Religion

'Agents of Change': American Jews and the transformation of Israeli Judaism - review

From gender roles to religious authority, American-trained leaders transformed key debates in Israeli Judaism.

Rabbi Danny Tropper, founder of Gesher.
Scribe Nadav Elhadad writes a Torah scroll at Safed’s Mount Sinai Institute, in Feb.

Shavuot and Mount Sinai: Why modern Jews still wrestle with the Torah

We begin our day with the acknowledgment of ‘Modeh Ani.’

Shavuot 2026: The holiday's enduring call to faith, loyalty, and Jewish purpose

 Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police outside the IDF Recruitment Center at Tel Hashomer, central Israel, April 28, 2025

Haredi conscription debate threatens long-standing Israeli coalitions - opinion


Zionism still defines the Jewish nation today - opinion

Abandoning the term “Zionism” hands victory to Israel’s critics and undermines Jewish identity, history, and the ongoing mission of the Jewish state.

American Jews [Illustrative]

Western Wall debate must not overshadow prayer, unity during times of war - opinion

Prayer at the Kotel should remain sacred, guiding Jews through crises rather than fueling division.

A general view of Jerusalem's Old City shows the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the foreground and the Dome of the Rock, located on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in the background June 24, 2019

Israel needs leadership that can unify the nation without weakening its democracy - opinion

Amid deep divisions and post-October 7 trauma, Israel faces a leadership test: unity, trust, and governance must come before politics.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett seen in an illustrative

Exploring identity through art at Jerusalem's Museum on the Seam

Two exhibitions at the Museum on the Seam proffer an emotional reality check of the lay of our land.

Four young Palestinian women in Israel making their way through mainstream Israeli society.

Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel: Bringing the Exodus to life, visually - review

Experience the Exodus like never before with this graphic novel Haggadah, which makes the story immediate, visual, and unforgettable.

Haggadah

Az Nashir Haggadah: Women’s voices on the path to redemption - review

A Haggadah that blends tradition, contemporary Israeli reality, and women’s voices for a living redemption.

Prophet Miriam plays the tambourine as she dances and sings with the women as they leave Egypt. A Camden Press poster of a wood carving by the Brothers Dalziel after a mid-19th-century illustration by Edward Poynter.

Shas fills local rabbi posts with loyalists, sidelining community choice - opinion

Shas moves quickly to fill rabbinic vacancies, sidelining candidates who fit their cities.

Head of Shas party Aryeh Deri and Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef visit at the scene of suspected arson and vandalism at a Jerusalem synagogue which is often frequented by Rabbi Yosef, June 8, 2025.

This month in Jewish history: From Exodus to modern Israel, and many birthdays

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars.

Happy Birthday to: Yigael Yadin (3rd R), Israeli delegation member to armistice  talks in Rhodes, 1949, with Yitzhak Rabin {R);

From exile to nationhood: The enduring story of Am Yisrael

Passover marks more than freedom; it forged Jewish nationhood and a lasting identity that endured exile and returned as a living people in its land.

Millions of Jews who do not live in Israel shape their Jewish identity through their  connection to this land.

Parashat Vayikra: Mutual responsibility

Vayikra’s message of purity, repentance, and unity teaches that even without sacrifices, we can draw closer to God and to one another.

‘To be worthy, every individual must work on himself.’