Seeing the Good in an Imperfect Country (hakarat hatov)
By Tamara Mann Tweel
Deep Dive on Principle: Kohi v'otzem yadi.
Not By the Power and the Strength of My Own Hand (kohi v’ otzem yadi)
By Rivka Press Schwartz
Deep Dive on Principle: Kohi v'otzem yadi.
The Law of the Land is the Law (dina d'malchuta dina)
by Michael G. Holzman
Deep Dive on Principle: Dina d'malchuta dina
A Jewish Civic Ethic of Peace (mipnei darkei shalom)
By Alon Shalev
Deep Dive on Principle: Mipnei darkhei shalom
Other Resources
Here, you’ll find links to other excellent American Jewish Civics resources created by leading Jewish educational organizations.
A Peanut Farmer and Hasidic Rabbi Helped Build the Department of Education. Can Their Legacy Save It?
by Tamara Mann Tweel
A historical and ethical reflection on Jewish investment in American public education, tracing the values that motivated this engagement and asking what they demand in today’s debates over the future of the Department of Education.
Investing in Jewish Civic Learning
By Jon A. Levisohn
This essay offers a concise and accessible argument for treating civic learning as a core communal investment. It distills five principles of American Jewish civic education and situates them within the context of democratic fragility.
Fraternity and Democracy
By Alon Shalev
This essay explores how fraternity—basic social trust and mutual care—functions as a foundational element of democracy. It examines polarization not as a set of attitudes, but as a breakdown in the social mechanisms that allow democratic disagreement to be managed productively.