Why the Collapse of Algeria-UAE Relations Matters to Israel
A stronger alliance among Morocco, Israel, the Emirates, and the U.S. is taking shape.
September 25, 2026
A Sick Shammes and the Great New Jersey Sukkah Controversy of 1956
“Gittleson, Defender of the Faith.”
As Sukkot begins this evening, it seems a fitting time to read this literary reminiscence by S.T. Hecht about his own Jewish community in Reedville, New Jersey, whose main subject is a sukkah. It was first published in Commentary in 1956 under the headline, “Gittleson, Defender of the Faith.” Its titular hero is the shammes, or beadle, of the local synagogue:
September 25, 2026
Israel Should Prepare Itself for an Economic and Financial Onslaught
America’s powerful sanctions machine could be turned against Jerusalem.
The Supreme Court Has Been Asked to Intervene in a Dispute among Rabbinic Judges
A very complex case with implications for religious freedom.
A Massive Ritual-Purification Complex Unearthed in Jerusalem
How pilgrims prepared to enter the Temple.
A Sick Shammes and the Great New Jersey Sukkah Controversy of 1956
“Gittleson, Defender of the Faith.”