Way back in Medieval Germany, dumplings were a culinary innovation, only recently arrived from Asia. These were simple, doughy balls. They weren’t filled with meat, potatoes or cheese; they … more

Parashat Nitzavim contains a celebrated pasuk that proclaims the ready accessibility of the Torah: “Lo bashamayim he” (It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up … more

There is quite a bit of sadness attached to this Sabbath, the last of the year. Sure, we look forward to a new year with new blessings and new opportunities. But we cannot escape the fact that … more

I hadn’t planned on stopping to watch, but something about him caught my attention. It was Tisha B’Av, the anniversary of the day our Temples were destroyed, the city of … more

Why do people find it so difficult to acknowledge Palestinian violence and bigotry against Israel and the Jews? In April 2018, finally responding to concerns about anti-Israel incitement in … more

Pivitol in the miraculous creation of the modern State of Israel in 1948 was the support of non-Jews — Christians who, unexpectedly and against all odds, arrive at the scene to take charge … more

It’s the sort of thing that infuriates those who have been complaining for three-and-a-half years that the Trump administration has no respect for the norms and traditions of international … more

The Talmud gives an ingenious reading to the line, “Moses commanded us a Torah, as a heritage of the congregation of Israel.” Noting that there are 613 commands, and that the … more

The Polish resistance fighter Jan Karski recalled his agonized reaction as he walked around the Warsaw Ghetto for the second day in a row in mid-1942, about one year before the historic Jewish … more

Before deciding to stay permanently, Chaim Chazin would visit the small city of Uman, Ukraine, every year around Rosh Hashanah. For Chazin, a religiously observant music … more