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Of Masks and Plagues (Purim 5780)

Time has a knack for irony. The last of Chronos’ practical jokes: making us celebrate a holiday in which we disguise ourselves, in the...

Drowning in a Flood of Instant Gratification (Tu Bishvat 5780)

Stav Harari and Dean Shoshani, both 25, had just started their lives together in a new apartment in the colorful Hatikvah Quarter in...

Fighting Antisemitism Is More Complicated Than You Think

American Jews are anxious. Antisemitism and Judeophobia, which didn’t used to be overriding concerns in the daily lives of Jewish...

The Decline and Fall of Every Revolution (Hanukkah 5780)

22 years ago, Mikhail Gorbachev found himself in a situation he never imagined he’d be in: broke. This was the man who had led a world...

What Israel Can Learn from the Hasmoneans

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Israel is locked in conflict over how to treat non-Jewish people living in the land. Stark divisions...

Before the Next Recession, Philanthropy Needs to Redefine Efficiency

In a crisis, short-term efficiency can be a shock amplifier. Long-term efficiency comes from building resilient institutions. This...

Why Jews Should Defend Liberal Democracy

Liberal democracy is in danger. From Hungary and Poland to Brazil and Venezuela, democracy is in retreat. Even in solid democracies like...

At Home in the World? (Sukkot 5780)

Until now, I’ve always felt at home in the world. I have lived in five different countries and visited close to a hundred. I’ve always...

Wake me up when it's all over. (Yom Kippur 5780)

Far from shore or any other vessel, the people on a small sailboat found themselves surrounded by sharks, just as something pierced a...

Only the Mediocre Can Save the World (Rosh Hashanah 5780)

I’ve seen the creation of the world on live TV. No, I really have; and you probably have too, many times, without realizing it. Remember...

Condensing Our Victimhood (Tisha Be’Av 5779)

One feels as if there has been a conscious attempt to minimize the days of mourning and sadness in the calendar, packing as much grief...

In Defense of The Why: Judaism Needs a Mission

One of the things that make my job at JFN so rich and interesting is the debates, even arguments, that we have within our staff. I love...

Power, Influence, and the Limits of Maps: A Response to Yehuda Kurtzer

In his article, “‘The Establishment’ Has No Clothes: The New Jewish ‘Influence Economy,’” the always brilliant and thoughtful Yehuda...

How Not to Become a Beer (Shavuot 5779)

A lost tribe, a brand of beer, the history and future of Jewish resilience, and how Shavuot explains it all. The Quilmes, a nation...

“No-Place” Like Home: The Utopia That Came True

The word utopia was first used by Sir Thomas More in 1516. He coined the term combining two Greek words: ou (not) and topos (place), and...

What Prompts Us to Give? Balancing Head and Heart

Ask most people what motivates philanthropy and they’ll probably say, “generosity.” But generosity isn’t simple. People give charity for...

The Messenger Who Can't Speak (Pesach 5779)

Do you think that leaders who are assertive, self-assured, speak clearly, and “call a spade a spade” are better leaders? Think twice....

What All Anti-Semites Have In Common

On April 16, Alain Soral, a well-known French anti-Semite, was sentenced to one year in prison by a French court for “negationisme”,...

From Shushan to Sarajevo (Purim 5779)

A 19-year-old boy was arguably the most influential person in the 20th century and, most probably, you’ve never heard of him. His name...

Looking Past the Flames: Address to JFN 2019

The word focus comes from the Latin for “fire”. The “focus” was the fireplace in a Roman home.* Fire draws our attention. It’s impossible...

Did Judaism Wreck the Planet? (Tu Bishvat 5779)

Antisemites think Jews cause everything bad. We’re to blame for capitalism and communism, ethnocentric nationalism and rootless...

This You Call a Miracle?

Question: What did the first three-headed clown juggling live baby goats say to the second three-headed clown juggling live baby goats?...

A Tree of Life, and Light for Joy: Philanthropy After Terror

All weekend as I watched the news, I wondered again what I’ve wondered before: why isn’t pain a zero sum game? Why can’t we spread the...

Tikkun Olam: A Defense and a Critique

Lately there seems to be a concerted attack on the idea of Tikkun Olam. Critics say Tikkun Olam is not a Jewish idea, but merely liberal...