Then and Now
As we have now become increasingly aware, the "real cost" of meat in America is more than we actually pay. The precise figures are difficult to come by and a bit squishy, but it seems relatively clear that rarely, if ever, has a human community been … [Continue reading] about The Real Price of Meat
In his review in the Jewish Daily Forward of a new book on the "genetic history" of the Jews, Jon Entine writes, "'Who is a Jew?' has been a poignant question for Jews throughout our history." It is a question that has been very much in the news of … [Continue reading] about On Conversion
A couple of months ago I gave a presentation at a workshop that I organized, "Ancient Religion, Modern Technology," in which I outlined a rationale and vision for a digital project that mapped and analyzed the social network of the rabbis. … [Continue reading] about The Rabbis’ Social Network
Recovering the actual religious practices of Jewish women in antiquity – or, really, of almost all non-elite/non-rabbinic Jews – is at best a tricky business. Our main sources are rabbinic texts, which are so insular, academic, and either … [Continue reading] about “The Fear of the Husband”
For many years, we have incorporated a children's drama into our Passover Seder. During the Magid (telling of the Passover story) we send the children out of the room to prepare a drama relating to the story of the Exodus from Egypt. They return a … [Continue reading] about Israelite or Egyptian? A Personal Reflection from the Seder