Michael Steinhardt, Jewish Pride, and Birth of Birthright
When I was managing editor at JTA (1999-2001) I covered the birth of Birthright Israel and other issues
Jewish News and Commentary
This section is home to everything Jewish, including my commentaries, book reviews, podcasts, books, and other projects.
Jewish Mobsters Knew How to Properly Punch Nazis
Author Michael Benson chronicles how Jewish leaders worked together with the likes of Meyer Lansky.
Is Forgiveness ‘Wrong Way’ to Cope with Holocaust?
Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor chose to forgive the Nazis. And that went too far for many Jews. But who are we to tell them how to move on with their lives?
Authors Bring Holocaust Story to Young Readers
Publishers Weekly ran a feature I wrote on a groundbreaking children’s book by Michigan author
Palestinian Activist Huwaida Arraf Wants Seat in Congress
Her past statements about Israel has alarmed Jewish groups in the Detroit area. She insists that she stands against antisemitism.
Ben-Dror Yemini On How To Fight Media Bias
Israeli journalist says the problem isn’t only the lies, but the willingness of American Jews to believe them.
Author Brings Executed Iranian Jewish Leader to Life
Shahrzad Elghanayan was only seven when her grandfather was murdered in the 1979 Iranian revolution. She remembers him in a biography.
Natan Sharansky Knows What ‘Anti-Zionism’ Really Means
Listen to my interview with the former Soviet refusenik on how to spot antisemitism. Also, fixing the fraught relationship between Israel and the Diaspora.
College Antisemitism: My Personal Story
This story is one of a few that really molded me into the kind of journalist, and Jew, I am today.
Author Illustrates Fluidity of Racial, Religious Identity
Laura Arnold Leibman Discovers Multiracial Jewish Family That Can Trace Roots to Two Enslaved People in Barbados