"What is exile? What is diaspora? What is Zionism? Jewish identity today has been shaped by prior generations' answers to these questions, and the future of Jewish life will depend on how we respond to them in our own time. In The Necessity of Exile: Essays from a Distance, celebrated rabbi and scholar Shaul Magid offers an essential contribution to this intergenerational process, inviting us to rethink our current moment through religious and political...

"From an award-winning journalist, a perceptive study of how Israel's actions, which run counter to the traditional historical values of Judaism, are putting Jewish people worldwide in an increasingly untenable position. More than a decade ago, the historian Tony Judt considered whether the behavior of Israel was becoming not only "bad for Israel itself" but also, on a wider scale, "bad for the Jews." Under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, this...

"Combining memoir, history, and political essay, an acclaimed French journalist delves into his family's past in this searing, nuanced investigation of Jewish identity and what it means in the diaspora versus Israel today. What is a Jew? There are as many nuances as there are Jewish people. Hamas's horrific attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the deadly ground operation in Gaza have brought the Palestinian issue back to the front pages....