Straus Center: Faculty and Staff Publications
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Item Open Access Do cry for me, Argentina(Commentary, 2024-03) Soloveichik, Meir Y.Thousands of years ago, as Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, he emphasized that the sanctity of the site was not for Israelites alone. There will be Gentiles, he predicted, who will be drawn to Jerusalem as a place of prayer, to direct their beseechings toward the Temple Mount.Item Open Access The undying people(First Things, 2024-01)The collection of Yad Vashem, Israel’s museum of the Holocaust and memorial to its victims, presents us with a chronicle of human barbarity and evil. But in its celebration of those “Righteous Gentiles” who protected Jews, it preserves a luminous moral and spiritual legacy. Among those individuals is Don Gaetano Tantalo, an Italian Catholic priest who had come to know two Italian Jewish families by the names of Orvieto and Pacifici during their vacations in his region. When the Nazis entered Italy, he hid these Jews, seven in all, for nine months, in his house and churchItem Open Access The 23rd song(Commentary, Inc., 2024-02)Recently, in the Gaza Strip, a Jewish song was composed and sung. Its unlikely origin and subsequent story embody Judaism itself.Item Open Access The Jewish story is the American story(Commentary, Inc., 2024-01) Soloveichik, Meir Y.On November 14, Deborah Lipstadt spoke before the 290,000 assembled in support of Israel, and in opposition to Jew-hatred, on the Mall in Washington. In her remarks, the prominent historian of the Holocaust and now the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat anti- Semitism, made reference to a famous piece of correspondence between George Washington and early American Jewry.Item Open Access Scalia’s prophecy.(Commentary, Inc., 2024-12) Soloveichik, Meir Y.On May 8, 1997, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia delivered what may have been the mos important speech of his life. Strikingly, the address had nothing to do with jurisprudence; it made no mention of the Consitution or of the originalism that had marked his career. Delivered in the Capitol Rotunda, the jusice’s remarks focused on the horrors of hisory, yet Scalia looked to not only the pas but also the future. His words, now printed in the vital volume Scalia Speaks, have proved terrifyingly prescient.Item Open Access One family, one nation. [Review of the book "The genius of Israel: The surprising resilience of a divided nation in a turbulent world" by Dan Senor and Saul Singer.](2023-10-31) Senor, Dan; Singer, SaulREVIEW: ‘The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World’ by Dan Senor and Saul SingerItem Open Access Psalms have they, but they know not.(Commentary, Inc., 2023-11) Soloveichik, Meir Y.The Bible and its teachings helped form the basis for the Founding Fathers’ abiding belief in the inalienable rights of the individual, rights which they found implicit in the Bible’s teachings of the inherent worth and dignity of each individual.… Now, therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, in recognition of the contributions and influence of the Bible on our Republic and our people, do hereby proclaim 1983 the Year of the Bible in the United States. I encourage all citizens, each in his or her own way, to reexamine and rediscover its priceless and timeless message. —Presidential Proclamation, February 3, 1983Item Metadata only Simchat Torah and the Jewish love of life(Dow Jones, 2023-10-12) Soloveichik, Meir Y.This article discusses the recent attack on Israel by Hamas during the holiday of Simchat Torah, which marks the completion of the Torah. The author highlights the contrast between the celebration of life in Jewish culture and the goal of Hamas to bring death to Jews. The article emphasizes the resilience of the Jewish people throughout history and asserts that their enemies will ultimately fail. The author concludes by expressing hope for the future and the continuation of Jewish traditions. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Wall Street Journal - Online Edition is the property of Dow Jones & Company Inc and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)Item Open Access The palm frond and the sword.(Commentary, Inc., 2023-10) Soloveichik, Meir Y.An ancient cache of Roman weaponry including four spatha swords and a javelin head was found in a hidden chamber inside a cave at Israel’s Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, in the Judean desert…. “To find one sword like this is rare, so four? It’s a dream come true,” the researchers noted. “We couldn’t believe our eyes.” The weapons cache was most likely hidden by Jewish rebels some 1,900 years ago, the authority said, after being seized from Roman forces. One of the IAA staff said it was possible that they would detect DNA on the swords that would provide even more incredible details.Item Metadata only Tolkien's Biblical epic.(Dow Jones, 2023-09-02) Soloveichik, Meir Y.The long-lasting popularity of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ shows that in a secular age, readers still respond to Judeo-Christian teachings about morality, providence and power.Item Open Access Not everything is Tisha B'Av(Commentary, Inc., 2023-09) Soloveichik, Meir Y.In 1977, the newly elected Prime Minister of Israel visited the United States and appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press. He was immediately asked about his meeting with President Carter, but before Menachem Begin addressed the issues of the day, he had more pressing matters on his mind. His response highlighted how different he was from every Israeli premier before or after.Item Open Access The boy who thought he shouldn’t run(Commentary, Inc., 2023-07) Soloveichik, Meir Y.When 21st American Jewry is studies, historians will look back at the story of Oliver Ferber as a snapshot of the era: an inspiring and horrifying episode that tells