Notes on Akbar Ahmed’s The Thistle and the Drone
1. Akbar Ahmed's The Thistle and the Drone is his reading of the American War against Terrorism and its ambiguities. He is a former Pakistani...
The Week’s Reading List
In Queen Esther's Garden: An Anthology of Judeo-Persian Literature
A lot of reading this week. First, a book on Judaeo-Persian literature. There turns out to be...
A Jewish Woman’s Visceral Reaction to Buzzfeed’s 51 Hottest Jewish Men
There are so many questions about this Buzzfeed list. Why so many? Why 51 instead of 50? Does anyone think Jeff Goldblum is hot? And...
2013 Guide to Jewish Genetic Diseases
Moment examines the genetic mutations that increase the risk of certain cancers in women and men of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, plus an interview with BRCA gene pioneer Mary-Claire King.
Interview: Lisa Loeb
Singer-songwriter LIsa Loeb, whose hit song "Stay" became a cultural touchstone for 90's nostalgia, talks to Moment about how religion impacts her music, her Camp Lisa foundation and her 100 pairs of eyeglasses.
The (Soul) Doctor is In
The rabbi is dancing and singing, his congregation swooning, his synagogue…absent. We are watching an actor only pretend to be a rabbi and are sitting...
Indie Picks: Politics and Prose
In this first installment of "Indie Picks," Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine, owners of Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, DC, recommend a few of their favorite books to Moment readers.
The Ninth of Av in the Shadow of the Shoah
by Eli Kavon
The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av--which begins this year on the evening of July 15--is an annual day of mourning...
The English Girl: A Kidnapping That’s Part Mirth, Part Mayhem
The English Girl, Daniel Silva’s most recent novel featuring Israeli super-spy (think James Bond meets Jack Bauer) Gabriel Allon, tries to break out of the...
Letter from Cambodia
Nearly four decades after the Khmer Rouge massacre of close to two million Cambodians, a war crimes tribunal tries to convict the regime’s surviving leaders. But poverty, corruption, government resistance and Buddhist precepts that discourage examination of the past impede justice.
Jewish Routes | Washington, DC
Jews have had a major presence in Washington, DC, ever since young land speculator Isaac Polock arrived in 1795 and built six stately homes along...
Women of the Wall: More Harm Than Good?
My alarm clock rang at 3am. Time to head to the Kotel for the crack of dawn vatikin minyan. My friend had told me that...