The True – And Unrecognized – Hero of The Six-Day War: Levi Eshkol
One of Eshkol’s last major political battles was over the question of electoral reform. He favored a mixed system that would preserve proportional representation but introduce regional elements to strengthen the bond between elected officials and local communities, and he believed that Israel’s political fragmentation hindered effective governance.
How Georg Duckwitz & Rabbi Marcus Melchior Saved Danish Jewry During the Holocaust
It is interesting that Duckwitz was required to forward a simple autograph request up the chain of command and to obtain formal approval from the Reich Foreign Minister in Berlin to provide the signature.
The Rabbinics and Zionism of Rav Yitzchak Nissenbaum
Rav Nissenbaum’s published oeuvre and editorial work give the best available access to his substantive positions on Jewish law, social practice, and the national question, as he was a prolific writer of derashot (sermons), pamphlets, articles, and at least one substantial autobiography/memoir.
A Refuge for the Jews – in Alaska?
Slattery’s administrative record, like that of many career public servants of his era, was primarily secular and bureaucratic; he was not known as a leader of Jewish communal life nor as a voice on Zionist issues prior to the Slattery Report’s association with his name.
The Judaism and “Zionism” of Hannah Arendt And Eichmann in Jerusalem
Arendt shrugged off her inaccuracies and errors by arguing that much of the public onslaught was little more than a political campaign to discredit her and that criticism often misrepresented the book.
The History of the Swastika: Was It a Jewish Symbol?
When scholars consider whether the swastika was a Jewish symbol in the sense that the Star of David or the Menorah is a Jewish emblem, the answer from mainstream academic literature is that there is no evidence that Jewish religious authorities, rabbinic leadership, or organized Jewish communities adopted the swastika as a recognized symbol of Judaism.
Migdal David: A Chronicle of Jerusalem’s Citadel Through the Ages
Contrary to its name, the Tower has no direct connection to King David, yet its name and its stones tell a complex story of conquest, religion, empire, destruction, and preservation.
The Jewish World of Elvis Presley
There are stories – some plausible, albeit not well documented – that Elvis’s managers advised him, in the racially charged environment of mid-century America, not to emphasize a Jewish heritage because of concerns about the prejudices of Southern audiences.
The Shaw Commission and Rav Kook’s Advocacy on Behalf of the Yishuv
The lack of previous entanglement with the Mandate or with Jewish–Arab issues was precisely why the British government selected him: it wanted someone perceived as impartial, with no record of favoring Zionist, Arab, or imperial political positions.
A Retrospective on the Jonathan Pollart Controversy and His Jewish Support
Pollard’s recruitment by Israeli handlers and the timeline of his espionage are matters on which documentation is clearer than his motives and consequences.
The Role of Judaism in the Life of Uriah Levy
Levy was both admired and criticized within the American Jewish community. Many Jews saw him as a symbol of Jewish pride and accomplishment, proof that Jews could serve with distinction in the highest ranks of American public life, while others were uncomfortable with his duels, his combative personality, and the controversies that surrounded him.
The Judaism and Jewish Music of Mischa Elman
Elman participated in benefit concerts for Jewish relief organizations during and after the war, raising funds for survivors and displaced persons. In one case, he and his wife assisted in providing affidavits for the Hammberschlag family in Germany and sponsored them (the family arrived in the United States on July 13, 1939).
The Judaism of Adolph Sutro
Sutro opened his own estate to the public and he was heralded as a populist for various astute acts of public generosity, such as opening an aquarium and an elaborate and beautiful, glass-enclosed entertainment complex called the Sutro Baths – which housed seven swimming pools (one freshwater, six saltwater), 517 changing rooms, and could accommodate an unfathomable 7,400 bathers – a museum and an ice-skating rink.
The Role of Béla Schick’s Judaism in His Medical and Social Contributions
Across a long life that spanned the collapse of the Habsburg world, two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel, Schick combined scientific innovation with leadership in Jewish medical institutions, philanthropic circles, and public-health education aimed at protecting children – an ethic he framed repeatedly with moral language rooted in Jewish concern for life.
The Astonishing Reign of Joshua Abraham Norton, ‘Emperor of the United States and Protector of...
