Amanda Unvarnished

Chances are you’ve heard the ghostly cries of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke singing, "I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo," whether on the radio or from some angsty teenager’s headphones. The multi-platinum, massive hit captured the zeitgeist at the perfect time to bring an unknown band like Radiohead to the front lines of rock music. The […]

Genesis 25:12-25:18

Why They Rip Down the 'Kidnapped from Israel' Fliers by hersh

Antisemitism has the power to override every norm and decent impulse.

Why the "From the River to Sea" Chant Is Antisemitic by hersh

During the Israel-Gaza war, you may have heard the phrase “from the river to the sea” being chanted. Learn why it’s not a freedom call – it’s straight up antisemitism.

Israel has long succeeded in spite of its leaders, not because of them.

Lacking freedom, Jews once developed an ethic of martyrdom. Now, they don’t need martyrs, they need to stand and fight.

What the anti-Semitic fulminations of the Pink Floyd lyricist tell us about the intersection of art and toxic politics

The two-fold tragedy of a soldier's unnecessary death. And for a taste of sanctity on the eve of Shabbat, profiles of the soldiers tasked with identifying the nearly unidentifiable dead.

Is anybody listening?

Social justice” is a foundational biblical value. But its ancient meaning has little to do with the modern catchphrases and ideologies that are part of contemporary social justice discourse, like socialism or “equality of outcomes.” Instead, the Bible gives us a much more complex vision of “justice and righteousness” to describe the ideal social order. […]

There is no one “kosher” Jewish approach to social justice, just as there is no single authorized Jewish response to any of the challenges we humans encounter and create for ourselves. Jewish texts contain a multitude of opinions, enough to support the presuppositions and political persuasions that almost any seeker could bring to them. One […]

As a wave of anti-Jewish violence tore through New York in December 2019, Christian clergy across Boston gathered to compose a powerful statement, asserting their shared responsibility to combat antisemitism. Ministers of all races and denominations drafted the statement collaboratively, inviting a handful of their closest Jewish partners to provide feedback to ensure that the […]