United States
Chemical Warfare in the Middle East: A Brief HistoryThursday, December 13, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
At this time of Hanukkah’s memories of Syrian tyrants past, the Syrian tyrant present, Bashar al-Assad, has reportedly assembled chemical weapons for use against the rebellion.
I’ve Got Friends in Low-lying Places . . .Thursday, December 6, 2012 by Moshe Sokolow | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
It would be tragic if Israel were to lose the vote of any of its few reliable supporters at the UN, but that is just what might happen over the next few years—not due to any political intrigue but on account of global warming.
The Turning of the Torah TideTuesday, December 4, 2012 by Diana Muir Appelbaum | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
“Torah Judaism today retains more of its youth than at any time since the Haskalah.” Historian Marc Shapiro recently made this remark. Can he possibly be correct?
Lincoln’s “Limp”Friday, November 30, 2012 by Judy Sokolow | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Abraham Lincoln was a transcendently great American president. Yet Steven Spielberg’s recently released film Lincoln depicts him as a practitioner of political chicanery and manipulation. Must an individual be calculating and deceitful in order to be a great leader?
The Real Jewish GeographyFriday, November 16, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
A new series of high resolution maps, produced by geographer Joshua Comenetz, provide a view of American Jewish life that is seemingly familiar—but, beneath the surface, spread unevenly across the 50 states.
Inventing Pluralist AmericaWednesday, August 8, 2012 by Kevin Zdiara | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
With the United States of 2012 more culturally diverse than ever, it is tempting to think that the country’s social pluralism was foreordained. After all, aren’t we a nation of immigrants?
Editors' Picks
Obama's Opportunity Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia. "Obama now holds more cards than any American President in a long time: between the nightmare in Syria and the threat in Iran, Israel has never needed support from allies more than it does now."
Purim and Presidents Day Aaron Zelinsky, Huffington Post. Purim and Presidents Day rarely fall in the same week. They do this year, and the coincidence is appropriate—since the early presidents were fans of the Purim story.
Should Religion Be Commercialized? Michael A. Helfand, First Things. Recent conflicts between law and religion in America have centered on the intersection of commerce and religion. But commercialization of religion is not the problem—it's the solution.
A Time for Torture? Michael J. Broyde, Jacob L. Wright, Huffington Post. "If we can save innocent lives by applying psychic and physical anguish to those who pose an imminent threat, then it would be morally untenable for a society to categorically exclude this as an option."
America's New Religious Divide Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia. The religious dividing line in today’s America no longer pits Protestants against Catholics or even Christians against Jews, but separates religious liberals from religious conservatives.
The Fatal Misjudgment Christoph Strupp, Spiegel. Reacting to Hitler's rise to power 80 years ago this week, U.S. Consul George Messersmith called him "only a phase in the development towards more stable political conditions."
Israel’s Lobby: The American People Meir Soloveichik, Weekly Standard. There are millions of Americans who “have no idea what the word 'kishkes' means, but whose concern for the state of Israel is bone-deep."
Dreams of the Promised Land , Israel State Archives. A declared supporter of Israel, Martin Luther King was officially invited to Israel several times during the 1960s, and gladly accepted each invitation. So, why did his visit never take place?
Mao's Jewish Lieutenant Jonathan Margolis, Financial Times. Revered in China as a communist founder, Sidney Rittenberg rose to be a Red Guard leader in the Cultural Revolution, in which millions died. Now he is a successful businessman in Arizona.
Losing Faith In America Peter Schotten, Jewish Ideas and Ideals. "Religion, society’s bedrock, is slowly but surely being eroded by the popular culture the Founders hoped it would support."