For historian Omer Bartov, the memory of the Shoah has overshadowed the Nakba and contributes to the continuation of the Palestinian catastrophe: in his latest book, he seeks to place them within the same historical and moral context. Eva Illouz offers us her interpretation of this endeavor, which questions Bartov's political blinders: to what extent is comparison reasonable and does not distort the subjects it seeks to compare?
The comments, that were made by the Minister for Equal Opportunities in the Meloni government questioning school trips to Auschwitz, have reignited an old debate about the memory of the Shoah in the Italian public sphere. Serena Di Nepi, a historian specializing in the Jewish diaspora, explains why she has never taken part in these “ Remembrance Trips,” even though they have become a central civic ritual. Between family history, intimate transmission, and institutional ceremony, she explores the profound disconnect between Jewish memory and national memory, and how Judaism continues to express itself in Italy outside of official commemorative frameworks.
Following André Markowicz's article published last week on the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's concert at the Philharmonie de Paris, we received this first-hand account from a member of the audience. He recounts, from his seat, the music and the emotions of that evening on November 6, 2025: drones flying over the building, interruptions, smoke bombs, the Israeli national anthem as an encore. Through Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, this account questions what a concert can achieve when current events intrude on the very heart of the listening experience.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not only fractured the Middle East: it has reopened a rift at the heart of Europe. Why has this distant war become the “question” that is tearing the continent apart? What does it reveal about our idea of justice, our memory, and our confidence in emancipation? By tracing the genealogy of the major European “questions” – social, national, feminist – Julia Christ invites us to radically shift our perspective: what if today’s uncertainty is not just about political positions, but about the very meaning of Europe itself?
This text, originally published by André Markowicz on his Facebook page, looks back at the violent interruptions that occurred on Thursday, November 6, during the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert at the Paris Philharmonic. Markowicz questions the political logic behind these actions and shows how, behind the slogan of boycott, criticism of a state can sometimes shift to the designation of a people “as one entity”.
Katharina von Schnurbein is the European Commission’s Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life. K. interviews her here about her mission, the goals pursued by European policies on these issues, and the difficulties they have encountered, particularly in the last two years.
Thirty years after Rabin’s assassination, what remains of the peace camp? Israeli sociologist Ilan Greilsammer recalls the objectives pursued by Rabin’s policies and makes the bitter observation that the right wing has become the majority. Will the latter’s negligence, revealed by October 7 and the conduct of the war in Gaza, allow the cards to be reshuffled?
Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City, making him the first openly anti-Zionist mayor of the metropolis, goes far beyond the boundaries of municipal politics. This success, driven by progressive youth and a significant portion of American Jews, reveals the depth of generational and ideological divisions within American Judaism. Between growing disaffection with Israel, rising antisemitism, and the reshaping of the Democratic Party, Mamdani’s victory acts as a brutal revelation of an American Jewish world in the midst of an identity crisis.
Exactly thirty years ago, on November 4, 1995, Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a religious Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process. In Yitzhak Rabin, la paix assassinée ? [ET: Yitzhak Rabin, the assassinated peace], Denis Charbit revisits the shockwaves caused by the event, the ambiguous legacy and fractured memory of the Israeli prime minister in his own country. For his name still divides, despite the commemorations that have become “a time for lies, a role-playing game, where, out of respect for form, Rabin’s opponents, who have been in power for nearly thirty years, have ‘a moral duty to commemorate him and a political duty to forget him’” writes Charbit, from whose book, to be published in French this week, we are publishing two excerpts.
Founded in 1925 in Vilnius, YIVO—the Jewish Scientific Institute—aimed to be the “home” of Yiddish culture. One hundred years later, based in New York, it remains the global reference for the study and transmission of Ashkenazi culture. To mark this centenary, we met with historian Cecile Kuznitz, who recounts the intellectual and political adventure of this unique institution.
“Betrayal” is the appropriate word to describe what the ruling coalition in Israel is doing to the spirit of Zionism. While we hope that the end of the war in Gaza will be an opportunity for Israel to get off this slippery slope, German historian of Zionism Michael Brenner reminds us here what the founding fathers, across the political spectrum, had in mind when they envisioned the creation of a democratic Jewish state.
Under Netanyahu’s government, and with the war in Gaza, the State of Israel has found itself increasingly isolated on the international stage. The Israeli Prime Minister, a fan of power politics and macho bravado, would like to make this a source of pride: “We are going to be super-Sparta.” But, asks Danny Trom, isn’t Spartan sovereignty a pseudo-sovereignty, especially for the Jewish people? Examining the political lessons drawn by Hannah Arendt from Jewish history, the sociologist identifies the requirements that the Jewish state must meet if it wants to ensure more lasting autonomy.
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