Paul Socken
ARTICLES BY: Paul Socken
Israel Isn’t Going Anywhere
For the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the majority of the world's Jews live in Zion. Whether forced from...
Sholem Aleichem and Stolen Dreams
In a newly-translated story in Tablet magazine, Sholem Aleichem recounts the extraordinary Passover of one family in pre-war Poland. The narrator is a young boy...
Germany Can Show True Repentance by Confronting Iran
In the aftermath of World War II, Germany has tried to atone for the Holocaust: It is illegal to deny the Holocaust in Germany. There...
Remembering Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
In these uncertain times, we all feel adrift, and in need of guidance, wisdom, and leadership. There was a man who offered the world all...
Artificial Intelligence: The Forbidden Fruit of the 21st Century
Long before the invention of self-driving cars and robotics, Jews conceived the idea of man-made life. Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming so advanced now that it...
A Truly Diverse and Free Society Is Our Only Hope
I thought that after 2,000 years of discrimination, pogroms, and expulsions ending in the Holocaust, antisemitism would finally be consigned to the dustbin of history. I...
Three Jewish Stories and the Essence of Life
Three short Jewish stories sum up the essence of life -- and suggest the essential elements for a life of satisfaction and meaning. The first story...
Jewish Survival: Making Music With What Remains
The great Jewish historian Salo Baron objected to the "lachrymose" version of Jewish history -- the overemphasis on Jewish suffering. Instead, Jewish history should be...
Yiddish and Other Languages
I speak French with my head and Yiddish with my heart. I learned French in school and made it my field of study and my profession....
Jewish Canadian Art Exhibit Promotes Tolerance Over Hate and Racism
A tapestry, currently on display at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto, stands as a bulwark against a rising tide of intolerance and nativism...
Why People Behave Righteously
What makes people good? So much has been written about what makes people commit terrible acts -- was it deprivation, childhood trauma, personality disorder? But...
Confessions of a Synagogue Candyman
Every synagogue has at least one "candyman." He happily dispenses candies and treats to the children. In our synagogue, there was a gentleman who devoted...
Admiring Judaism Through the Eyes of a Christian
Devout, practicing Christian friends have told me over the years that they respect much about the Jewish faith. I decided recently to ask them what,...
Does the Future of Judaism Lie in Israel?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of Great Britain, is correct in pointing out that never before in Jewish history has there been a thriving...
