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Amanda Goldstein

Jul 18, 2026, 12:04 PM

A Judaism worth inheriting

The greatest response to Jewish catastrophe is not endless remembrance, but building a vibrant Jewish life that future generations will want to inherit

Barry Mellinger

Jul 11, 2026, 12:32 AM

The Acceptable Jew

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association and one of Europe’s most prominent Jewish leaders, was right to be outraged. When CNN’s Elex Michaelson said Jon Ossoff “may not read as Jewish” as Josh Shapiro, he wasn’t...

Eric M. Leiderman

Jul 6, 2026, 3:02 AM

America, the Other Jewish Homeland

Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, America's oldest synagogue. Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). President George Washington's 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport. Image courtesy of the U.S. National Archives (public domain).

As Americans celebrate Independence Day this weekend, millions of people will gather for barbecues, parades, fireworks, and backyard parties. In Chicago, where I live, many of those celebrations will include a local tradition: the Chicago-style hot dog. It is...

Jul 1, 2026, 11:01 PM

The Edited Jew and the Price of Permission

On pragmatism, necessary concealment and spiritual capitulation I have often wondered at what precise point prudence begins to darken into self-erasure. It never shows itself as cowardice. It comes colored as wisdom, as maturity, as the necessary language of survival....

Barry Mellinger

Jun 25, 2026, 11:11 PM

Mamdani’s Jews

The deal between those who need a Jew they can point to, and the Jew who has decided to burn the house down. Not a conspiracy. Not a coincidence. A deal, with two parties, two pathologies, and a machine that...

Jun 23, 2026, 3:57 PM

We Forgot How to Pray

While visiting Europe's largest synagogue, I realized one real danger for Jews isn't anti-semitism, it's that most Jews no longer know how to talk to God. Last week I visited the largest synagogue in Europe. Fortunately, I was able to...

Jun 23, 2026, 2:09 PM

I Left NYC for Tel Aviv. It Was the Best Decision I Ever Made.

Author Sophie Mendel

I left my life in New York City in search of community and belonging—in Tel Aviv, I found it. One year ago I decided to leave New York City and move to Tel Aviv. In the wake of October 7th...

Jun 20, 2026, 10:23 AM

The Power of Self-Selection

Perhaps self-selection is one of the most overlooked forces in human history. Photo: Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out for photographer Arthur Sasse after his 72nd birthday party on March 14, 1951. Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The Hidden Force Behind Success Why are Jews disproportionately represented among Nobel Prize winners, scientists, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals? Why did America become the world’s dominant economic and technological power? Why did Israel transform itself from a poor, newly established state into one...

Jun 7, 2026, 6:01 AM

Why I Spill Wine on Purpose

In our family, when someone spills wine at the Shabbat table, I spill some too. I started doing it years ago, almost without thinking. A guest knocks over a glass. One of the kids has an accident. And before anyone...

Barry Mellinger

Jun 2, 2026, 2:29 PM

My Heart Is in the East

American Colony (Jerusalem). Photo Dept., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Before we can talk about anything, about Zionism, about Palestine, about 1948, about the argument I actually want to have across this series, we have to sit for a moment with something strange. Something so familiar to Jews that...

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