guest columnist
Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia (Photo by rabbit75_ist via iStock)
America at 250
Barbara Burstin
Liberty, justice and responsibility: The Jewish ideas behind the American Experiment
As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary … it is worth asking not simply what America has meant for Jews, but what Jewish ideas and values have meant for America.
Background, Star of David, Symbol, Religious symbol, Idea, USA, Symbol. (Image from iStock.com)
July 1, 2026, 10:03 am
Still here
I am struck by how our diversity — as Jews and as Americans — is often framed as a sign of impending doom, rather than a source of resilience.
By Andrea Beth Goldschmidt
George Washington wrote a letter to the Touro Synagogue in Rhode Island in 1790. (Photo by Wally Gobetz, courtesy of flickr.com)
July 1, 2026, 9:45 am
America at 250: The revolutionary idea that protects Jewish freedom
For most of history, freedom flowed downward. America turned that idea upside down.
By Rabbi Mendel Rosenblum
(Photo by KristineKaren via iStock)
July 1, 2026, 9:24 am
Why Pinhas is the perfect parasha for the semiquincentennial of the United States
What parasha could be more appropriate for the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding ... than a parasha centering one of the key tools of our democracy?
By Tammy A. Hepps
American Flag (photo by Eric Lynch, courtesy of flickr.com)
July 1, 2026, 9:02 am
America, happy 250th birthday
Constitutional democracy cannot work without a settled cultural consensus that reasoned debate will lead society closer to truth, although, of course, never fully attaining it.
By Bruce Ledewitz
Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia (Photo by rabbit75_ist via iStock)
July 1, 2026, 8:02 am
Liberty, justice and responsibility: The Jewish ideas behind the American Experiment
As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary ... it is worth asking not simply what America has meant for Jews, but what Jewish ideas and values have meant for America.
By Barbara Burstin
Zohran Mamdani's meeting with president Donald Trump at the White House, Nov. 21, 2025 (White House photo, public domain, via Wikimedia)
June 25, 2026, 8:53 am
American pro-Israel activists may have just had their worst week ever
One party is voting for the loudest critics of Israel; the other is cutting a generous deal with Jerusalem’s top adversary; after years of bipartisan support, a new era is dawning
By Ben Sales
Rodef Shalom now Beit Kulanu. (Photo courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation)
June 24, 2026, 9:59 am
Two things can be true at the same time
It’s hard to remember that as Reform Jews we have been doing this duality of work between ancient and modern since before the steel mills.
By Carolyn Frischer
(Photo courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation)
June 24, 2026, 9:53 am
Belonging still matters: A reply
Human beings need a place to belong. Jews, specifically, need a home base.
By Rabbi Aaron Bisno
(Photo by Roman Mykhalchuk via iStock)
June 17, 2026, 4:08 pm
The next front: Strengthening Jewish identity and Israel–Diaspora connection
This moment demands not handwringing, but strategy.
By Brian Eglash
(Photo by Nastco via iStock)
June 17, 2026, 3:52 pm
Leaving the corners
What the Torah teaches us about giving — and why it still matters
By Fara Marcus
A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on Feb. 28, 2026 in Tehran as U.S. and Israeli forces launch a strike on Iran. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
June 17, 2026, 9:25 am
The Iran war ended terribly for the US, and even worse for Israel
The U.S. could not tolerate sustained economic disruption, and the Iranian regime has a strong stomach for suffering.
By Dan Perry
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch addresses those in attendance at the first Re-Charging Reform Judaism Conference in 2023. (Lenny Medina / RetroLenz Photography)
June 17, 2026, 9:13 am
ReCharging Reform Judaism
Israel represents both the most pressing, most challenging, most consequential realm
By Rabbi Daniel J. Fellman
June 10, 2026, 10:00 am
When victims become suspects: The moral inversion of our time
The struggle against antisemitism and the struggle for a free Iran are not entirely separate questions.
By Kamyar Behrang
A siddur rests inside the Helsinki Synagogue. (Photo by Adam Reinherz)
June 10, 2026, 9:41 am
Belonging matters: Why I’m returning to synagogue life
I am doing it because the older I get, the more convinced I become that human beings need a home base.
By Liron Lipinsky Salitrik
(Photo provided by David Wecht)
June 2, 2026, 9:41 am
Did Justice Wecht issue an improper public statement?
Supreme Court justice issued statement when leaving the Democratic party
By Bruce Ledewitz
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