Much has been written about the theatrical elements of his “reign” and the popular tolerance that allowed a self-declared emperor to roam a major American city free of serious harassment.
The Jewish Art of Samuel Hirszenberg
Hirszenberg was born in Łódź, in the Russian partition of Poland, the eldest son of a poor Jewish weaver, who was initially opposed to Samuel's artistic ambitions, which were viewed as incompatible with the values of traditional Jewish life.
The Anti-Israel Views, Policies, and Actions of James Earl Carter
The long-term consequences of Carter’s engagement with groups like Hamas were reflected not just in diplomatic circles, but also in the shifting narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within American discourse.
Isaac Nathan’s and Lord Byron’s Hebrew Melodies
As the Romantic movement reached its crescendo across Europe in the early nineteenth century, few collaborations seemed as unlikely – and as fruitful – as that between Lord Byron, the scion of English nobility and a literary enfant terrible, and Isaac Nathan, an observant Anglo-Jewish composer and musicologist.
The History and Meaning of Tashlich
Although it has become one of the most familiar and participatory rituals of the High Holiday season that is embedded in contemporary Jewish practice, the extralegal origins of Tashlich and the controversies it once generated have largely been forgotten.
Pablo Picasso and The Old Jew
Art historians and commentators, who are fascinated by the question of why Picasso singled out a specifically Jewish figure for The Old Jew, have presented many theories on the subject.
The False Messiahship Of Jacob and Eva Frank
While Jacob Frank emphasized transgression and mystical dialectics between good and evil, Eva’s theological voice, while less documented, seems to have emphasized divine femininity, purity, and mystical royalty.
Robert Shaw, Harold Pinter, And The Man in the Glass Booth
Despite its unsettled reception, The Man in the Glass Booth was neither suppressed nor forgotten; to the contrary, its notoriety ensured its place in the canon of post-Holocaust drama.
The Jewish Prose of Zola (Both Pre- and Post-Dreyfus) and Turgenev
While Zola is celebrated today as a defender of Jewish rights, his fiction, particularly in La Curee, reflects the complexities and contradictions inherent in French attitudes toward Jews in the late 19th century.
One Of The Most Miraculous Events In Human History: The Rebirth Of Hebrew As...
Turning himself into a scientific lexicographer, he was determined that each word would have its roots in Biblical sources to the greatest possible extent. However, in many cases, there were no analogs – one estimate is that the Hebrew Bible contains only 6,259 unique words, while modern Hebrew has about 80,000 – so he had to create new words from whole cloth.
The Critical Role of Aaron Aaronsohn and NILI in the Defeat of the Ottomans...
While in the United States, Aaronsohn made some important contacts in the American Jewish community, including with some leading philanthropists, who agreed to finance Aaronsohn’s efforts to establish such an institute.
How Einstein’s Fame and Zionism Almost Lead To His Election as President of Israel
The suggestion that Einstein be invited to assume the presidency of the Jewish State was first publicly disseminated by the evening newspaper Maariv. The idea, which spread quickly, became broadly popular...
How Chaim Weizmann Became Israel’s First President
The 120 members elected to the Assembly and various invited guests entered the specially-prepared hall, and, when President Weizmann and members of the Cabinet arrived... they were saluted by an honor guard composed of units of the Israeli Army and police force and Hatikvah was played by a combined army-police band.
Moses Montefiore’s One Hundredth Birthday
Five decades before Herzl’s Der Jundenstaat, Montefiore was arguably the first contemporary Zionist.
Moses Montefiore and the Damascus Affair
Upon his return to London, Sir Moses was given a hero’s welcome, including a big ceremony and special synagogue services, and, when he met with Queen Victoria to present her with the firman, she honored him by permitting him to add the Lion of Judah holding a banner bearing the word 'Jerusalem' to his coat of arms.
The Jew Who Bombed Both Hiroshima And Nagasaki And Bob Caron’s Contempt for Holocaust...
Recently, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth caused a stir when, pursuant to President Trump’s long overdue purge of content deemed to promote DEI, he absurdly flagged the name Enola Gay for removal, apparently because the name contained the word “gay” (sigh). In fact, the Enola Gay was named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of its pilot, Colonel Paul W. Tibbets.