Sometimes a single truth, belatedly discovered, can change one’s world view with surprising swiftness.
Since the attack on the U.S. Capitol, attention has turned to the multiple strains of violent extremism flourishing at home.
We’re living with an unprecedented threat to free speech, with much of today’s public discourse controlled by a handful of companies with unsurpassed wealth and power—companies whose capitalization values exceed the economies of major developed countries.
Comedian Kevin Hart was bumped from hosting the 2019 Oscars for years-old homophobic tweets.
Now that we are almost halfway through the Biden Administration’s first 100 days, what is the current state of our democracy? Will Democrats and Republicans be able to put their differences aside and work together? What is the fallout from January 6th? Can Americans come back together again? New York Times columnist David Brooks is in conversation with Robert Siegel, Moment special literary contributor and former senior host of NPR’s All Things Considered. The State of Democracy is a Moment series hosted by Robert Siegel.
Historian E.M. Rose discusses her award-winning book The Murder of William of Norwich: The Origins of the Blood Libel in Medieval Europe, a fascinating micro-history of a mysterious 12th century murder and the ensuing court case. Rose’s groundbreaking work provides clear answers as to why the blood libel emerged when it did and how it was able to gain such widespread acceptance, laying the foundations for enduring anti-Semitic myths that continue to the present.
Last month, The New York Times published a piece called “Saying Goodbye to Hanukkah.”
English readers of Yiddish literature in translation—and there are many—have long had access to the poetry of Avrom Sutzkever, whom translator and Yiddish scholar Ruth Wisse called “the uncrowned Jewish poet laureate.”
What undermines democracy is the use of electronic surveillance by government without tight limits: judicial oversight, transparent policies and publicly available information after the fact.
