The Blogs | The Marketplace of Ideas

Open Search form

Apply for a Blog

Illustrative. A segment of an eruv, including the plastic white pipe on the pole, as a 'lechi,' in Airmont, New York, on February 6, 2018. (Wehwalt/ Gary Greenbaum/ Wikipedia

Amy Handlin

What an ‘eruv’ taught me about fighting antisemitism

Getting to know your local leadership now means you can turn to them later (I know; I was the politician tapped to help a NJ Jewish community)

Illustration. (J Studios via Getty Images)

Arnie Draiman

When did $650,000 become a reasonable Jewish nonprofit salary?

We need talented people leading our charities. But does paying a CEO twice as much deliver twice the impact, or simply leave less money for the mission?

(iStock)

Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler

ChatGPT was on my medical team

I made my own decision, of course, but the machine’s influence far exceeds its data, depending on how we relate to it: tool, team-member, or authority

(LBD Creative)

Sarah Tuttle-Singer

Jerusalem’s Old City: Never the same place twice

There are real tensions here. Real grievances, fears, and injustices. Moments of kindness don’t erase them, but the sunshine and rainbows and kumbaya are real too

Barbie Holiday Sweater Doll (Mattel)

Yael Buechler

Hanukkah Barbie is here — and she actually got it right

After years of Jewish holiday merchandising that’s off target or just plain wrong, there’s something powerful about finally feeling seen

(fizkes via iStock)

Rachel Lester

A letter from a formerly suicidal IDF reservist

I didn’t think I could get PTSD at my desk job after October 7. My mother knew better – and what she did saved my life

"Bite," 2017, Eva Avidar, clay, iron. Photo: Dor Pazuelo

Risa Levitt

She will dance again

On Sunday I made the call and told Eva that her sculpture was broken. She understood before I’d finished my first sentence. I braced for the worst

See all Featured Posts

Blogs topics

Latest posts

Oct 13, 2026, 12:04 AM

The Knife and the Book

Mt. Sinai - Photograph by David Raphael

In our synagogue, perhaps like synagogues around the world the big issue we struggle with, perhaps every year, is why the Torah Reading for the second day of Rosh Hashana the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac. It puts, quite...

Grant Arthur Gochin

Oct 13, 2026, 12:02 AM

Lithuania Never Judged Lileikis

An American federal court tested the archival record, accepted its authentication, and stripped him of citizenship. Lithuania got the man, the evidence, and criminal procedure rewritten to keep the case alive. It still never delivered a verdict. Aleksandras Lileikis, chief...

Boruch Itzkowitz

Oct 13, 2026, 12:02 AM

When Halakha Meets Headlines: The Toronto Burial Controversy and What It Reveals about Jewish Authority

The Toronto Beth Din's decision to restrict burial rites for Jews who die by medical assistance has ignited predictable outrage. Critics frame it as cruel, outdated, punitive. Supporters defend it as principled adherence to Jewish law. Both sides miss...

Oct 12, 2026, 11:46 PM

Hands Off, Hearts On: Emotional Deposits Matter

Can a husband and wife actually grow closer when physical touch is prohibited? In my earlier blog, What Noah and Naamah Taught Us about Intimacy, I reflected on how Noah and his wife maintained their partnership aboard the ark despite...

Oct 12, 2026, 11:40 PM

When Education Becomes Political, Everyone Loses

For months, about 100 Jewish early childhood educators from the United States and Israel prepared for a study trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy. This was not a political event or a demonstration. It was a professional development journey to...

Oct 12, 2026, 11:35 PM

Movie review: Naza. Both versions

I am sure you saw all the rage about the movie NAZA. The title is an Israeli military acronym for "collateral damage." Its makers interviewed anonymous soldiers who claim the IDF deliberately and systematically targeted civilians in Gaza. (Not...

Oct 12, 2026, 11:31 PM

The Amit Segal controversy: What is the role of the news channels?

News anchors in Israel and around the world do not sit in studios wearing suits for nothing, as though they were attending an important occasion. Presenting the news is, in fact, an event of great significance. One might even...

Oct 12, 2026, 11:21 PM

Shadows in Doha

While senior defense officials and political leaders scrambled to navigate pathways for the return of hostages taken during the October 7 attack, a quiet operative inside the system set dangerous gears in motion. A special investigation reveals how an...

Oct 12, 2026, 11:20 PM

‘Want to Create Greatness? Start by Giving Someone a Compliment!’

The Compliment That Could Change Someone’s Life Sometimes greatness begins with someone believing in you. I have a theory about human nature: Most people are walking around with greatness inside them, but nobody has bothered to tell them. We live in a...

Melissa Gotlieb

Oct 12, 2026, 11:16 PM

Between Homes: Roots without Borders

(courtesy)

I have always been from everywhere and nowhere. Born in South Africa, an Italian citizen and raised largely in Brussels, I grew up navigating different cultures and ways of life, later pursuing my studies and international legal career across Brussels,...

Load more