Jared Kushner and an Israeli Flag

Wrapping Up the Trump Presidency

Before they leave for the Sunshine State, Israel’s government is making sure to show its gratitude to Kushner for four years of holding the administration’s Middle East portfolio, brokering normalization agreements with four Arab countries and shifting America’s policy in the region to a more Likud-oriented posture.

Israelis may not be known for their fancy gifts, but they have a knack for historic symbolic presents. 

So what did Kushner find in his goody bag?

Continue reading

Collage of images: Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court building, Trump with a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews

Trump’s Parting Gifts

Despite a failed reelection campaign, Donald Trump and his team registered several notable gains this election season. Trump slightly increased the share of Black and Hispanic Americans voting for him, alongside an impressive turnout from a small but well-organized subgroup: Orthodox Jews. According to polls and estimates, more than 80 percent of Orthodox Jews cast their vote for Trump, making them one of his most approving constituencies in the nation.

Continue reading

Madeleine Albright: ‘Fascism Is Not an Ideology. It’s a Process for Gaining Power’

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sits down for an in-depth interview with Robert Siegel, former host of NPR’s All Things Considered. She talks about her granddaughter asking, “what’s the big deal about Grandma Maddie being Secretary of State” and how the world is different today for woman in the workforce compared to when she graduated college. She also discusses the genesis of her famous pin collection; the definition of fascism; the changing nature of the Middle East; what it was like to find out late in life that her grandparents were Jewish and murdered in the Holocaust; and why retirement is a four-letter word. Secretary Albright is the 2020 recipient of “The Moment Women and Power Award.”

Continue reading

Post-Trump-Era Edition: How Jews Became More Divided, and Why It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

Two weeks have passed since election day, and there’s nothing anyone wants more than to put this whole thing behind us. But before we do so, we need to settle the least important question of these elections, yet the one most likely to come up during your (virtual) Thanksgiving, Passover or whatever family dinner table: How did the Jews vote?

Continue reading