The passing of pioneering historian Moses Rischin marks the end of an era
Rischin pioneered teaching American Jewish history at the university level, introducing one of the first-ever courses in the field at Brandeis.
Why The Rush To Tear Down Grant’s Tomb Is Ignorant
Instead of trying to tear down monuments to all those with blemished records people should study the lives of Ulysses Grant and Peter Stuyvesant
Alan Mintz Led An Academic Movement — And Changed Judaism For Good
A colleague burst into my office in Jerusalem on Sunday morning with the shocking news: “Did you hear that Alan Mintz died last night in New York?”
100 Years Later, Has Louis Brandeis's Supreme Court Nomination Changed Anything?
Louis Brandeis’s elevation to the Supreme Court was a watershed moment for American Jews — but, paradoxically, it seemed to do nothing to lessen this country’s anti-Semitism, Jonathan Sarna writes.
Is ‘Open Orthodoxy’ an Oxymoron?
Was this the year of ‘Open Orthodoxy’? The inaugural graduation of Yeshivat Maharat and the new leadership at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah would indicate so. But some were not convinced.
Why Is Orthodoxy Packing Up Big Tent?
So-called ‘Open Orthodoxy’ has come under withering attack by mainstream rabbis. The irony is that American Orthodoxy once fought for a inclusive model of faith, Jonathan Sarna writes.
The Jewish Translation That Rewrote the Bible
It’s been 50 years since the Jewish Publication Society commissioned a groundbreaking translation of the Bible. Jonathan Sarna asks if it’s time to revisit the famed work.
Rabbis Have Long Had Place at Conventions
Republicans and Democrats alike have often called on rabbis to lead prayers at their conventions. In 2012, as in 1896, they hope to deliver subtle political messages, Jonathan Sarna writes.
Jewish Publication Society Sale Brings End to Era
The sale of unsold inventory and publication rights to all of the Jewish Publication Society’s books effectively shuts down the oldest Jewish publisher in the United States.