Books

'Engaging the Essence': The Lubavitcher Rebbe as philosopher - review

While the Rebbe did not write a system, he spoke to occasions for 40 years. Bronstein anchors the structure of the Rebbe’s talks in his first discourse of 1951.

|ByNOAH ROTHSTEIN
CHABAD ‘SHLUCHIM’ gather in front of 770 Eastern Parkway, New York, in 2022.
GIRLS CELEBRATE their bat mitzvah in Alexandria, Egypt, 1967.

Fair is not always equal: Adapting bar, bat mitzvahs to developmental challenges - review

The goal of "A Different Spirit" is to offer practical guidance to those planning Jewish rite of passage ceremonies for youth with autism, anxiety, or other mental/physical health issues.

|ByMARION FISCHEL
Disputation between Christian and Jewish scholars. Woodcut by Johann von Armssheim, 1483.

'Joseph Albo': A sweeping map of Jewish belief - review

This influential vision of Judaism places belief and commitment, not philosophy, at the heart of salvation.

|ByRAFFI CROUSE
Jane Yolen and her most famous book, "The Devil's Arithmetic."

Jane Yolen, whose The Devil’s Arithmetic became a Holocaust classic, dies at 87

Scholars say The Devil’s Arithmetic cemented Yolen's legacy as a leading writer for young Jewish readers, praised for blending time travel with historical authenticity.

|ByPENNY SCHWARTZ/ JTA

'The Road to October 7': The long centuries of hatred that led to Hamas’s attack - review

This review of The Road to October 7 follows an interview with its author published in the Magazine earlier this month.

MARCH 28, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER
Germans read an antisemitic tabloid on a billboard: 'The Jews are our misfortune.' That was in 1935. The Palestinian Authority still teaches hate and violence toward Jews today, the author writes.

Matzah pizza and Miriam star in new children’s books for Passover in 2026

The new books range from Karen Katz’s brightly colored, joyful picture book to an ornately designed volume published by a Chabad-Lubavitch imprint.

MARCH 25, 2026ByPENNY SCHWARTZ/ JTA
New children's books for Passover in 2026 include ones about welcoming guests and women of Jewish history.

Jerusalem highlights: March 20 – March 26

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

MARCH 21, 2026ByHAGAY HACOHEN
Ron Mueck, ‘Boy,’ 1999, shown at a past Venice Biennale (see Tues day).

What history teaches about October 7, according to Rafael Medoff

A renowned historian’s scholarly work examines alarming trends to watch out for.

MARCH 8, 2026ByATARA BECK
Cars belonging to Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak members were also mutilated on Oct. 7, 2023.

Be a refusenik: Survival guide for Jewish students facing campus antisemitism

New playbook for Jewish defiance on campus takes a page from Soviet refuseniks.

MARCH 8, 2026ByABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN
David Hazony (from L) Natan Sharansky, Rawan Osman, Izabella Tabarovsky, and Noah Shufutinsky at the January launch event for Be a Refusenik at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem.

Wedding invitation from 1955: A stroll through cherished memories - opinion

A simple wedding invitation from over 60 years ago provides memories of family and the moments that shaped a life.

MARCH 1, 2026ByDVORA WAYSMAN
The Writer's wedding invitation from 1955, to take place in Melbourne’s St. Kilda Synagogue.

'Rogue Justice': Exploring how Israel’s top court turned into a political powerhouse - review

Yonatan Green reveals how Israel’s Supreme Court seized power, shaping law and politics with little democratic oversight.

MARCH 1, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER
Entrance hall of the Supreme Court, decorated with a section of mosaic pavement recovered from the 5th-to-8th-century Hamat Gader synagogue, near the Golan Heights.

'The Gavriel Tirosh Affair': Unforgettable teacher, lingering memory - review

Yitzhak Shalev’s novel traces the lingering power of a teacher who vanished but never left his students’ minds.

MARCH 1, 2026ByRACHEL PARNESS
The Irgun Museum in Tel Aviv.

HarperCollins to publish book of conversations with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, slain Chabad emissary

The book, titled “Conversations With My Rabbi: Timeless Teachings for a Fractured World,” was written by Nikki Goldstein, a Jewish author who first encountered Schlanger during a hospital stay.

FEBRUARY 27, 2026ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
Nikki Goldstein and Rabbi Eli Schlanger celebrate Sukkot.

The book on Apple is already number one on Amazon

Ahead of the tech giant's jubilee celebrations, veteran journalist David Pogue reveals a first look at "Apple: The First 50 Years."

FEBRUARY 26, 2026ByYINON BEN SHUSHAN
Apple: The First 50 Years