History
A Jewish Magician at the Egyptian Theatre
When you do anything creative – from writing stories to hooking rugs – people are likely to ask you where ...
Seeking Fact, Finding the Unknowable
Debra Spark is the author of The Pretty Girl, a collection of stories about art and deception.In literature, as in ...
The Secret Code of “Hava Negilah”
“Hava Nagila“ (Hebrew: הבה נגילה ) (lit. “Let us rejoice”) is a Hebrew folk song that has become a staple ...
Waiting Too Long to Teach about Israel
I had an all too familiar conversation with someone the other day who was talking about a community Jewish high ...
Where the Debate on Modern Judaism Really Began
The mid-19th century in Germany is, to my mind, the most unappreciated period in Jewish history. The reason is simple: ...
Free Speech vs Good Speech
Women and women’s rights have received a lot of attention in politics and media in recent weeks. March is Women’s ...
Saying New Things About Old Historical Episodes
When I first anounced that I was writing a book about Ulysses S. Grant’s General Orders #11, the most notorious ...
Writing the Civil War in Jerusalem
You are working on what?” most of the people I met in Jerusalem asked while I was writing When General ...
Judaism and the Environment: The Time Is Now
It is a tree of life to those who hold it close and all of its supporters are happy. Its ...
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 ...