Judaism

Essay
Radical Mission: What is Aish HaTorah Trying to Teach Young Jews?
On my first visit to Jerusalem, in the summer of 2011, I asked an ultra-Orthodox Jew for directions to the nearest ritual bath. The man …
By Michael Schulson
Essay
Who Counts as a Jew?
On October 1, the Pew Research Center released “A Portrait of Jewish Americans,” its much-anticipated sociological study. Among other results, the survey found high rates …
By Rachel Gross
Essay
On Anti-Semitic Tropes and the Naming of the Federal Reserve Chair
In a scene from the 2010 film The Social Network, the actor who portrays Larry Summers brushes off the WASPy Winklevoss twins, who come to …
By Rachel Gordan
Report
Evangelical Ketubah, Messianic Mezuzah: Judaica for Christians
Carrie Love is a self-professed “Scripture nerd.” Raised in an evangelical church in Louisiana, she now lives in Manhattan where she works at an educational …
By Hillary Kaell
Report
When Was the Last Time a Rabbi Prayed at a Presidential Inauguration?
Last week, President Obama’s inaugural committee caused quite a stir after it announced who would be praying during the president’s second inauguration. Myrlie Evers-Williams, …
By Rachel Gordan
Profile
A Scholarly and Judaic Approach to Political Punditry
Brooke Baldwin, CNN’s news anchor, was chagrined. During the presidential election, despite a plethora of fact checking of candidates’ statements from both political parties and …
By Robert Israel
Report
Does Obama Have a Jewish Voter Problem?
President Obama has a Jewish problem, at least according to media reports. They pounced last year when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked the president …
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald