Beshert and cosmic meetings

Beshert: Stories of Connection in a Universe of Love

There are many terms for encounters that were meant to be, but none quite as evocative as the Yiddish word beshert. ...

The Conversation

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Poem | “The Last Jew in Vinnitsa”

Said to be on the back of a photo found in a German soldier’s album, these words have attached themselves to the image itself. ...
Copies of "In Hitler's Munich" by Micheal Brenner

Book Review | The Ripples Before the Storm

Munich in the years following World War I was a nasty, bloody microcosm of the political catastrophes in Europe that preceded and followed Germany’s defeat in that war. ...
Headshot of Anita Diamant

Book Interview | Anita Diamant and the Pursuit of Menstrual Justice

A whole generation has gone through the Jewish life cycle with Anita Diamant. ...
Illustration for "Is political compromise a Jewish Virtue?"

Ask the Rabbis | Is Political Compromise a Jewish Virtue?

That’s how Abraham resolves his dispute with Lot over grazing lands: “If you head left, I’ll head right. If you head right, I’ll go left” (Genesis 13:9). ...
Food label that reads "Mushroom & Bris Soup"

Spice box | What Sort of Mushrooms, Exactly?

Send your unmarked original newspaper clippings, curiosities and photographs to editor@dev.momentmag.com. ...
Copies of "Breaking and Entering" by Barbara Goldberg

Book Review | A Poet’s Appetite for Grief and Desire

Barbara Goldberg’s poetry has always displayed an insatiable appetite for grief and desire. ...
A pro-choice rally marches. Their signs that say things like "Keep abortion legal."

Moment Debate | Would a Ban on Abortion Curtail Jews’ Religious Freedom?

Abortion bans are predicated on assumptions about when life begins that have specific Christian theological assumptions baked into them. ...
Two side by side self portraits of Man Ray in profile, intently adjusting the focal range on his view camera as if for a portrait session. He directs the camera in the photograph at the audience, while the camera taking his picture remains invisible.

Visual Moment | Man Ray in Paris

Walking through the exhibition of artist Man Ray’s photographs at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is like stepping into a time machine. ...
An illustration of a group of racially diverse people talking, each with their own differently-colored speech bubble.

Opinion | Dinners and Dialogues Are Not Enough

I’ve been obsessed with Black-Jewish relations for half a century. ...
A guide leads a group of teenagers through a room in the Holocaust Museum whose walls are completely covered in historical photographs, pointing to a photo and telling the teenagers about it. Holocaust Education in action.

The State of Holocaust Education in America

Fifty years ago, Holocaust education was introduced in public schools as a way to encourage moral development. In an era of polarization, is this message at risk of being forgotten? ...