Daily Feature

The Pale God

Aryeh Tepper — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Imagine God not as a benign force infusing the universe with love and sustaining it with mercy, and not as a stern judge smiting sinners from on high with his cosmic zap-gun, but as a grandfatherly figure, kind but, truth be told, somewhat out of it, sitting in a corner, tolerant of the various paths his children have chosen.

Secularism and Its Discontents

Yehudah Mirsky — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

A dependence on the idea of Jewish "tradition" has been a hallmark of Jewish secularists and proto-secularists for nine centuries or so.

Gender Trouble

Yehudah Mirsky — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Israel's secularists have their work cut out for them in implementing their vision of a moderate, state-friendly Judaism.

Spinoza: A Life

Steven Nadler — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The first complete biography of Spinoza in any language—and a portrait of 17th-century Jewish Amsterdam.

A Portrait of Israeli Jewry

Asher Arian, Ayala Keissar-Sugarmen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

A comprehensive study of religious behavior among Israeli Jews, worshiping Spinoza's pale God. (PDF)

Hear, O Friends of Israel

Daniel Johnson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

In 1987, exactly a quarter-century ago, the appearance of a work of Jewish history caused a stir. For one thing, the author was not Jewish; for another, the book was unashamedly supportive of the State of Israel, which even then was enough to provoke hostility, especially on the Left.

The Miracle

Paul Johnson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The creation of Israel was the quintessential event of the last century, and the only one that can fairly be called a miracle.

Celebrity Politics, Israel-Style

Micah Stein — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Just two weeks ago, the always-excitable Israeli political world was abuzz with the news of two famous new Knesset candidates. One of them was a famous son—journalist Yair Lapid, whose father, Tommy Lapid, served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice under Ariel Sharon.

Just Deserts

Shlomo Avineri — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Plato warns in the Republic that democracy is endangered when the public begins to confuse theater with politics.

The Rising Price of an Israeli Life

Ronen Bergman — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

A veteran Israeli military analyst follows the path that led to the thousand-to-one swap for Gilad Shalit's release.

Entering the Fray

D.L. — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Most are publicly polite, but some in Likud think Noam Shalit has shown gross ingratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

From Hero's Parent to Politician

Shmuel Rosner — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

A Kadima Party politician complains about his electoral prospects, "No family member of mine was ever kidnapped, so I guess I don't have much chance."

Bloomsbury's Rabbi

Matthew Ackerman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

A translator stands between two languages and between the two worlds that the languages represent. If he does his job well, he may belong in neither place. Such was the fate of Samuel Koteliansky, an emigré Russian Jew who translated Chekhov, befriended D.H. Lawrence and Katherine Mansfield, and circulated on the fringes of the Bloomsbury group.

Leonard Woolf's Complexity

Claire Messud — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Leonard Woolf—"the Jew," to Virginia and her friends—was "noble, engaged, and quietly passionate."

D.H. Lawrence and Kangaroo

George Simmers — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In Lawrence's World War I novel, the "really ugly" character based on Koteliansky was a minor player, much like Kot in Bloomsbury.

Bloomsbury Recalled

Quentin Bell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Bell's memoir of his parents and their friends—Woolf, Forster, Strachey—who made up the dazzling, dated Bloomsbury group.

Rematch!

Elliot Jager — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

London—Europe's biggest city, with 5.8 million eligible voters—goes to the polls on May 3rd to elect a mayor. Like any big city mayoral campaign, the contest will revolve mainly around local issues. But the race also has the potential to return a vitriolic anti-Zionist to City Hall.

Who is Ed Miliband, and What Does He Want?

Elliot Jager — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Miliband is generally frosty toward the Jewish state—and not particularly helpful to Britain's Jewish community, either.

Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word

Andrew Gilligan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The reviewer sees the "stench of scores being settled" pervading Livingstone's memoir. And there's no remorse for his rabid anti-Israelism.

Back into the Fray

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In 2008, London voters had a clear choice between Livingstone and Johnson. This time it's even starker.