Of Jewish Heroes and Jewish Villains
Last week, the opinion editor at The Forward sent me a quick, six-word email: “Do you have an Epstein take?” I thought about Jewish villains and then clacked out my gut reaction.
Jewish News and Commentary
This section is home to everything Jewish, including my commentaries, book reviews, podcasts, books, and other projects.
Jewish Book Sales Reflect the Old and the New
The next crop of Jewish-themed books will be Holocaust-related and address the rise in anti-Semitism
Being a Southern Jew During Bus Integration
In 1972, all the white kids stayed home to protest—except my brothers and me. Three years later, our house was vandalized with swastikas. This was Augusta, Georgia, where Jews were not considered “white.”
Anti-Semitism is Strengthening the Identity of Young Jews: The Writer’s Cut of My JTA Essay
Eighteen years ago, I left my job as managing editor at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
My Notes From the Birth of Birthright Israel
20 years ago, there was a great fear that young Jews, facing no anti-Semitism, were losing connection to Judaism.
Nanotech and Judaism: My Small, Strange Trip
After I left JTA in 2001, I had to take a break from Jewish news. I thought it’d be great to cover science, where there were fewer disputes, where things are either true or not true. Boy was I ever wrong.
Ask 72 Jews About God, Get Infinite Opinions
Philosopher Andrew Pessin takes a look at Jewish thought through the ages, discovers “exhilarating” disagreement.
Author Says Enough Already with Tikkun Olam, or Healing the World; That’s Not Judaism
Is Tikkun Olam ripping Judaism apart? I interviewed author Jonathan Neumann for Publishers Weekly.
Private Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion
In this audio excerpt of my memoir, I am 19 years old and learn an important lesson about perception and reality in Muslim-Jewish relations; and I begin my accidental Jewish journalism career.
Comrade Stalin Met His Match With Author Arkady Polishchuk, Former Jewish Refusnik
There are very few living people who can relate this story of life under communist rule.