When the Portland Trail Blazers gave up four draft picks for Deni Avdija last summer, it seemed like an overpay. Avdija, the league’s only Israeli-born player, was coming off a breakout fourth season for the Washington Wizards. But his stats had popped so much that some regression felt almost inevitable. Instead, as the focal point of a young, head-turning team, Avdija’s gotten even better.
Read More(REVIEW) Janis Ian’s songs are known for their sharp social commentary, but what director Varda Bar-Kar uncovers in her new documentary “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” is how central Ian’s Judaism was to her activism. Ian, who was born in New Jersey, legally changed her name from Janis Fink to Janis Ian in 1964, adopting her brother Eric’s middle name as her last name.
Read More(OPINION) The international conversation about Gaza has long circled the same grim question: What would it take for the population to rise up against Hamas? We just might have the beginnings of a response: The resumption of war, after Israel broke a two-month ceasefire following 15 months of devastating conflict. The prospect of more death with no end date, all because Hamas refuses to free more hostages until Israel agrees to leave it in power as part of a more permanent truce, appears to be too much to bear.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The American comics industry was largely started by the children of Jewish immigrants. Like most publishing in the early 20th century, it was centered in New York, home to the country’s largest Jewish population. Though they were still a very small minority, immigration had swelled the United States’ Jewish population more than a thousandfold: from roughly 3,000 in 1820 to roughly 3,500,000 in 1920.
Read MoreFindings for each study were drawn from surveys of more than 2,000 Christians respectively in the U.K. and the U.S., using statistical modeling to analyze data across all ages, ethnicities, genders, income levels and educational backgrounds, and including marital status.
Read MoreSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has long warned about antisemitism on the right — from neo-Nazis in Charlottesville to white nationalist conspiracy theories on the campaign trail. But in his new book, set to go on sale Tuesday, he argues that the antisemitism coming from the left can be just as insidious — and, in some ways, harder to fight.
Read MoreThe Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind the Project 2025 blueprint for the second Trump administration, launched “Project Esther” to combat antisemitism. It was drafted largely by evangelical organizations. At the same time, Texas schools adopted a Bible-based curriculum that gives Esther a starring role in lessons about historical courage alongside Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks.
Read More(ANALYSIS) One of the most impactful cultural changes in 21st-century America has been the steady decline in Christian vitality, as measured by membership, baptisms versus funerals, worship attendance, practices, and perceptions. Two major new social science surveys suggest that this decline may have bottomed out — though statistics about secularizing youth give believers ample reason to worry about the future.
Read More(OPINION) The unprecedented success of the radical-right AfD has left many questioning whether we are witnessing Germany take a dangerous turn once again. In the Feb. 23 Bundestag election, the AfD achieved its best result to date, becoming the second strongest party in the Bundestag. The election campaign was largely dominated by key AfD topics such as migration policy and the deportation debate.
Read MoreThe 97th Academy Awards was a banner night for Jews. Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison won the Oscars for best actor and best actress, the first time in decades that Jewish actors have swept that category; best supporting actor went to the co-star of a film about Jewish cousins who tour Majdanek; and “The Brutalist,” a film about a Holocaust survivor’s experience of antisemitism in America, won for cinematography and score.
Read More(REVIEW) The show impressively manages the difficult task of being a sword-and-sandals adventure fantasy that balances the needs of a faith-based and action-adventure audience. The story of David and Israel’s relationship with God is central, and the story creates a world that feels grounded, while still existing among giants and magic as relayed in the Hebrew Bible. The action is good while keeping itself PG-13, and the story is exciting while keeping it faithful to the Biblical themes.
Read MoreAs the U.S. continues to evolve religiously, the Pew study underscores the complex and shifting nature of religious belief and practice in America. While Christianity remains the dominant faith, trends suggest that the future may hold further diversification — something fueled by immigration, secularization and the beliefs of Gen Z.
Read More(ANALYSIS) James Mangold’s film “A Complete Unknown,” nominated for eight Oscars, captures the elusive, enigmatic quality of Bob Dylan in the early 1960s: The years he emerged as a major musical and cultural phenomenon. A scant few years after he came to New York from Minnesota, and legally changed his name from Robert Allen Zimmerman, Dylan transformed American music. Especially “unknown” and baffling is Dylan’s religious and spiritual identity.
Read MoreAlex Bregman, the slugging third baseman who wore a Star of David on his cap following the Oct. 7 attacks, reportedly signed with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in a contract that will give him the highest salary ever for a Jewish baseball player. The three-year, $120 million deal officially closes Bregman’s tenure with Houston Astros, the team that drafted him second overall in 2015.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With the transgender policies among President Trump’s blizzard of new executive orders, further explanation is needed on the cultural reality of deep-seated religious concepts. In particular, the resolutely “binary” Bible depicts humans as either male or female and underlies 2,000 years of Jewish and Christian teaching. Similarly with the Quran and Muslims. How should that heritage affect secular society and policy?
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should “take over” Gaza, displace its current population and turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East” is unsettling — in both a literal and, to Palestinians, a very personal sense.
Read More(OPINION) Vandalism won’t stop us from serving great food — and, with it, joy, connection and unity.
Read MoreTrump’s executive order on antisemitism encourages the attorney general to use a federal law created to target the KKK and will direct federal agencies to tell colleges and universities to “monitor” and “report activities” by foreign students, staff and faculty for activities related to terrorism.
Read MoreThe United States has a “relatively low level of religious nationalism” compared to other countries, but its impact on politics and society is particularly notable among high-income nations. The Pew Research Study released on Tuesday examined the role of religion worldwide by surveying people across 36 countries.
Read MoreAs flames continue to sweep across Los Angeles, the impact on local faith communities has been profound. Yet, it has also highlighted the spirit of generosity and solidarity among Angelenos. Many congregants, displaced by the fires, have found refuge in the homes of fellow members, while others have offered their properties at cost to help those who’ve lost everything.
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