Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, was a socialist who rejected the Marxist belief that all important struggles are economic. Rather than believing that religion, nationalism, and moral ideals obscure economic struggles, he saw intellectual and moral struggle as important…
On Campus, Jewish Students Now Confront the Quintessential “Covenant of Fate”
When he delivered his essay Kol Dodi Dofek to an audience of American Jews on the eighth anniversary of Yom Ha’atzmaut in 1956, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik formulated his vision of post-1948 religious Zionism by referencing the terrors of Treblinka,…
Shavuot Customs and Modern-Day Lessons We Can Take From The Book of Ruth
Background on Shavuot: The Spring Harvest Festival The end of the Spring Quarter coincides with one of the most significant holidays in Jewish tradition: Shavuot. Shavuot celebrates the spring harvest festival and marks the acceptance of the Torah–the Jewish Book…
“Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother”: A Surprising Source for Modern-Day Motivation
Perform a quick search of “motivational quotes” on Google and you will be greeted with a large sample of internet wisdom. Like these: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” “Nothing is impossible – the word itself says, ‘I’m possible.” With…
Jewish Diversity in Film
Within the vastness of Jewish culture, there exists an immense diversity of ethnic, religious, national, political, sexual, and gender identities. Although not regularly discussed in the mainstream media, the Jewish community’s diverse array of backgrounds bring their own unique voices…
Earth Day: A Jewish Take
Earth day is about more than just posting a few candid shots of trips to the Grand Canyon on Instagram, it is about taking a day to appreciate our natural resources and recognize the damage that has been done to…
Passover Revisited
“In each and every generation,” we read in the Passover Haggadah, “it is one’s duty to regard themselves as though they had personally gone out of Egypt.” During the first night’s seder this year, I found myself further reflecting on…
Toys Were Us: The Decline of Youth
—- “Youth is dead” is a doozy of a claim, but it’s a valid claim. Maybe youth itself isn’t what’s dying, but youthhood. When I talk to my parents, my Jewish Papa, or my hometown Rabbi, they reminisce about the…
Addition by Subtraction
In high school, I remember my algebra teacher used to tell our class: “to subtract a number, add its opposite.” At the time, I appreciated the advice only for its cliched simplicity. As I got older, this statement stuck with…
A Rainbow Filter Can’t Fix This…
“Never forget” is a phrase that is easier said than done. As much as we would like to believe that society has advanced far enough to accept history as fact, and teach it as such, book bans are now commonplace…