Benjamin Koatz is a graduate of Brown University and a half-Ashkenazi, half-Sephardi, first-generation New Yorker.
Community Why I Used My Tallit to Disrupt a Christian Zionist Jubilee This story hits its crescendo as I am manhandled out of a church, gripping my tallit (prayer shawl) and kippah to remain steady, surrounded by the dissonant chorus of hundreds of Evangelical congregants chanting “Am Yisrael Chai” (“Long Live the People Israel”) to disperse Jewish protesters from their midst. Twisting those words of our faith… By Benjamin Koatz Jun 12, 2017 | 5 min read
Holy Ground A Jewish farmer broke ground on a synagogue in an Illinois cornfield. His neighbors showed up to help. By Benyamin Cohen May 8, 2026 | 6 min read
Culture An Israeli genocide scholar looks to Israel’s history to understand ‘what went wrong’ By Robert Zaretsky May 6, 2026 | 7 min read
Opinion I discovered anti-Zionism at the University of Michigan. I’m glad it lives on there By Gayle Kirshenbaum May 8, 2026 | 5 min read
News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class By Louis Keene Apr 30, 2026 | 4 min read
Fast Forward Michael Jackson biopic revives legend of Jewish music mogul who battled MTV’s ‘color barrier’ By Stephen Silver May 10, 2026 | 7 min read
Fast Forward DOGE’s cuts to Jewish humanities grants were unconstitutional, judge rules By Andrew Lapin May 10, 2026 | 2 min read
Fast Forward As anti-LGBTQ laws spread, these two Jewish nonprofits are funding moves to safer states By Grace Gilson May 10, 2026 | 4 min read
Culture At this interfaith calligraphy class, the lines between Jew and Muslim blur By Simone Saidmehr May 10, 2026 | 6 min read