Samuel J. Abrams
ARTICLES BY: Samuel J. Abrams
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...
After Mamdani’s Victory, Jewish New York Must Wake Up
The calls and texts started pouring in well before the race was even called. Friends, colleagues, rabbis, and former students -- people who rarely agreed...
Being Jewish in 2025: How the Light Gets In
Several years ago, I took my son -- then barely a year old -- to the Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side of New...
New York Synagogue Speaks of Courage — But Then Retreats in Fear in New York Mayoral Race
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl’s recent message to members of Central Synagogue in New York City struck a nerve. She affirmed her commitment to Israel and condemned antisemitism in...
Why Every Young American Should See Ari’el Stachel’s ‘Other’
Theatre has always been one of the most powerful spaces for self-reflection. It is intimate and raw, placing us in the dark together while a...
The Moulton Moment and the Mamdani Effect: How the Democratic Party Is Abandoning Its Jewish Center
When Representative Seth Moulton (D) of Massachusetts recently announced that he was returning donations from AIPAC and refusing future support, the story barely made national...
The Left Can’t Cheer for Peace When Trump Is Involved
President Donald Trump has done what few thought possible: he helped broker a sweeping ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, negotiated the release of hostages, and...
