United States
A Voice Saying Something RightTuesday, January 29, 2013 by David Curzon | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Poet Harvey Shapiro, who passed away this month at age 88, captured in plain words the mystery of everyday life, the trauma of war, and the grandeur of Jewish tradition.
Why America Has No Chief RabbiWednesday, January 23, 2013 by Jonathan D. Sarna | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Just as America introduced free-market capitalism into the economy, so it created a free market in religion.
Gun Control, Halakhah, and History: Further ThoughtsTuesday, January 22, 2013 by Shlomo M. Brody | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
While the use of weaponry is at times morally necessary, the glorification of weaponry is foreign to Jewish thought.
Which Land Is Our Land?Wednesday, January 16, 2013 by The Editors | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
After David Ben-Gurion urged young American Jews to make aliyah, the American Jewish Committee responded by resolving to "forcefully discourage Israeli propaganda for immigration from America."
Spielberg’s Lincoln and the Jews: An Untold StoryMonday, January 14, 2013 by Lance J. Sussman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Lincoln represents a missed opportunity to show that Jews didn’t just turn up in America in the wake of Russian pogroms.
When Prayers for Rain are AnsweredFriday, January 11, 2013 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Israel is, in most minds, an arid land bereft of water, not cursed with its superabundance. But a look at geography and history suggests otherwise.
Gun Control and the Limits of HalakhahWednesday, January 9, 2013 by Shlomo M. Brody | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Rabbinic disputes on the proper regulation of dangerous dogs illustrate that reasonable people, who share Jewish values regarding violence and self-defense, can disagree about gun control.
The ISI and the JewsThursday, January 3, 2013 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Pakistan's intelligence agency has supported Al Qaeda, Iran, and Lashkar-e-Taiba—the terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008, killing six at Chabad. But the U.S. still treats it as an ally.
’Twas the Day After Christmas . . .Wednesday, December 26, 2012 by Ethan Schwartz | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Joshua Eli Plaut’s new book, A Kosher Christmas: ’Tis the Season to Be Jewish, fails to recognize that in subverting Christmas, American Jews have promoted their own assimilation.
America and the Muslim Brotherhood: A RomanceThursday, December 20, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
One of the most consistent and depressing aspects of U.S.-Middle Eastern relations is the determination of our intellectuals and officials to defend Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Editors' Picks
Helping Out Uncle Sam Amotz Asa-El, Middle Israel. American aid to Israel began when military spending accounted for half of Israel's budget. Now Israel can afford to give it up—and it would be diplomatically desirable to do so.
Exodus to America Dorothea Wolfson, GovStud. "Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness," wrote pilgrim William Bradford, "but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice."
Losing Washington's Attention George Friedman, Stratfor Global Intelligence. Focused on the domestic economy, the United States has lost interest in the Middle East. And, facing external threats beyond its control, Israel has followed suit.
Americans for Israel Yoram Ettinger, Israel Hayom. As President Obama prepares for his first official visit to Israel, a new poll reveals that Israel has the support of the vast majority of Americans. But will Obama listen to the people?
Torah—at the Taxpayer's Expense Harry Maryles, Jewish Week. "What kind of message does it send to the world that our vaunted Jewish minds are put to use to milk the welfare system for our own benefit?"
Kashrut in America Timothy D. Lytton, Jewish Review of Books. In 1986, a jar of herring in vinegar brought America's government-backed kosher regulation to its knees—and heralded the rise of the private kosher certification agency.
The Orthodox Go to Washington Yair Rosenberg, Tablet. Offering sessions aimed at Orthodox rabbis for the first time, this year's AIPAC conference reflects a broader trend of engagement in the political process by the Orthodox community.
The Outsider Joseph Epstein, Weekly Standard. A Jew who dismissed his native Romania as "a sewer," Saul Steinberg became "the only major artist in the United States who is not associated with any art movement or style, past or present."
FDR and the Jews Marc Fisher, Moment. “Roosevelt sounded at times like a Zionist, at times like a skeptic about Palestine’s capacity to absorb new settlers, and at times, when speaking to anti-Semites, like an anti-Semite himself.”
Reason, Revelation, and Revolution Patrick Allitt, Claremont Review of Books. America's founders have been characterized both as devout Christians and as militant secularists. A new book argues that they remained believers in God, but revolted against the Bible.