There is something unnerving about being better defended by outsiders than by one’s own kin. That is how I feel reading Douglas Murray’s On Democracy and Death Cults—a tight, fierce little volume that ought to be read with both reverence and discomfort. Reverence, because in a year of historic abandonment, Murray has emerged as the single most articulate and courageous defender of the Jewish people in the West. Discomfort, because he is not Jewish. He is what many of us used to call “a righteous … [Read more...]

It has been 18 months and 14 days since the atrocities of October 7, yet the world remains disturbingly indifferent. The antisemitic spectacle by the Irish band Kneecap at Coachella is the latest chilling example. At Coachella—a festival defined by artistic freedom and youthful rebellion—the crowd erupted in cheers at slogans like “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine,” and grotesque accusations of Israeli genocide. The hypocrisy is staggering: an audience of LGBTQ youth cheering for a cause that … [Read more...]

On the seventh and eighth days of Passover, we commemorate the dramatic and defining crossing of the Sea of Reeds. This pivotal event encapsulates the heart of Jewish faith—not just as a passive belief, but as an active, courageous decision. As the Israelites stood at the shoreline, trapped between the raging Egyptian army and seemingly impassable waters, their situation was dire. It was here, in this perilous moment, that divine promise required human courage. A striking midrashic tradition … [Read more...]

In August of 1941, Dorothy Thompson published a compelling and unsettling piece in Harper’s Magazine entitled, "Who Goes Nazi?" At a casual dinner party, Thompson silently appraises the gathered guests, wondering which among them might support fascism if conditions were right. Her unsettling conclusion is that the propensity toward authoritarianism and fascism is not rooted in class, nationality, or ethnicity but rather in character—in the moral and psychological makeup of individuals. Her … [Read more...]

On the first night of Passover, a night meant to symbolize freedom, redemption, and the safety of home, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania found himself and his family confronting an unthinkable nightmare. At approximately 2:00 a.m., as the Shapiro family rested after hosting a Passover Seder, state troopers urgently awoke them to inform them that their home had been set ablaze. Molotov cocktails had shattered windows, igniting the dining and piano rooms in an act of shocking violence and … [Read more...]

What I want my children to know about being Jewish in 2025 cannot be inscribed on a donor wall. It will not be found in the minutes of a board meeting or captured in a gala tribute video. It cannot be named after you. It is something quieter, deeper, and more enduring. It is the knowledge that Judaism is not a legacy to be managed but a covenant to be lived. And that the great project of Jewish continuity will not be secured by capital campaigns or commemorative plaques. It will be secured by … [Read more...]

Last night, as our Seder drew to a close, my son Leor asked a question that reverberated far beyond our dining room. He noticed that the PJ Library Haggadah we were using had omitted a line many of us consider central to the Passover liturgy: “Vehi sheamda lavoteinu velanu…” — “And this is what has stood by our ancestors and by us; for not only one enemy has risen against us to destroy us, but in every generation, they rise against us. And the Holy Blessed One saves us from their hands.” When … [Read more...]

Every Passover, we gather around the seder table and encounter the timeless story of the Four Children. We know these characters well: the wise child, who eagerly asks insightful questions; the wicked child, who provocatively challenges us; the simple child, who innocently seeks understanding—and finally, the fourth child, who “does not know how to ask.” This last child often fades quietly into the background, easily overlooked amid the lively exchanges prompted by the other three. But … [Read more...]

Passover is, fundamentally, a holiday of presence. Families and friends gather together around tables laden with symbolic foods, recounting an ancient story of liberation from slavery and reflecting upon themes of freedom, redemption, and renewal. The seder, with its meticulously structured rituals and deeply embedded symbolism, is perhaps Judaism's most intimate and personal communal experience. Yet each year, many of us find ourselves confronting an achingly poignant symbol: the empty seats at … [Read more...]

Not some far-off realm of reward. But this: being alive enough to notice the good. Being close enough to someone you love to witness their becoming. Being present enough to realize you’re in the middle of something sacred. Right here. On the bleachers. With the smell of leather and dirt and bubblegum in the air. I used to think heaven was somewhere you went. Now, I wonder if it’s something you choose to notice. There’s something holy about this game. Not in a dogmatic sense. But in the way … [Read more...]