us a great deal about the American Jewish experience. Oliver’s tale, which occurred in 2021, was made known in an April 2023 article for ESPN by Sam Borden titled “Item Metadata only The marvel, and the ‘scandal,’ of Jerusalem(Dow Jones, 2023-05-18) Soloveichik, Meir Y.Thousands of religious Israelis are celebrating Jerusalem Day, which began Thursday at sundown. On Friday morning at the Western Wall, they will recite psalms of thanksgiving commemorating the moment in the Six Day War of 1967 that Israeli soldiers conquered the ancient city of Jerusalem, making it the heart of Israel’s capital. Those assembled won’t merely mark a military achievement 56 years ago. Their minds will travel back to the earliest origins of the sacred city, to its conquest by King David and to the empires that have destroyed it, only to have it rise again from the ashes. They will ponder how Jewish Jerusalem reflects the miracle of Jewish existence: one that allows us to understand why, for better or worse, the world’s attention remains riveted on Israel.Item Open Access Why Jews speak of memory, not history(Commentary, Inc., 2023-06) Soloveichik, Meir Y.This month, after celebrating Israel’s 75th anniversary, the Jewish world will mark Jerusalem Day, remembering one of the most miraculous moments in Jewish history. Jews will remember, and rightly so, the commanders who helped bring about this remarkable achievement. But it is right to remember the men who captured a mount and touched the stones of the ancient wall, men who remembered Dov Gruner, expressing thereby what it means to be part of a people who refuse to forget. (from Conclusion)Item Open Access The miracle at 75(Commentary, Inc, 2023-05) Soloveichik, Meir Y.IN 1949, NINE MONTHS after the State of Israel was formally recognized by both U.S. President Truman and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, Britain refused to acknowledge the existence of the first Jewish commonwealth to appear on the earth in 2,000 years. The Labor foreign minister, Ernest Bevin, known for his antipathy to Zionism, refused to consider that a fledgling Jewish state should be of interest when it was opposed by so many countries that seemed to matter more to Britain. In response, the leader of the opposition, Winston Churchill, stood in Parliament and delivered one of his addresses for the ages. He accused Bevin of presentism, of maintaining a stunted historical perspective.Item Metadata only When Moses went through DeMille.(2023-04) Soloveichik, Meir Y.CECIL B. DEMILLE had a problem. He had already cast all the roles for his forthcoming blockbuster about the Exodus story, The Ten Commandments, but he had yet to find a suitable voice for God. According to the Bible, it was when standing before the burning bush at Sinai that Moses, by then a shepherd in Midian, was first addressed by the divine. Who, then, could provide a voice that was suitable for the Almighty? Scott Eyman's biography of DeMille, Empire of Dreams, informs us that the great director was flummoxed.Item Metadata only The music beneath the noise: Faith and joy in the writings of Rabbi Sacks(Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) Soloveichik, M. Y.; Sacks, Jonathan; Brown, Erica; Weiss, ShiraOne of the central themes in the writings of Rabbi Lord Sacks was that of identity, and its connection to meaning; and one of the central sources of Rabbi Sacks’ own joy was, evidently, the experience of music. In this brief essay, I join these two aspects of Rabbi Sacks’ writings and life in reflecting on a famous, Pulitzer-Prize-winning story in The Washington Post featuring the celebrated violinist, Joshua Bell. Utilizing several reflections of Rabbi Sacks, inspired by the Talmudic comparison of Torah to a song, I discuss why faith truly is, in Rabbi Sacks’ words, the “ability to hear the music beneath the noise.”Item Metadata only Rosh Hashanah: Why Jews must wish each other a sweet New Year(Gannett, 2024-09-14) Lerner, DovThis Jewish tradition teaches that if you find yourself facing an arduous path ahead, and start feeling down or overwhelmed, have some honey. So, as we look towards Rosh Hashanah 2023, let's wish one another a “sweet new year.” As Rabbi Sacks puts it: “Life may be hard, but it can still be sweet.” Sep 14, 2023Item Open Access War is a very ugly thing but not the ugliest(Lehrhaus, 2024-10-19) Lerner, DovAs the horrors perpetrated by Hamas have come to light, many questions have come to fore. But perhaps the one question that has occupied the minds of every civilized person on Earth has been not theological—“how God could let this happen?”—but anthropological. How could human beings be so inhumane? How could human beings be so depraved and perpetrate such outrageous barbarity?Item Metadata only Sacks on Sisyphus and Soloveitchik: From myth to meaning(Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) Lerner, Dov; Brown, Erica; Weiss, ShiraSummary: "Before his rather sudden passing in 2020, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was one of the most eloquent and influential religious leaders of the generation. As Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for over two decades, he offered a universal message cultivated from the Jewish and Western cannons he knew so well. One concept that figured prominently in his work was joy. "I think of Judaism as an ode to joy," he once wrote. "Like Beethoven, Jews have known suffering, isolation, hardship, and rejection, yet they never lacked the religious courage to rejoice." In this volume, organized by the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership, academics and writers explore the significance of joy within the Jewish tradition. These essays and reflections discuss traditional Jewish primary sources, including Biblical, Rabbinic and Hebrew literature, Jewish history and philosophy, education, the arts, and positive psychology, and of course, through the prism of Lord Sacks' work." -- Provided by publisher.