The Jewish Quarterly Series

‘Iran's strategy is to eat away at American power, while legitimising its own role as a regional power with nuclear ambitions.’ —Kim Ghattas In this issue of The Jewish Quarterly, renowned writer and analyst Kim Ghattas examines the motivations behind Iran's changing role and influence in the Middle East. Delving into the regime's secretive strategy and tactics, Ghattas investigates Tehran's interventions in the affairs of countries across the region and its relationship with the West, and explores Iran's future role and posture in the Middle East. Also in this issue, Arie M. Dubnov shares keen insights into the intriguing life and ideas of modern Israel's first native Hebrew speaker, and William F.S. Miles brings to life the history and colour of a tiny Jewish community in a French outpost in the Caribbean Sea. Mark Glanville locates Ukraine's post–Great War pogroms in their newly relevant historical context, Sarah Abrevaya Stein takes a fresh look at the extraordinary global success of the Sassoon dynasty and Ryan Ruby critiques Hannah Arendt's Rahel Varnhagen.

Successive generations of Israeli writers have charted the hopes of peace and the pain of conflict. What does the nation's writing reveal about the challenges of today? “The process of saying goodbye to these two authors, who had been a visible presence in Israeli society for decades, is far from over.” —Nir Baram The Pen and the Sword explores the efforts by successive generations of Israeli writers to grapple with their nation's difficult political questions. In a probing essay, Israeli novelist Nir Baram examines the remarkable friendship between two giants of Israeli literature – Amos Oz and A.B. Yehoshua – whose lives, writing and passionate disputes reflect their country's recent turbulent history and divides. And leading critic Arik Glasner surveys a younger generation of Israeli writers, whose disparate voices and stories provide a crucial glimpse into Israel today. The issue also includes Steven Nadler's new insights into the excommunication of Spinoza, Michael Vatikiotis's portrait of the Jewish community of pluralist Singapore and book reviews by Irris Makler, Benjamin Balint and Catherine Taylor.

As war devastates Eastern Europe, the Jews of Ukraine - who have played pivotal roles in modern Jewish culture and Ukrainian political life - face an uncertain future. ‘Ukrainians voted for a mixture of Benny Hill and Boris Johnson, and they somehow wound up with Churchill.’ —Vladislav Davidzon This issue of The Jewish Quarterly explores the rich, tumultuous history of the Jews of Ukraine, who have played a pivotal role in modern Jewish life. Ukraine has been the site of some of the darkest moments in Jewish history, from brutal pogroms to Babi Yar, yet its Jews were central to the foundation of the Hasidic and Zionist movements and to the advancement of Hebrew and Yiddish literature, as well as to the evolution of modern-day Ukraine. In a fascinating essay, Vladislav Davidzon, who has been observing and writing about Ukrainian Jewish life for more than a decade, traces the turbulent history and uncertain future of this community as their country once again fights for its survival. The issue also includes an essay by David Herman reflecting on the first seventy years of The Jewish Quarterly, a feature by Tali Lavi on the Yiddish renaissance unfolding in Australia's most cosmopolitan city, an account by Rabbi Harvey Belovski of a life-changing event that shaped the philosophy of Maimonides, and book reviews by Devorah Baum and Jakub Nowakowski.

The bombing of Argentina's Jewish centre killed 85 people and devastated a community. Who did it? Who covered it up? Why? This issue of The Jewish Quarterly examines the unresolved questions and political intrigue surrounding the AMIA bombing – a terrorist attack that destroyed the Jewish community centre building in Buenos Aires in 1994, leaving eighty-five people dead and hundreds wounded. None of the culprits has ever been brought to justice. In this remarkable essay, the award-winning author and journalist Javier Sinay pieces together the devastating events that unfolded on 18 July 1994 and their shameful aftermath. Sinay investigates the attack, the failed inquiries, the alleged cover-ups and the mysterious death of Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor who died in 2015, hours before he was due to accuse the Argentinian president of a deal with Iran to obstruct inquiries into the bombing. The issue also includes Ian Black on the 1991 Madrid peace conference, Mark Glanville on the life and times of the writer Joseph Roth, and more.

The story of Hebrew -- its origins, revival and continuing evolution - is the story of a people. "Our religion, our story, is, at its heart, a love of this language and a refusal to let it go."--Ben Judah Ivrit explores the remarkable evolution and revival of Hebrew -- a language whose trajectory charts the recent history of the Jewish people. In a colourful, in-depth essay, award-winning writer Ben Judah explores the crucial role of modern Hebrew in defining and reshaping Israel and the Jewish people. He brings key figures to life, including his own ancestors, and contends that, while the dreams of Zionism are a mix of tragic successes and partial failures, the dream of the Hebraists is the one complete triumph. The issue also includes a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer translated into English for the first time, cultural criticism by Joanna Rakoff about literary accounts of female publishing assistants, an essay by Marta Figlerowicz about the Polish writer and artist Bruno Schulz, and a delicious celebration of Jewish-Italian food by Luisa Weiss.

Elon Musk -- head of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of Twitter -- has become a neo-reactionary online troll. What has caused his troubling political transformation? This issue of The Jewish Quarterly explores the troubling political evolution of Elon Musk. In a captivating essay, Richard Cooke explores Musk's spectacular ambition, and how it has shaped his transition from unorthodox liberal to trolling neo-reactionary. How did the richest man in the world transform from a self-described moderate to a staunch advocate for hardline US conservatives? Why did Musk purchase Twitter, only to welcome back white nationalists and Holocaust deniers, sometimes personally? Dark Star explores the roots of this turning in Musk's rise to power, and what his evolution reveals about a wider shift in the politics of Silicon Valley and beyond. Cooke examines this new 'mystical right', its entrepreneurial fanbase, its varying commitment to free speech, and its ready engagement with the online far-right.

After October 7, many on the left justified, dismissed or championed acts and beliefs they otherwise view as unconscionable. Why? ‘October 7 was horrific. Then came October 8, and that's when Jews understood how hated they really are.’ After October 7, many on the left justified, dismissed or even championed acts they otherwise view as unconscionable. It has been a disturbing phenomenon, in which a fanatical form of denial, obfuscation and hatred has been propagated by those who claim to be champions of justice. During a devastating war, it has left Jews in the Diaspora, regardless of their politics, feeling isolated, shocked and – many for the first time – fearful. In Blindness, author and columnist Hadley Freeman explores the willingness of progressives to abandon values they purport to represent. With bitter clarity she outlines the equivocations, contortions and hypocrisy displayed by elements of the left, including many who were unable to acknowledge or condemn the atrocities of Hamas. And she examines the beliefs that have swept across liberal sectors such as universities and the arts with a fervour that blinds adherents to the immense complexities of history and justice.