The simplest way to access some of these questions about the project of building a national Jewish identity is through Arthur Hertzberg’s The Zionist Idea. Long considered one of the best resources to understanding the thinking behind the creation of Zionism, this book is a collection of excerpts from all the major thinkers who, […]

I remain interested in the ways that young people today are claiming or reclaiming their Jewish identity and what we may learn about the process of choosing, the forces that influence those choices, and what implications there may be for the future development of Jewish identity.
This question became interesting to me at a variety of […]

For the Torah Portion Matot, Numbers 30.2-32.42; Haftarah, Jeremiah 1.1-2.3.
This week, in our reading tradition, we encounter a conceptual shift toward a time in the Torah reading cycle and Jewish commemoration day, known as Tisha B’Av. Usually, in choosing the haftarah portion each week, the rabbis decided on a passage from the prophets that […]

As the world watches the drama and series of difficult decisions in Gaza unfold, I will continue to try and offer something helpful for those of you navigating these questions–sometimes for the first time.
Our friend and writer Jo Ann Mort, who has been spending her summers in Israel and reporting back to the States for […]

Last night I had a dream where I was speeding out of control in a car, careening through Times Square on a rainy night on my way to a funeral. I was radioing ahead to another rabbi, who was navigating his own way through tough roads. I awoke just as my car spun […]

Look at him ladies and gentlemen: isn’t he adorable?

My friend (and study partner throughout our rabbinic careers) Rabbi Dan Bronstein has fallen in love and is engaged to be married to a wonderful woman.
On behalf of all of Brooklyn and the blessed city of Chicago: MAZAL TOV!!!

This may seem impossible to believe in our own day, but did you know that hundreds of thousands of people turned out to bury Sholom Aleichem when he died in New York City in 1916?
Such adoration for a writer seems beyond our usual engagement with culture in our day; but with thousands […]

Gaza is in the news this summer, which as far as Jewish history is concerned, is actually rather unusual. It’s not really been a very important place in the history of the Jews, though it’s true that in the history of the state of Israel, it has distinguished itself as being a mess.
But there […]

When I was directing the Bronfman Center at NYU, one of the many blessings I had on the job was being tutored in the ways of the rabbinic world on a weekly basis by one of the giants of American Judaism, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg. Well into his eighties, Rabbi Hertzberg continues to teach courses […]

Women in top positions in the Jewish community earn, on average, $20,000 less than men in similar positions.
The number of working women over the age of 55 in the workforce is expected to rise by 58% over the next decade.
Among mothers of kids under 18, 79% are in the workforce.
70% of workers in the […]