Josh Lambert, a Tablet Magazine contributing editor, is the academic director of the National Yiddish Book Center and Visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Primary Sources
Five Books: Jews in film, Jews and booze, the poisonous sound of children’s voices in Ben Marcus’ novel, Tony Judt’s last conversations, and more
Field Notes
Five Books: A biography of sportscaster Howard Cosell, the life of film critic Pauline Kael, the poets who translated Shakespeare into Hebrew, and more
Tropical Storm
Henry Miller had complicated feelings about Jews, but his works wouldn’t have reached American audiences without them
Around Reading
After two years and 100 weekly “On the Bookshelf” columns about new books, assessing the impressive breadth of Jewish letters today
On the Bookshelf
Jews have always been keen on joining revolutions. Some revolutionaries, like Emma Goldman, sought to change the minds of workers; others, like Richard Feynman, looked to change our understanding of matter.
On the Bookshelf
Yiddish is far from dead. It’s undead, and it haunts everything from Harvey Pekar’s comics to the vampire literature of the early 20th century.
On the Bookshelf
The term “post-Holocaust” raises conceptual problems, but a host of new books helps define it by exploring everything from Nazis on the run to Jews on the mend
On the Bookshelf
Books on what makes Jews Jewish, from debates over conversion and consideration of kashrut laws to rethinking the Jewish body, with a cameo by Bob Saget
On the Bookshelf
Running away: From Mossad-appointed time-travelers to daughters of famous novelists, these summer reads offer a healthy dose of escapism
Ben-Gurion
A Bronx Tale
After the congregants of an Orthodox synagogue could no longer afford their rent, they found help in the local mosque.
Grace Notes
Orthodox klezmer and bluegrass virtuoso Andy Statman and evangelical country star Ricky Skaggs cross genres and faiths to form a mighty duo
Goodbye to All That
For generations, the Jews of Caracas had idyllic weather, prosperity, and vibrant communal organizations. Things have changed under Hugo Chávez.
Who Shall Live
Reporter Dara Horn admires Varian Fry, who saved Jewish intellectuals from the Nazis, but she questions his belief that not all lives held equal value
