June 28, 2021

The Surfside Tragedy Recalls South Florida’s Long Hold on the Jewish Imagination and Reality

Until the other day, when a 13-story building inexplicably collapsed in the middle of the night, placing the whereabouts, and lives, of 159 residents in doubt, few gave Surfside, Florida very much thought. The town was, after all, a South Florida misnomer. There’s no surfing. The white caps on the Atlantic Ocean never provide enough tubular lift. The people of Surfside skew older. Nearly half of its 6,000 residents are Jewish,and of those, many are Orthodox.

June 22, 2021

The Survival Guide for American Jews

Occasionally, this essay is written as a public service announcement for Jews. It’s my way of giving back.

You’re welcome.

Let’s call this one: “The Survival Guide for American Jews—Democrats, that Means You!”

June 7, 2021

The Right to Exist, Redux

This most recent war between Israel and Hamas lasted just eleven days, but it provided a lifetime of lessons for Israelis and global Jewry. All sorts of information previously unknown was revealed, along with the occasional surprise.

For instance, the vaunted Iron Dome was excessively battle-tested. The result was both reassuring and troubling. No longer can Israelis eat outdoors in restaurants along Rothschild Boulevard and rejoice at a solitary rocket, nearly running out of gas, exploding harmlessly overhead.