Snubbing a Reliable Ally, Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Tyrants
Compare the president’s treatment of Xi Jinping with his treatment of Netanyahu.
September 30, 2015
Making Sense of King David, the Bible’s Ambiguous Hero
Why is the founder of the Israelite kingdom portrayed in so many shades of gray?
King David’s importance to Jewish history and theology, the moral complexity of his character, and the literary subtlety of the biblical narrative of his life have made him a subject of endless fascination. Joel Kaminsky reviews four recent books about the monarch, among them Joel Baden’s The Historical David: The Real Life of an Invented Hero, J. Randall Short’s The Surprising Election and Confirmation of King David, and David Wolpe’s David: The Divided Heart:
September 30, 2015
Why Aren’t Refugees Fleeing to Other Arab Countries? And Why Does Nobody Expect Them to be Welcomed There?
Arab cynicism and Western racism.
Making Sense of King David, the Bible’s Ambiguous Hero
Why is the founder of the Israelite kingdom portrayed in so many shades of gray?
The Anti-Semitic Legacy of Amin Haj al-Husseini
A new translation of an anti-Semitic pamphlet.
S. Y. Agnon’s Sukkot Tale of a Rabbi and a Citron
“The Etrog,” newly rendered into English.