What is Juneteenth to a Black Jew?
While Juneteenth marks an incredibly important step in Black American rights, it was just that – one step. Juneteenth celebrated slavery becoming illegal, but it did not do away with racism; not even close. And yet, the history and spirit of Juneteenth make me hopeful.
The Ethical Conundrum of a Jewish and Democratic State
When the State of Israel was established in 1948, its secular founders envisioned a nation that would be both Jewish and attuned to the values of liberal democracy. They were confident that a country with an overwhelming Jewish majority could maintain a Jewish character and ensure civic equality for all its inhabitants.
The Tulsa Massacre in the Yiddish Press
On June 2nd, 1921, when news of the Tulsa massacre reached New York, Yiddish newspapers in the city were unified in their impassioned coverage of the events.
Final Account: Film Review
The film, produced by the USC Shoah Foundation, attempts to capture the recollections of an elderly subset of Germans who lived through the Third Reich and will soon no longer be around to give voice to what they witnessed.
Life Outside of the Binary
Grace is an alum of the URJ's JewV'Nation Fellowship LGBTQIA cohort. Our writer sat down with Grace to talk about gender and Judaism.
The Times They Are a Changin’
The winds of change are blowing through Israel these days. This week the so-called “coalition for change” presented its new government to President Reuven Rivlin, ousting Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 consecutive years as Israel’s Prime Minister.
A Conversation with Best-Selling Cookbook Author Jake Cohen
Jake Cohen’s debut cookbook, jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch (HMH), is a New York Times bestseller. Jake is a former food staffer at Saveur, food editor of Tasting Table and Time Out New York, and most recently the editorial and test kitchen director of FeedFeed (@thefeedfeed).
"A Dead Son or a Living Daughter": A Conversation with the Mother of a Transgender Child
Eva needed to socially transition to live full-time as a girl. Our hope is that more and more people will join together to expand the network of supportive communities until transgender people are no longer shunned by society.
Why Working at Camp is Better Than an Internship
As my sophomore spring was coming to a close, I was preparing to return to Harlam for my third summer on staff and first on the Leadership Team.
A Gate in the Fence: A Non-believer’s Conversion to Judaism
Judaism is a religion, but it is also a practice. I choose to practice my Judaism by expressing my love for the Jewish people and my becoming one of them. I practice by immersing myself in Jewish wisdom and participating in the conversation of Jewish philosophy.