Current
7 min read
In Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, white supremacists marched through the streets carrying Confederate and Nazi flags, chanting “Jews will not replace us.” For Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., (host of PBS’ popular genealogy series, “Finding Your Roots”) that moment wasn’t just a shock — it was a confirmation of something he had long […]
Current
4 min read
The Torah introduces Amalek in Exodus 17. Israel has just left Egypt. The splitting of the sea has stunned the region. The nations are afraid. The Jewish people are not yet in their land, not yet organized, not yet powerful — tired, newly freed, vulnerable. "And Amalek came and attacked Israel in Rephidim" (Exodus, 17:8). […]
Westerners often picture samurai as Japanese warriors holding swords. Yet this honorary title “samurai” belongs to a hereditary class bound to a demanding moral code. The word samurai comes from the verb "serve" as members of this class are endowed with a mission of having a vision greater than self. Such a lifestyle demands not […]
Mah Jongg began as a Chinese game but the version millions of Americans recognize today was decisively shaped by Jewish women in the United States. A fast-paced tile game played by four people, Mah Jongg challenges players to draw and discard brightly colored tiles in order to complete specific winning patterns. It demands strategy, memory, […]
Video
Michelle Ahdoot’s family fled Iran when radical ideology took over. Now she's watching it happen again, and she's not staying quiet.
