Members of the Scribe
The Mishpocheh Connection
“I’ve dictated a sharp article against the Jews,” Joseph Goebbels boasted in a journal entry in 1933. “At its mere ...
Kristallnacht and Herschel Grynszpan
Kristallnacht, the first incident of state-sponsored mass violence against the Jews of Nazi Germany, marks a turning point in history. Hitler ...
Gunmen: A Far-Fetched Analysis and Some Temporary Solutions
Before I’m labeled a raging feminist for mentioning that gunmen have been men, I’m telling you I love men but ...
A Scandalous Theory of Defense and Herschel Grynszpan
At the age of 17, as a refugee from Nazi Germany living illegally in Paris, Herschel Grynszpan saw the world ...
Restoring Herschel Grynszpan to the Pages of History
My new book, The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan: A Boy Avenger, a Nazi Diplomat and a Murder in ...
Machismo: How The Macho Male Identifies With Wildlife Animals
Remember the bedtime story about the sly wolf propped up in Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s bed? Little boys must have ...
The Question of Jewish Resistance and Herschel Grynszpan
Last month, shortly before the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, my wife, Ann, and I took a tour of Terezín, the fortress ...
Cutting-Edge Work in the Jewish Community
In Relational Judaism , I report six case studies of organizations and individuals doing cutting-edge work in creating relational communities. Chabad is numero ...
Relational Judaism For the 21st Century
As I travel around the country visiting Jewish institutions of all kinds, my “worry” quotient is growing daily. Nearly everywhere ...
Statues and Golems
I was 28 before I first saw the Statue of Liberty in person. I’d been accepted to grad school in ...
Under the Influence of Golems
Here’s a confession: I haven’t read that many golem stories. Or at least, as many as someone who’s written a book called ...
On Writing a Novel in Two Cultures
Yesterday I wrote that my novel, The Golem and the Jinni , is “pretty darn Jewish.” In truth, that’s only ...