The Meaning of Antisemitism: An Exchange
Daniel Randall and Judah Bernstein discuss antisemitism. Events such as the hostage-taking at a synagogue in Coleyville, Texas, remind us that antisemitism is not a historical relic, but a potent ideological force capable of impelling violence. Does the antisemitism that motivated Malik Faisal Akram, the Coleyville gunman, belong to a single historical thread linking all forms […]
A dream of light
A new poem by Bruce Black. Let there be light, You said in the long-ago time when You were creating the world, and there was light. Let there be the sky and the sea, You said, and out of nothingness You formed the heavens and the deep. You breathed and birds spread their wings and […]
Eddie Cantor and Black Lives Matter
On what would have been his 130th birthday, Steven Gimbel and Gwydion Suilebhan reflect on the famous Jewish performer and racism. Eddie Cantor was perhaps the first true modern celebrity. There were certainly famous performers before he arrived on the scene, but Cantor was the first to enlarge his fame by devoting himself to humanitarian […]
How To Cast Jewish
Here we try to provide some helpful guidelines on how to cast Jewish. As the debate on who can and who can’t play a Jewish role continues to rumble on, as provoked by our self-appointed spokespeople like David Baddiel and Maureen Lipman, we have decided to wade in here, to shed light on the debate […]
Running to Remember
Julie Carbonara reflects on an unusual way to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. The 1936 Berlin Olympics were supposed to be a showcase for the Aryan race to dazzle, show its power, demonstrate its superiority over the other, inferior humanoids – at least that was Adolf Hitler’s plan. But which is the event the 1936 Olympics […]
The Flying Camel
In the preface to the new edition of The Flying Camel, Loolwa Khazzoom explains how her book was birthed in 1992, and how to use it in 2022. I began compiling and editing the stories in this anthology back in 1992, shortly after graduating college. I finished editing the first version of the first edition […]
Intersex and Trans Jewish Lives
Martin H. Di Maggio argues that the time to act is now. Shortly after I was born, nurses noticed that I was “a bit different from other boys” and took me to have chromosome tests (without informing my mother) to verify my sex. It wasn’t enough that I “looked like a boy” or that I […]
He Was Making Out During “Schindler’s List”
In his latest “Seinfeld Yomi”, Jarrod Tanny pores over “The Raincoats”, eps 18 and 19, season 5. Which is worse making out during Schindler’s List or The Ten Commandments? The Rabbis weigh in. GEMARAH: He was making out during Schindler’s List! Who does that? said Bar Kappara convening the meeting in the name of Rav […]
Israel 1993
Sue Fox I have been invited on an Embassy-sponsored press trip to Israel which will open doors I have never been through before. It’s eighteen months since I was last here. Money that once went into settlements has been diverted to the roads. There is a freeway to Herzliya which is popular with tourists and […]
The Tiger
A new short story by Ellis Shuman. “There’s a tiger in the playground!” “That’s nice, Shmuel.” “No really, Imma. It was coming toward me, but I didn’t run. I wasn’t scared at all!” “That sounds very exciting! You’re so brave! Now, go wash up and call your brothers. It’s almost time for Havdalah.” The tiger […]