Observation ·
How Mosaics Got Their Name, and How “Mosaic” Got Its
By PhilologosMoses, the muses, and an early-1960s Jewish magazine at Harvard.
Subject
History & Ideas
Latest Mosaic Content for History & Ideas
Monthly Essay ·
The Enchantment of the Arab Mind
By Hussein Aboubakr MansourToday’s Islamism promises authenticity but is postmodern in form, postcolonial in posture, and pretends to retrieve the sacred through the techniques of the profane.
Observation ·
Do Kippot and Keffiyehs Share an Etymology?
By PhilologosOnly one was a mark of prestige for ancient rabbis.
Response ·
Ancient Jerusalem Reborn: The Discovery of the City of David—and the Palestinian Effort to Erase It
By Doron Spielman, Jonathan SilverCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
The Forgotten Story behind the “Deep State”
By PhilologosThe real network of criminals, secret police, and dissident officers that transformed the Ottoman empire.
Monthly Essay ·
The Parking Lot That Determined the Future of Jerusalem’s Past
By Doron SpielmanIn the 1860s, a British explorer discovered the City of David. Fifteen years ago, the Palestinian Authority tried to stop those who wanted to follow in his footsteps.
Response ·
Rescuing the Classroom from the High-Tech Takeover
By Mathis Bitton, Jack SadlerCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Response ·
For Today’s Children, Screens Are Becoming Formative Institutions
By Christine RosenCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Response ·
The Ed-Tech Revolution: A View from the Frontlines
By Miriam KrupkaCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
The Blood Libel Is Very Old, but the Term Is Surprisingly New
By PhilologosThere’s no more point in arguing with the UN about Israel than there is in arguing about whether Jews really kill Christians for their blood.
Observation ·
“In That Basic Sense the Zionists Were Right”: A Conversation with Irving Howe
By Edward GrossmanAn American Jewish intellectual considers Israel, American Jewry, and anti-Semitism.
Monthly Essay ·
Standing Athwart the Ed-Tech Revolution
By Mathis Bitton, Jack SadlerJewish schools can illuminate the tradeoffs of screen-mediated learning, and show the country how to refocus on education’s higher purposes.
Observation ·
“Get the Jew”: The Crown Heights Riot Revisited
By Michael Pack, Elliot Kaufman, Jonathan SilverWatch or read our discussion with Elliot Kafuman and Michael Pack about the new documentrary on the 1991 pogrom in Brooklyn, and what it means for American Jewry today.
Observation ·
The Origins of “Tariff,” the Most International of Words
By PhilologosBrought from Arabic via Algerian pirates and Italian merchants, it only acquired its current meaning at the end of the 18th century.
Observation ·
The Golden Age of American Jewry Hasn’t Ended. It May Have Just Begun
By Rabbi Meir SoloveichikWhat Winston Churchill and Jerry Seinfeld can teach us about the challenges we face.
Observation ·
Is Baruch Spinoza the Founder of Modern Anti-Semitism?
By Henry MechoulanBlinded by hatred, the Dutch philosopher dressed ancient prejudices in the garb of reason.
Observation ·
American Renewal: The Nehemiah Option
By Yuval LevinRebuilding our culture with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.
Observation ·
How the Jews Remain an Eternal People
By Dr. Ruth WisseWe Jews are the blue and white in the red, white, and blue.
Observation ·
Did the First Thanksgiving Involve the Word “Thanksgiving”?
By PhilologosThe word was invented in translating the Psalm recited by the Pilgrims.
Response ·
Evaluating the American Jewish Response to October 7: With Jack Wertheimer, Armin Rosen, and Andres Spokoiny
By The EditorsCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
October 7 and the Battle for the West
By Arthur HermanWhy Jews matter.
Response ·
The Strategic Failures of October 7, One Year Later: A Symposium
By The EditorsCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
Despite Fresh Evidence, Ethel Rosenberg Is Still Guilty
By Harvey Klehr, Mark KramerA newly declassified document is being touted as proof of her innocence. But it only confirms her involvement in a Soviet spy ring.
Observation ·
This Hebrew Saying Might Have the Same Origin as an American Southern One
By PhilologosCould "It’s easier to take the Jew out of exile than to take exile out of the Jew" and "You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy" have shared roots?
Observation ·
How Monotheistic Israel and Pagan Rome Gave the World Its Weeks
By PhilologosA rivalry between the Jewish numerical and European pagan-astronomical nomenclatures for the seven-day week has played out over millennia across the world.
Observation ·
Were There Arab Jews, and Did They Speak Judeo-Arabic?
By PhilologosJews in Arab lands spoke much the same Arabic as their neighbors. But the notion that they thought of themselves as Arab Jews, pushed now in some circles, is a historical absurdity.
Response ·
Jews Shouldn’t Take the AI Hype at Face Value
By L. M. SacasasCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Response ·
The Man Who Inspired American Jews to Embrace Zionism and Americans to Fight Hitler
By Rick RichmanCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Response ·
Watch Our Discussion on How David Ben-Gurion Bore the Burdens of Statesmanship, and How Israelis Can Today
By The EditorsCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Monthly Essay ·
The Very Model of a New York Intellectual
By Dr. Ruth WisseAbraham Cahan was one of America's first great Jewish newspapermen, and set an example of independent thinking that the nation could sorely use today.
