Martini Judaism

The Truth About "Jewish Lightning"

Rabbi Jeff Marx has written a new book, Jewish Firebugs: Arson and Antisemitism from the Civil War to World War I, and he does something almost nobody has tried before. H

The Intellectual Roots of Feminism’s Antisemitism

It turns out that every corner of progressive culture has a price of admission, and Jews are finding it progressively more difficult to pick up that tab. Add feminism to

Is It Time To Retire the Term ‘Zionism’?

View Zionism from one angle, and it is Theodor Herzl, seeking to rescue the Jews of Europe. From another, it is seeking to resurrect Jewish culture. From another, it is a

How Do We Confront the Hatred in Rock Music?

Author and musician Daniel Rachel has written a new, disturbing and quite overdue book, "This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich." And I int

Europe’s Stained Glass Is Stained With Antisemitism

I have done my share of traveling in Europe, and when I am there, I visit cathedrals. Most are majestic, and they are filled with Christian art that would take a decent

The Lesson Southern Jews Knew First

When I reflect on my rabbinical career, I realize I have spent nearly a third of it south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Yes, that includes about 10 years in South Florida — an

How To Love Israel, Even When It Is Hard

I was talking recently with a young man about his social life. He described an evening that did not sound like the stuff of romantic legend. The dinner seemed to be goin

Why Judy Blume Matters

I had weird reading habits when I was a kid. For one thing, no one ever told me that there were certain books that boys should read, and certain books that girls should

Whom Does Your God Love? A Jewish Case for the Stranger. With Shai Held

What does the Torah actually say about immigrants — and what does it demand of us? Rabbi Jeff Salkin sits down with one of the Jewish world's leading theologians, Rabbi

Why a War With Iran Means Confronting Radical Evil

On Purim, Jews read Esther — a story of survival in the face of annihilation. This episode connects that ancient warning to today’s confrontation with Iran. Is this war

How American Jewish immigrants invented childhood

Michael Kimmel’s Playmakers reveals how Jewish immigrants built America’s toy industry—and reshaped modern childhood. From teddy bears to superheroes, they turned outside

Being a Rabbi in the Midst of an Earthquake + Elan Babchuck

As the ground shifts beneath our feet, where is our faith? For your consideration: Rabbi Elan Babchuck. He is the founding director of Glean Network, an incubator for fa

Jews and Hats: A Thousand-Year-Old Love Story

When did Jews start covering their heads? Certainly not in the Bible. The practice emerged during rabbinic times, and not everywhere.  Learn more about your ad choices.

Reform Judaism's Wide Open Doors + Rabbi Rick Jacobs

Why Do Jewish? Love, Obligation, and the Courage to Show Up Imagine a familiar conversation in any household across the world. “Do we have to go to the school concert t

Antisemitism Is as American as Apple Pie + Pamela Nadell

Historian Pamela Nadell joins us to confront an unsettling truth: antisemitism didn’t come to America—it was born here. In her powerful new book, Antisemitism: An America

How do you go from hatred to hope? + Arno Michaelis

The Days of Awe are upon us. They always hit me with a familiar, bracing urgency: Look at your life. Consider your words, your choices. Where have you failed? Whom have y

The book every Jew should read before the High Holy Days

Former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz on faith, identity, and resilience. What happens when a White House insider turns her attention to Jewish wisdom, identity, and s

The Scopes "monkey" trial has not adjourned

What if everything you think you know about the Scopes “Monkey Trial” is—well, a little off? Jeff Salkin sits down with Doug Mishkin—lawyer, singer-songwriter, and amateu

'Have you changed your mind about President Trump?'

The late Arthur Hertzberg was one of American Judaism’s greatest rabbis and intellectual leaders. But he did not start out that way. More than 70 years ago, he was a ra

Why Southern Judaism Matters - with Shari Rabin

As we mark Jewish Heritage Month, how do we embrace the heritage of Southern Jews? Ask Shari Rabin, one of the rising stars of Jewish studies in America. She is associat