Jacob Neusner

One man’s sukkah is another man’s shack

Published on September 27, 2007

Vast slums perch precariously in the hills overlooking Rio de Janeiro, each made up of thousands of sukkot -- flimsy shacks in which people live

Why Reform, Chabad Are Necessary

Published on June 16, 2005

Contemporary Judaism cannot spare any of its competing components. Each one, from Charedi to Reform, has a unique contribution to make.

I recently spent some time with the Helsinki Jewish community and learned something about Judaism I didn't know. First, I learned that the community of Judaism needs the Reform movement and cannot survive without it.

Second, I learned that the community of Judaism needs the Chabad movement and cannot build a future without its unique contribution.

When Jews Became a ‘Modern’ People

Published on January 27, 2005

In the forward of "After Emancipation: Jewish Religious Responses to Modernity," Michael Meyer explains: "This book is directed especially to a broader readership ... that is not likely to have read these essays when they first appeared in scholarly journals..."

The Next Battle

Published on December 14, 2000

The next chapter in the struggle for normality in Judaism on the part of gay men and lesbians will take place within Conservative Judaism over admission to rabbinical school.

The Intellectual Crisis of Jewish-American Life

Published on November 9, 2000

What would life be like for us if ideas mattered in the inner domain of Judaism?