Jews were once the drivers of modernization in Hungary’s capital, dominating its cultural and economic life. Then disaster struck
What made the German doctor a byword for evil? Could it have been a misguided quest for knowledge?
How two Sephardi Jewish families helped create the business hubs of Hong Kong and Shanghai during the sunset years of colonial empires
A sweeping new history of changing Jewish fortunes in Europe cannot but be an account of trials and tribulations. And some progress too
In his day Joseph ‘Jud Süss’ Oppenheimer was many things to many people, but he was largely a victim of his own success
The Nazis set out to destroy the literary legacy of Jews and other 'undesirables.' But they were also eager to learn from them
Rudolf Kasztner, a celebrated rescuer of his fellow Jews in WWII, was not a hero but an unscrupulous Nazi collaborator
The Stalinist project of building a Jewish homeland in the Russian Far East didn’t turn out well for local Jews. No surprise there
In power the Nazi war criminals were masters of life and death for millions. In captivity they were petty and pathetic
A new book serves as a corrective to the popular view that all the ills of the Middle East are the fault of Zionists and Western imperialists
The Arab-Israeli conflict has never really been about land; it has been about ideology and religion
The Nazis went all out in courting Muslims during the war. The malignant legacy of their efforts is still with us
After WWII, German women were depicted as having been victims of the Third Reich. In fact, many of them played integral parts in war crimes
Jews have played a vital role in the history of the political left from the beginning. But that hasn't been a boon to the Jewish state. Quite the opposite
In the Holy City’s long and topsy-turvy history piety was never far away from bigotry and bloodshed
Wilhelm II’s ill-starred attempt to reshape the Middle East sowed the seeds of fanaticism and mayhem
A German chemical giant’s willingness to aid the Nazis led to healthy profits and mass murder
A German rocket scientist behind the US space program had plenty of skeletons in his closet from his wartime role
The Nazis’ brutal policies claimed the lives of 13 million children during WWII
The Fuhrer treats us to another round of his noxious rants in his 'Second Book.' It's 'Mein Kampf' all over again
A train, laden with the looted wealth of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, disappeared into the night
A Jewish atheist makes a case for God. It isn't a particularly strong one
Jewish nationhood was perhaps created not by kings and prophets but the anonymous authors of the Bible
Beliefs in heaven and hell evolved from humble origins in the Hebrew Bible to flamboyant Christian visions of them
Two authors set about trying to tease new meaning out of the age-old story of Adam and Eve. The results are mixed
After his spiritual quest, an American author ends up being as wracked by doubt as he was at the outset. Who can blame him?
A scholar’s lifelong fascination with the ancient documents found in caves at the Dead Sea is a testament to their enduring appeal
In propagating her case for God, a religious scholar leaves us none the wiser with her mishmash of erudition and obscurantism
Religions become more tolerant not through revelation from on high but through peacemeal moral progress
A British scholar claims to have located the elusive biblical relic in a museum in Africa. I won’t buy it
Jezebel, Jezebel you shameless “painted harlot,” thy name is one with vice, treachery and depravity. Wanton lust, too. But should it be?
How Jewish and Christian ideas of the Bible evolved over three millennia, for better or worse
How an apelike creature – us – developed into a species that sings the praise of God
Doing the right thing should be its own reward. That’s what Moses would say, a rabbi insists
The 'Apostle to the Gentiles' turned an obscure Jewish movement into a global faith. Should we be grateful? (Hint: no)
Daniel Goldhagen’s insistence that the swastika over Auschwitz was just a crooked cross isn’t borne out by the evidence
An imam fudges certain tenets of his faith in an effort to prove that Islam needs no reformation
A British author laments the state of affairs in the Old City under Israeli rule. Does he have a point?
Jewish thinkers like Hannah Arendt and Noam Chomsky don’t deserve their reputation as astute observers of Israel
The 20th century saw the rise of a new blood libel. It led to the Holocaust and remains with us to this day
Setting the record straight on the Israeli-Arab conflict is a needful task. An American author sets out to do so
The storied friendship of Israel’s two most famous psychologists can make for an arresting tale. Or a bit of a mess
Virulent denunciations of Israel by Jews have a long and sordid history. The denigrators may have changed, but the slanders haven't
The relentless campaign to recast Israel as a mighty Goliath places it in grave danger. That's just how its enemies like it
How has much of the political left gone from opposing anti-Semitism to actively encouraging it by demonizing the Jewish state?
Thanks to Superman's teenage creators, underneath the Man of Steel's impeccably WASP-ish exterior lurks a distinctly Jewish persona
Israel has become a central element in a collective obsessional delusion across the Muslim world. That has not been much to the latter's benefit
An American travel writers journeys from Vietnam to Tahiti to Cuba. That's an enviable itinerary. Alas, he fails to take us along for the ride
In a lighthearted fish-out-of-water tale an innocent abroad finds himself in turns puzzling over cultural oddities and being exasperated by them
The Old Continent is a morally spent force, now bashing Israel, now appeasing Islamist supremacists
Israel’s anti-terror tactics have not always been salutary. But they haven’t been all that unjustified, either
A Jewish scholar reflects on his lifelong quest to find meaning in oriental mysticism and reconcile it with his ancestral faith
Most terrorists aren’t crazy, poor, or all that desperate. And defeating them will take a good while yet
This tale of a creative man with no scruples seeks to show what happens when career trumps conscience. Too bad, the book doesn’t work
The great magician’s life was even more secretive and mysterious than we thought
An American author sets out in search of the spiritual roots of Judaism by travelling to God’s birthplace