-inspired "proletarian novel."
Seeing Iran PlainThursday, September 16, 2010 by D.G. Myers | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Comparisons between the Great Depression and current economic conditions "remain relevant," says the financial columnist Robert Samuelson—"and unsettling." Economic growth for this year's second quarter was a paltry 1.6 percent; unemployment hovers above 9.5 percent; sales of existing homes have fallen to their lowest rate in more than a decade; consumers show little sign of having recovered their confidence. At such a moment, American literature must surely be ripe for a revival of the Marxist-inspired "proletarian novel."
Thursday, September 16, 2010 by Harold Rhode | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
If we are to negotiate with Iran, or to help break the spell of its tyranny, we must first understand the country's culture, its history, and what Iranians value in their leaders. (PDF)Eat, Shave, Chant
Thursday, September 16, 2010 by Menachem Kaiser | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
The strange and wonderful pilgrimage of Bratzlaver Hasidim to Uman, Ukraine. (With slide show.)
Jonah and Yom Kippur
Read in its entirety in the synagogue in the afternoon of Yom Kippur, Jonah is the only multi-chapter book of the Bible to be so honored. Indeed, one commentator, observing that the brief Torah reading that precedes Jonah has little to do with the day, but merely continues where the morning reading left off, has suggested that this may be precisely in order to emphasize that, in a departure from the usual priorities, the haftarah, or prophetic portion, is in fact the critical text for the occasion. But what makes it so significant, and what lesson does it really teach about Yom Kippur?
In the HeightsWednesday, September 15, 2010 by Meir Soloveichik | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Read in its entirety in the synagogue in the afternoon of Yom Kippur, Jonah is the only multi-chapter book of the Bible to be so honored. Indeed, one commentator, observing that the brief Torah reading that precedes Jonah has little to do with the day, but merely continues where the morning reading left off, has suggested that this may be precisely in order to emphasize that, in a departure from the usual priorities, the haftarah, or prophetic portion, is in fact the critical text for the occasion. But what makes it so significant, and what lesson does it really teach about Yom Kippur?
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by Michael J. Totten | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
A visit to the Golan—a safe and spectacular region with an uncertain future—and conversations with some of its inhabitants. (With photos.)Rise and Fall
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by Jacob Neusner | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
The academic study of Judaism flourishes at secular American universities, but at the price of a decline in centers of Jewish-sponsored scholarship and its accompanying values.Double-Talk
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by Ibn Warraq | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf has a history of saying one thing to Western audiences and another to Muslim ones. (Part 1 of 2; part 2 is here.)The Old Home
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by Adam Kirsch | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
A panoramic survey of East European Jewry in the decades of the great emigration to America paints a picture very different from the conventional image of a slower, simpler "old world."Prime Ministers
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by Jonathan Ferziger | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
Yehuda Avner presents an insider's view of leadership, Israeli-style.Gimme Shelter
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by Justin Davidson | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Picks
From hemp-fiber scrims and wooden helixes to disused cardboard signs: vote for the sukkah of the future. (With slideshow.)