Samuel J. Abrams
ARTICLES BY: Samuel J. Abrams
America at 250: Why the Jewish Story Is Central to the American Experiment
In 2026, the United States will mark its 250th anniversary. The semiquincentennial -- "America 250," as it is now branded -- will bring speeches, exhibitions,...
Jewish America’s Future Depends on All Its Communities — Not Just the Coasts
American Jewish life has long been anchored in a small number of powerful metropolitan centers. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and a handful of...
When Standards Disappear: What the Mamdani Reversals Reveal About Jewish Political Vulnerability
When New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office, he pledged to "protect our Jewish neighbors." Within hours of taking power and very deliberately, he reversed two...
Jewish Communal Institutions Failed the Oct. 7 Test — Mergers, Consolidations, and Closing Some Institutions Is One Answer
For years, Jewish leaders have warned of a "talent pipeline" crisis: too few professionals entering and remaining in Jewish education, campus life, advocacy, philanthropy, and...
The US Coast Guard Keeps Trying to Loosen Restrictions on Swastikas — Have We Passed a Point of No Return?
It is hard to describe the insanity of what the US Coast Guard just did -- or nearly did -- without sounding alarmist. But alarm...
The Unheralded Jewish Hero of Bondi Beach: When Strength Means Standing for Others
Something important happened at Bondi Beach -- not only because of the horror inflicted there, but because of how a few ordinary people responded when...
After Bondi, What Hanukkah Really Means This Year
Before Hanukkah (and before the Bondi Beach massacre), my son asked me what the holiday is really about. Not the gifts, not the latkes, not even...
Hanukkah After Bondi Beach: We Must Not Retreat
The attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach took place at a public Hanukkah celebration -- an openly Jewish gathering marking a holiday meant to symbolize continuity,...
Sarah Lawrence College: When Students Come Back to Campus and Find Hate on the Wall
I walked onto the Sarah Lawrence campus after Thanksgiving break and I saw it immediately -- an entire wall covered in spray paint: “ZIONISM IS...
The Jewish ‘Bubble’ — and Why It Still Matters for Our Future
One of the most revealing questions you can ask a Jewish college student today is not what they think about Israel or how they view...
Reclaiming the Rabbinate: Why This Moment Demands Moral Seriousness and Urgent Action
Three years ago, a mid-sized Conservative synagogue in the Midwest began searching for a new senior rabbi. The search committee received 42 applications. Not one...
We Should Be Building More Jewish Institutions and Buildings — Not Downsizing Them
A few weeks ago, driving through West Philadelphia with my son, I pointed out the streets where my grandparents once lived and the places where...
Daniel Patrick Moynihan and the Courage to Name Evil
On Nov. 10, 1975 — almost 50 years ago to the day — Daniel Patrick Moynihan did something that few diplomats or public figures would...
Two Jewish Moral Worlds: What the Mamdani Election Reveals
When a single election lays bare a community's conscience, it deserves more than punditry. The recent victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York's Democratic primary was...
