Israel
On Carrots and Fishes and Jewish Souls
I spent several years traveling the world, trying on different faiths, seeing which one fits. At the end of my ...
Jews, Hope, and the 99%
Many Jews have ambivalent feelings about the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Thankfully, the Jewish story in the United States has ...
“Do You Have a Weapon?”
I began making frequent trips to Israel during the second intifada, in August 2001. I became accustomed to the security ...
Silence and Slavery
My daughter sings in the choir at her Jewish high school. Only her mother can attend the annual concert. I ...
No Compulsion in Religion
As an American-Israeli it is painful to watch Israel’s dirty laundry be aired out so publicly. I have been content ...
Destination Bat Mitzvahs
The other day I had a discussion with a group of girls about their ideal bat mitzvah (the celebration that ...
Poem as a Noisy Mediterranean Duplex
About a decade ago I read a Billy Collins poem called “Advice to Writers,” where this former U.S. Poet Laureate ...
Adventures in the Cartoon Trade: Israel, US, and Everywhere Else
When I walked down the airplane gangplank for the first time in Ben Gurion airport, I immediately noticed the baggage handlers ...
Watch Obama Speak at the URJ Conference
President Obama is speaking today at the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial. You can watch live online here, or watch ...
Jews in Narnia
Michael Weingrad made something of a splash last year in writing “Why There is no Jewish Narnia” at the Jewish ...
Historical Figure Fixation
I might be obsessed with historical figures. Maybe it’s a Jewish thing. But my two most recent books were Osama ...
Jews in America’s West
Yesterday, Anna Solomon wrote for the Jewish Book Council and MyJewishLearning about a grandmother’s secrets. Her novel, The Little Bride , is now ...