The Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought of Yeshiva University

09/17/2026

In his latest for Jewish Journal, Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern looks at Jonah—the reluctant prophet read every Yom Kippur afternoon—and traces how his story of flight, repentance, and mercy has echoed through American thought for centuries. Read the full piece here: https://jewishjournal.com/judaism/392296/how-yom-kippurs-afternoon-prophet-inspires-america/

09/15/2026

Join Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik on October 11 at Museum of the Bible as he unpacks the story behind the Founders' proposed seal and what it reveals about America's founding.

More information can be found here: https://www.museumofthebible.org/events/250thspeakers-soloveichik?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=events&utm_content=a250-rabbi-meir-soloveichik-1&cid=social_facebook_events_a250-rabbi-meir-soloveichik-1&fbclid=IwY2xjawUWo-9wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWpKSFJSZUt5VTV3MWFPTnlzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeiDx_XExNZMFY3rV4k93OgMeIKrX2BhJWPsYZWE2sj71qggF-4bXnpAa0Vls_aem_NCbylPQnDKn5a2zwpTOfCw

09/14/2026

In his latest for Jewish Journal, Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern reviews "In the War Room," the definitive inside account of Israel's fight against Hamas and the Iranian axis since Oct. 7, co-authored by The Jerusalem Post's Yonah Jeremy Bob and The Wall Street Journal's Elliot Kaufman. Read the full review here:

As Israel stands on the cusp of an election and the U.S. enacts economic sanctions against Iran after military strikes failed to achieve a definitive victory, a newly released book serves as a must-read to understand the current moment.

09/14/2026

This Tzom Gedaliah, it's worth revisiting Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern's 2020 piece in Tablet Magazine, which explores this day as a model for how a fractured society repairs itself, highlighting that America's civic health depends on connecting through differences. Read the full piece here:

Why Tzom Gedaliah is the observance our angry society desperately needs

09/08/2026

Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern is cited in Menachem Wecker's latest for JNS.org, tracing how "the patience of Job" journeyed from the Bible into political language, quoted by General McClellan, Richard Nixon, and even King Hussein of Jordan. Read the full piece here:

“During this moment of spiking antisemitism, Jews can take a measure of comfort in recalling to ourselves and to all Americans how Hebraic ideas have helped shape American political language,” Rabbi Stu Halpern, of Yeshiva University, told JNS.

09/08/2026

In his latest for The Wall Street Journal, Senior Scholar Tevi Troy reviews Russell Riley's oral history of the Bush 43 years, drawing on 80 staffer interviews to reveal the rivalries, mistakes, and hidden strategy behind one of the most misunderstood White Houses in recent memory. Read the full piece here:

An oral history, based on 80 interviews, offers insight into one of the most misunderstood administrations in recent history.

09/08/2026

In his latest for Jewish Journal, Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern turns to Deuteronomy, highlighting Moses's farewell address on how a free people should relate to their liberty, ultimately using these teachings to ground America's 250th anniversary. Read the full piece here:

Moses’ speech was addressed to people standing on the threshold of a new chapter. The American story is similarly turning a new page.

09/01/2026

In a review for The Wall Street Journal, Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern highlights Dara Horn's new book, "The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living," which argues that fighting antisemitism requires more than just education. What we need now, she writes, is a new understanding of what Judaism is and who Jews are. Read the full review here:

The author of “People Love Dead Jews” argues that rising antisemitism cannot be fought using the methods that have failed before.

08/27/2026

In his latest for Jewish Journal, Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern highlights America's first flag—which still bore the British Union Jack—and reads it as a sign of the slow, uncertain birth of a nation, echoing biblical Israel's own path to freedom. Read the full piece here:

The Continental Union Flag deserves to be remembered as a window into the political process of independence, as in the time of biblical Israel.

08/21/2026

In his latest for The Wall Street Journal, Senior Scholar Tevi Troy reflects on how New York's Jewish community has changed since the 1970s, from open synagogue doors and mayors marching in the Israel Day parade to security committees and police details. Read the full piece here:

The term ‘hate crime’ didn’t exist when I was growing up in Queens in the 1970s.