
Rob Eshman is a senior columnist for the Forward. For his food writing and recipes subscribe to his Foodaism newsletter.

Rob Eshman is a senior columnist for the Forward. For his food writing and recipes subscribe to his Foodaism newsletter.
If the past is prologue, American Jews are about to hit the snooze button on Israel, and they really shouldn’t. This has been a pattern since the Six Day War, 54 years ago this week, when Israel launched a preemptive war against three neighboring Arab countries and managed to defeat them all in just six…
It’s only four years old, run by four volunteers, and its entire annual budget is $50,000. But the Los Angeles-based Jews United for Democracy and Justice has managed over the past year to draw 200,000 live views to its free virtual events with some of the world’s most prominent public speakers. Under the banner “America…
It's one thing to honor sacrifice on this holiday; it's another to truly feel it
On Sunday night a new front opened up in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict: John Oliver’s mouth. The comedian, whose commentary segments on his “Last Week Tonight” HBO series often out-report reporters, this time slammed Israel in its week-long battle against Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. “Multiple children have been killed this week…
In the latest comprehensive study of American Jews, there’s a single deep truth that’s hidden in plain sight, like matzah in a matzah ball. And yes, it is about food. The Pew Research Center’s report, “Jewish Americans in 2020,” asked respondents what “Jewish practices and activities” they engage in, and for people worried about the…
What makes Passover different from all other holidays? On other holidays, we pray, then eat a festive meal. On Passover, the festive meal is the celebration, food itself is the prayer. We eat matzah to recall our enslavement and liberation, bitter herbs to recount our sorrow and haroset our hardship. We taste slavery and freedom,…
You really just need one, dependable matzah ball soup recipe in your life, and this is it. Tried, true, trusty — and really, really good. Is the broth golden-hued and clear, but rich in chicken-y flavor? Check. Can you taste the fresh carrots, celery and onion? Check. Does spring, in the form of fresh bright…
This recipe is not just about coming up with a hamentaschen that is actually, you know, good. It’s about my nostalgia for the lemon hand pies I used to buy at the supermarket as a kid. They were junky, sugary calzones, shelf-stable, filled with a too-sweet lemon custard, and I loved them. Either they disappeared…
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