What happens when an ancient holiday is rebranded for modern audiences?
For Israelis, Hanukkah was reinvented as a celebration of Jewish heroism, of our ability to persevere against overwhelming threats, with the Maccabean warrior as the precursor to the IDF. In contrast, in North America Hanukkah has been rebranded as a universal battle against religious suppression, with the Hanukah lights as beacons for interfaith ecumenism and religious tolerance. What does this dichotomy say about the two largest Jewish communities in the world?
In a special end-of-year episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain respond to listener questions, covering topics from the one-state solution,...
What is the connection between Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha'atzmaut? Why do we mark these Israeli holidays in this order, and what...
The debate around the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was one of the most acrimonious in recent American Jewish history. Since then, much has changed...