Meir M. Bar-Asher on Jews and the Qur’an January 12, 2022 In this panoramic and multifaceted book, Meir Bar-Asher examines how Jews and Judaism are depicted in the Qur’an and later Islamic literature, providing needed context to those passages critical of Jews that are most often invoked to divide Muslims and Jews or to promote Islamophobia. Read More
The world of Martin Luther May 25, 2021 The nineteenth century commemorated the Protestant hero Martin Luther with giant statues on a host of town squares across Germany. Read More
Book Club Pick: The Preacher’s Wife March 04, 2021 This month’s Book Club Pick is The Preacher’s Wife by Kate Bowler. In this book, Bowler tells the story of an important new figure that has appeared on the center stage of American evangelicalism—the celebrity preacher’s wife. Read More
Listen in: The Jefferson Bible December 15, 2020 In his retirement, Thomas Jefferson edited the New Testament with a penknife and glue, removing all mention of miracles and other supernatural events. Read More
What is Jewish hope? July 31, 2020 How, in a global pandemic, can we look forward to the future with hope? The economic and political landscape that COVID-19 will leave in its wake is alarmingly uncertain. Read More
Forgiveness works: What can we learn from a victim‑centered justice system July 27, 2020 As many of us march in the streets or watch televised protests, we are forced to acknowledge the brutalities of our punitive justice system all across the United States. Read More
What the world needs now June 23, 2020 This spring I waited out months of coronavirus lockdown in Montreal. Heightened isolation has meant many things. In my life, at least, one rather banal outcome is more email forwards. Read More
Masada: A heroic last stand against Rome June 17, 2020 Two thousand years ago, 967 Jewish men, women, and children reportedly chose to take their own lives rather than suffer enslavement or death at the hands of the Roman army. Read More
Emily Sigalow on American JewBu May 27, 2020 May is Jewish American Heritage month, and it is worth noting that today, many Jewish Americans are embracing a dual religious identity, for instance, practicing Buddhism while also staying connected to their Jewish roots. Read More
Standing Rock, Bears Ears, and Native American religious freedom May 15, 2020 In late March, more than three years after Standing Rock’s camps drew the nation’s attention to their campaign to “Defend the Sacred,” the tribe gained a clear court victory. Read More
The longest seder: A story of Haggadah April 08, 2020 The Haggadah, the text for the Passover seder meal, is supposed to teach the story of Exodus, primarily to the young. It does that poorly, for it assumes that readers are so well versed in the story that they’d prefer to dwell instead on ancient commentaries. Read More
Kate Bowler on The Preacher’s Wife October 19, 2019 Since the 1970s, an important new figure has appeared on the center stage of American evangelicalism—the celebrity preacher’s wife. Read More
A Reading List for the Jewish High Holy Days September 25, 2019 From illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages to a firsthand portrait of American Judaism today, these books offer new perspectives on Jewish life, history, texts, and art. Read More
Jack Wertheimer on The New American Judaism September 07, 2018 American Judaism has been buffeted by massive social upheavals in recent decades. In The New American Judaism, Jack Wertheimer, a leading authority on the subject, sets out to discover how Jews of various orientations practice their religion in this radically altered landscape. Read More
Marcin Wodziński on Historical Atlas of Hasidism July 10, 2018 Historical Atlas of Hasidism is the very first cartographic reference book on one of the modern era's most vibrant and important mystical movements. Read More
