Ideas

The world after Oct. 7, and before Trump 2.0: The essential Jewish conversations of 2024

In a tumultuous year, JTA essayists struggled with the trauma of the Israel-Hamas war and the impact of a polarizing election.

By Andrew Silow-Carroll December 31, 2024 2:44 pm

Ideas

What David Brooks and Bob Dylan teach Jews about heresy

Jewish celebrities who find solace in the New Testament ignite Jewish fears about assimilation and antisemitism.

December 27, 2024 1:00 pm

Ideas

The Persian winter solstice tradition of Yalda pairs perfectly with Hanukkah

A proponent of the Iranian tradition says she can no longer imagine celebrating Hanukkah without poetry or Yalda without fried donuts.

December 27, 2024 12:02 pm

First Person Ideas

The blessing and burden of bearing first witness to Jewish history

By Ron Kampeas December 26, 2024 6:20 pm

Ideas

8 candles, 80 opinions: The many meanings of an American Hanukkah

By Rabbi Leon A. Morris December 24, 2024 9:25 am

Ideas

What my relatives’ Christmas celebrations taught me about observing Hanukkah

By Rabbi Adina Allen December 23, 2024 3:01 pm

Ideas

What’s everybody reading? Readers suggest the defining Jewish books of the 21st century

By Andrew Silow-Carroll December 22, 2024 6:45 am

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Ideas

Amid war and an election, the Jewish mainstream bends to the right — and not just on Israel

By Andrew Silow-Carroll December 15, 2024 6:45 am

Ideas

On a roots journey from NYC to Poland, I packed my great-grandfather’s tallis

By Stuart Schear December 11, 2024 11:06 am

Teen Fellowship Ideas

After I fell behind in public school, I found my place in a Jewish school’s special education program

By Lev Gottschalk December 10, 2024 11:00 am

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Ideas

The world after Oct. 7, and before Trump 2.0: The essential Jewish conversations of 2024

What David Brooks and Bob Dylan teach Jews about heresy

The Persian winter solstice tradition of Yalda pairs perfectly with Hanukkah

The blessing and burden of bearing first witness to Jewish history

8 candles, 80 opinions: The many meanings of an American Hanukkah

What my relatives’ Christmas celebrations taught me about observing Hanukkah

What’s everybody reading? Readers suggest the defining Jewish books of the 21st century

Amid war and an election, the Jewish mainstream bends to the right — and not just on Israel

On a roots journey from NYC to Poland, I packed my great-grandfather’s tallis

After I fell behind in public school, I found my place in a Jewish school’s special education program

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