Moment Magazine

09/10/2026

“For the sins of making assumptions, bullying, careless use of words and dishonesty in our posts, may we be forgiven. May we no longer engage in egotism, spreading falsehoods, gossip, hate speech or indecencies. May we no longer be tempted by jingoism, kneejerk responses, malevolence and name-calling. We should stand up against obsequiousness, public shaming, quarrels and resistance to hearing new ideas. May we let go of selfishness and no longer take time away from family for social media. May we call out unchecked sources, report violent threats, not whet our tongues with xenophobia nor yield to zealous divisiveness. For all these sins and more, we ask Your forgiveness. Amen.”

What social media sins are you apologizing for this Rosh Hashanah?

https://momentmag.com/ask-the-rabbis-what-sins-should-we-atone-for-in-our-use-of-social-media/

09/10/2026

“From the minute I’d entered the Legacy Sites that morning, I’d felt guilty, maybe presumptuous, about my incorrigible interweaving of Jewish experience into Black suffering. But then Kendall Mathews-Moskowitz appeared at the wall of names to render the connection literal and human.”
Can you fully witness another community’s historical tragedy without instinctively searching for echoes of your own?
Letty Cottin Pogrebin takes readers inside her deeply personal journey through Montgomery’s Legacy Museum.

From the minute I’d entered the Legacy Sites that morning, I’d felt guilty, maybe presumptuous, about my incorrigible interweaving of Jewish experience into Black suffering.

09/09/2026

When Donald Trump hosted the grand rabbis of Satmar, Skver, Bobov, and Vizhnitz, the conversation centered on federal funding for yeshivas, public housing, and kosher food in prisons. Nathan Guttman explores how this rare Oval Office meeting reflects a brand-new approach to White House political engagement with ultra-Orthodox leadership.

Heads of the top ultra-Orthodox communities in the U.S. met with the president, the House passed an anti-BDS bill, and JD stuck with Tucker.

09/09/2026

“The system runs on trust. Ignore its rules.”

Broadly recognized as a serial fabulist who had utter contempt for the law, Trump mentor Roy Cohn was no cartoon villain, Marc Fisher argues. He was a brilliant tactician and a loyal friend, especially to his circle of New York buddies in the worlds of politics, the media and showbiz. He was also an effective litigator, albeit one who did near-zero preparation for court and was frequently accused of paying off judges.

He also had foundational beliefs still being used today:

Delay, deny, lie, and attack.

Ultimately, according to a new biography by Kai Bird, his saga portrays “the fragile character of American democracy.”

It is difficult to think about Cohn without going immediately to Trump. It would be incorrect, though, to see them as peas in a pod. Yes, everything from Trump’s bloody rhetoric to his libertine approach to s*x to his cavalier attitude toward court orders echoes Cohn’s Way.

09/08/2026

“Jews achieved rights of citizenship, then sometimes saw those rights withdrawn or limited, then sometimes saw them restored.”

Were the 19th-century Jews who fought for European citizenship overly optimistic, or were they the true architects of modern civil rights activism?

In his review for Moment, veteran journalist Robert Siegel examines historian David Sorkin's new book, The Emancipationists: Nineteenth-Century Jews' Campaign for Citizenship. Siegel traces how European Jews organized petitions, launched newspapers, and challenged state policies to win civil equality—long before the rise of modern political Zionism or socialism.

The Emancipationists officially hit shelves this week—read Robert Siegel’s full review.

Jews achieved rights of citizenship, then sometimes saw those rights withdrawn or limited, then sometimes saw them restored.

09/04/2026

"Everybody with a womb doesn’t have to have a child any more than everybody with vocal cords has to be an opera singer."

Was feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who died on Wednesday at the age of 92 and famously chose not to have kids, an "alma"? In recent years, the term has been embraced by Jewish women who choose a childfree life instead of adhering to traditional expectations. Jennifer Bardi explores the history of the "alma."

After working for seven years at a Jewish parenting website, Molly Tolsky wanted to create a space for an audience she herself identified with: young Jewish women focusing on careers and their place in the world who weren’t necessarily thinking about marriage or children.

09/04/2026

“I tried to model myself after her, her decency and her clarity and her dignity and humor.”

Ms. Magazine co-founder Letty Cottin Pogrebin remembers her friend and colleague, the feminist trailblazer and revered activist Gloria Steinem.

"I really loved her, and I tried to model myself after her, her decency and her clarity and her dignity and humor. She was not only my friend and colleague, she was my role model."

09/04/2026

Moment is excited to announce the judge of this year's Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest is Ayelet Tsabari!

Submit your short stories by October 15! This is a unique opportunity to share your voice and explore themes that resonate with Jewish culture, history and identity.

Learn more here: https://momentmag.com/karma-fiction-contest/

09/03/2026

Gracie Abrams, sombr, Sienna Spiro and now Stella Lefty: Are any of the new Jewish nepo babies in the music industry actually good?
https://momentmag.com/jewish-nepo-baby-olympics/

09/03/2026

“Will Republicans spurn Carlson and Greene as extremists or bring them back into the tent?”

Former Trump allies Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene announced over the summer that they were leaving the Republican Party to help launch a third
party focused on ending all immigration, “putting America first” and halting aid to Israel. It may seem fringe now but Marc Fisher warns that while third parties almost never win in America, their ideas do sometimes leach into the bloodstream of the major parties.

The extreme rhetoric coming from Carlson and company cannot be dismissed as standard politics.