My article “How Jews Solved the ‘Design Problem’ of Gesturing to the Prohibited Name of God Without Actually Writing It” appears in Mosaic magazine.
All posts in category Judaism
How Jews Solved the “Design Problem” of Gesturing to the Prohibited Name of God Without Actually Writing It
Posted by Menachem Wecker on October 10, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/10/10/how-jews-solved-the-design-problem-of-gesturing-to-the-prohibited-name-of-god-without-actually-writing-it/
Gottlieb’s triple self-portrait captures complexity of High Holidays services
My article “Gottlieb’s triple self-portrait captures complexity of High Holidays services” appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on October 9, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/10/09/gottliebs-triple-self-portrait-captures-complexity-of-high-holidays-services/
The idea that God — or someone — is always watching comes to life with technology
My article “The idea that God — or someone — is always watching comes to life with technology” appears in Religion News Service (RNS). Update: The article also appears in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on October 3, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/10/03/the-idea-that-god-or-someone-is-always-watching-comes-to-life-with-technology/
Tintoretto and His Jewish Neighbors
My article “Tintoretto and His Jewish Neighbors: Art historians have almost completely ignored the many connections between the great Old Master and the Jews of Venice. Is there more to be said?” appears in Mosaic magazine.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on July 17, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/07/17/tintoretto-and-his-jewish-neighbors/
New York State Cracks Down on Jewish Schools
My article appears in Education Next. Here’s the beginning: When the New York Times ran an article headlined “Do Children Get a Subpar Education in Yeshivas? New York Says It Will Finally Find Out,” the newspaper illustrated the piece with a photo of a Jewish school in Queens. An administrator from that school promptly complained […]
Posted by Menachem Wecker on July 16, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/07/16/new-york-state-cracks-down-on-jewish-schools/
Exhibit suggests ‘peaceful pluralism’ among ancient Jews, Christians and pagans
My article “Exhibit suggests ‘peaceful pluralism’ among ancient Jews, Christians and pagans,” about the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit “The World between Empires: Art and Identity in the Ancient Middle East,” appears in National Catholic Reporter.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on June 4, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/06/04/exhibit-suggests-peaceful-pluralism-among-ancient-jews-christians-and-pagans/
Mister Rogers’ Jewish neighborhood
My article “Mister Rogers’ Jewish neighborhood,” about an exhibit of Jim Judkis’ photos of Fred Rogers, appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on May 23, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/05/23/mister-rogers-jewish-neighborhood/
The Wreck of the Jewish Museum
My article “The Wreck of the Jewish Museum” appears in Mosaic magazine. Here’s the response from Tom Freudenheim, former assistant secretary for museums at the Smithsonian Institutions, former director of the museum program at the National Endowment for the Arts, and former director of several museums. Here’s a second response from Edward Rothstein, critic-at-large for […]
Posted by Menachem Wecker on May 6, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/05/06/the-wreck-of-the-jewish-museum/
The Satanic Temple is a real religion, says IRS
The Almighty may not think the Satanic Temple is a church. But the taxman has given it the thumbs-up. The rest of the article, “The Satanic Temple is a real religion, says IRS,” appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on April 25, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/04/25/the-satanic-temple-is-a-real-religion-says-irs/
Jews of African descent ‘unnerved’ by comparisons to viral video group
My article “Jews of African descent ‘unnerved’ by comparisons to viral video group” appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on January 24, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/01/24/jews-of-african-descent-unnerved-by-comparisons-to-viral-video-group/
Selected articles
"The Imitation Game: Are museums being clear enough with the public about what’s real and what’s fake?" Washington Post Magazine. March 3, 2019.
"Searching for Fischer’s Legacy." Chess Life magazine. March 2018. (PDF file).
"A Memorial That Knows Its Biblical History." Wall St. Journal. Sept. 22, 2017.
"Infiltrating the CIA’s Secret Art Collection." Playboy. Jan./Feb. 2017.