Ruth Wisse on Grievance, Gratitude, and the Transmission of Jewish Confidence

This has been a momentous week in American politics and, whether you cheer or mourn the results of the 2026 midterm elections, the Jewish people find themselves in a different America than they were in last week. In difficult times, there is no one better to strengthen Jewish spines than Ruth Wisse, longtime professor of Yiddish literature at Harvard, and, for the last many years, a senior distinguished fellow at Tikvah. It was earlier this year, in March, that she delivered the National Endowment for the Humanities’ distinguished Jefferson Lecture.