January 8, 2024

Jewish Youth, Israel, Then and Now

University student Mayah Bernstein utilizes a 1992 TRADITION Symposium reflecting upon the Six Day War to convey the difference of the Jewish-American college-aged response of 1967 with that of today. In the current conflict, a disturbing lack of religious mission prevents many youths from As today, we currently lack an overarching sense of religiosity to inform our opinions regarding Israeli sovereignty.
January 4, 2024

TRADITION QUESTIONS: Naming the Monster

Israel very deliberately chooses names for its wars. As we prepare for the parsha of names and ancient hatred, Chaim Strauchler asks why we don’t similarly name the forms that antisemitism takes. A single name would ease communication, allowing us to better express what the “monster” is and how it might be fought. Reviewing three candidates for today’s legitimization of explicit Jew-hatred, Strauchler finds advantages and disadvantages for each sword by which the monster might be slain.
January 1, 2024

20 Tevet: Maimonides’ 819th Yahrzeit

Today, 20 Tevet, is the 819th Yahrzeit of the “Great Eagle” Maimonides. That amount of time may surprise those of us for whom Rambam is a daily, living companion. To mark the occasion we release open-access Michael A. Shmidman’s recent essay, “Isadore Twersky’s Unique Contribution to The Guide of the Perplexed” (TRADITION, Summer 2023).
December 31, 2023

Religious Zionism’s Triple Mission

It is impossible to ignore an obvious fact: The outsized statistical prominence of Religious Zionists soldiers among the fallen of this war. A high casualty rate is not a pleasant flag to wave, but does serve one public importance: To defy the wicked, long-standing campaign that seeks to present Religious Zionism as a messianic, fascist, racist sector. And yet, writes Israeli columnist Yair Sheleg, it should cause us to reembrace our triple identity, which includes the religious, national, and universal-liberal components.