J. R. R. Tolkien’s Jewish Dwarves
The peoples of Middle Earth weren’t just a product of Tolkien’s creative mind; they were shaped by the anti-Jewish culture that surrounded him.
How Does the Jewish Calendar Work?
The complicated system that determines the High Holy Days is a relatively new creation, dating to around 350 CE.
How Queer Jews Reclaimed Yiddish
Queer Yiddishkeit challenges the notion that Yiddish is inherently heteronormative or conservative.
Jewish Law and Abortion
A practicing physician reviews contributions of Jewish ethics and rabbinic thought to the issue of abortion.
Meet Eva Frank: The First Jewish Female Messiah
Was this revered female figurehead an empowered leader or a tragic victim in her father's wake?
A Passover Tradition to Promote Jewish Unity
Freeing a prisoner—a gesture of generosity and benevolence—may have been a way to bring together a fractured spiritual community.
The NYC –> RUS Yiddish Socialist Pipeline
At the turn of the twentieth century, Yiddish became the language of political organizing for Russian Jews, thanks to the flow of literature from New York.
Sammy Davis, Jr.’s Conversion Mishegoss
Sammy Davis Jr.'s conversion to Judaism in 1960 was met with skepticism, derision and yes, jokes by the members of the groups he claimed and embraced.
Antisemitism at the 1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics were a small foreshadowing of what was to come in 1936 Berlin.
White Shoes, WASPs and Law Firms
Law firms founded on Protestant identity necessitated the creation of firms that would hire those shut out by WASP gatekeeping.