Long, Long Ago in a Jewish Fantasyland Far, Far Away
Emily Barton’s ‘Book of Esther’ journeys to the medieval kingdom of Khazaria — but even there, Jews can’t escape the rush to modernize.
The Joneses
Set in Mississippi, Moby Longinotto’s documentary, “The Joneses,” took a ‘Transparent’-style look at red state America.
What the Movement for Black Lives Teaches Us About the Appeal of BDS
Palestine is rapidly becoming an attractive cause that leftist organizations tactically embrace to mobilize their base, Raphael Magarik writes.
How Both the Left and the Right Get Israel’s Gay Rights Struggle Wrong
The two dominant media stories about LGBT life in Israel are convenient narratives serving political ends — not queer Israelis, Raphael Magarik writes.
How John Kasich Accidentally Rehashed a Classic Jewish-Christian Debate
What John Kasich was really going on about in Boro Park was the split between Mosaic law and Abrahamic covenant, between Judaism and Christianity, Raphael Magarik argues.
When a Holocaust Memoir Becomes a Ghost Story
Raphael Magarik tries to figure out why the Holocaust memoir “But You Did Not Come Back,” by Marceline Loridan-Ivens has become such a phenomenal international success. The answer has something to do with the current anti-Semitic climate in France.
How Pastrami Helped To Create American Jewish Culture
Did the deli help American Jews reimagine themselves? Ted Merwin’s “Pastrami on Rye,” explores the cultural history of the deli, where second generation immigrants displayed their newfound prosperity.
'New York Values' Are Plenty Religious — Just Not in the Way Ted Cruz Likes
Despite what Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz wants you to think, New York is actually the religious capital of America, Raphael Magarik argues.
Could This Be The Future of the Jewish (Meta) Novel?
Josh Cohen’s ‘The Book of Numbers’ has been one of the year’s most highly-touted books. Raphael Magarik delves into the meta-meta-meta-meta novel — and finds one meta too many.
The Bitter Irony of Leon Wieseltier's Outrage at Michael Oren
Leon Wieseltier skewered Michael Oren for calling him an anti-Semite in ‘Ally.’ But Wieseltier himself is the king of spurious accusations of anti-Semitism, Raphael Magarik argues.
