Judaism | Harvard Divinity Bulletin

On Waiting, Tending Life, and Comedy at God’s Scale

A conversation with Courtney Sender, MTS ’18, on her first novel, a braided story collection titled In Other Lifetimes: All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me. By Kevin Madigan

How to Teach about Antisemitism

The five W’s—Who, What, Where, When, and Why—guide this teacher’s thinking about crucial questions to consider when educating about historical and contemporary antisemitism. By Joshua Krug

Unlike Sheep to the Slaughter

To a remarkable extent, Jews refused to let themselves slide into hopeless apathy during the Holocaust By Melinda Mandelbaum Stein

‘A Culture of Preparedness’

Jewish synagogues adopt new security strategies as antisemitic threats increase. By Robert Israel

Selected Works of Twentieth-Century Jewish Theology

A reading list from Jon D. Levenson’s course.

Carrying Guns to Synagogue?

Increasing anti-Semitic attacks against synagogues and Jewish centers have led some rabbis to advocate for stronger security measures. By Robert Israel

After the Death of Chabad’s Messiah

Why do Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson’s followers in Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism continue to believe in his messianic identity more than 26 years after his demise? By Joseph Newfield

Paula Vogel Brings Her Love of Yiddish Center Stage

In her play Indecent, award-winning playwright Paula Vogel shares her love of Yiddish with audiences. By Robert Israel

Jewish Leaders Try Nontraditional Engagement

The 2013 Pew study on Jewish Americans prompted some leaders to take a new approach in engaging intermarried and young Jews disinterested in the traditional religious aspects of Judaism. By Shira Hanau

A View From the Minaret

A day trip to Caesarea spurs memories of a childhood visit and reflections on how a disastrous past can go unseen even when it is in full view. By Linda Dittmar

Reclaiming Egalitarian Jewish Wedding Customs

Reclaiming medieval Jewish wedding processional customs to open up a liminal space for a woman to be seen in between her attachments to men. By Jessica Rosenberg

Jewish Identity and Biblical Exposition in Darren Aronofsky’s Films

Evaluating the use of ancient Jewish modes of interpretation in Aronofsky’s mother! and Noah. By Eric X. Jarrard

Truth For Children

In the wake of World War II, French Jewish thinkers turned to the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic canons to narrate a Jewish past and future. By Sarah Hammerschlag

Jewish Creators, Resonant Themes: Comics as Midrash

The superhero comic book and the graphic novel were both Jewish inventions. By Hillary Chute and Emmy Waldman

A ‘View Of Judaism in its Own Terms

Harvard’s trajectory from Christian Hebraism to modern Jewish Studies and one larger-than-life professor critical to the transition. By Jon D. Levenson

High Stakes For Politically Liberal Modern Orthodox Jews

Can young Modern Orthodox Jews remain in such a tight-knit community while holding political positions opposed to those of their neighbors or rabbis? By Shira Hanau

Her Sister’s Blouse

Jewish and Holocaust museums play a role in preserving and creating Jewish memory and in contributing to the development of communal identity. By Avril Alba

The Delicate Power of Modern Orthodox Judaism

As long as the Modern Orthodox community can work on civil discourse, it can face its unique challenges and continue to transmit its core values. By Shuli Taubes