Norman Podhoretz is one of the preeminent intellectuals of the modern era: editor of Commentary for 35 years, master literary critic, piercing political thinker and polemicist, fearless defender of American and Jewish interests. After an early collection of essays, his first full-length book, Making It, was published in 1967—and it was an intellectual earthquake. A boldly […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher. Using the essay “Innovation and Redemption: What Literature Means,” Ruth Wisse joins Eric Cohen to discuss the insights of famed literary critic, Cynthia Ozick. They ask if literature has a moral purpose, and observe how different approaches to the past […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher. How should Israelis think about the security and defense of the Jewish State when confronted with Palestinian claims to national sovereignty? What effect will Israel’s material prosperity have on the prospects for peace?  What role does honor and dignity, hadar, […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher. Chapter 1: A Minor Semi-Festival Chapter 2: The Politicization of Tu B’Shvat Chapter 3: Atavistic Environmentalism Chapter 4: Judaism and Nature Until recently, Tu B’Shvat—the Jewish “new year” for trees—was a minor observance on the Jewish calendar. It isn’t mentioned […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher. Chapter 1: A History of the Jewish Vote Chapter 2: The New Orthodox Vote Chapter 3: The Pro-Israel Vote Chapter 4: Disrupting the Jewish Vote American Jews have long been one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting blocs. Since […]