In the past month, the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought has continued making a significant impact across the media landscape, with multiple new publications, podcasts, lectures, and other contributions.

Staff, faculty, and students at the Straus Center have published numerous pieces and received media coverage in a variety of venues. In The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Barton Swaim interviewed Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, Director of the Straus Center, about his new book, Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship, and its relevance for present-day American politics. Straus Scholar Tziporah Pinczower (SCW ‘26), a member of our newest cohort of students, published a letter to the editor and contributed to WSJ's "Future View" feature. She has now written a total of three times for WSJ this semester, having published a letter last month as well.

In Jewish Journal, Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, Deputy Director of the Straus Center, published pieces on the rabbinic renderings of Og and the symbolism of Jacob’s dream. And Straus Scholar Tamara Yeshurun (SCW ‘26) reflected on the symbolism of the shalshelet, a rare cantillation mark that only appears three times in the book of Genesis. In the Washington Free Beacon, Rabbi Soloveichik reviewed The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World by Dan Senor and Saul Singer.

As Thanksgiving approached, Yisroel Ben-Porat, the Straus Center’s Programming and Communications Officer, joined the podcast Shu"T First, Ask Questions Later to discuss the responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein on celebrating Thanksgiving. And in Torah Musings, he drew on the history of Thanksgiving to shed new light on the halachic analysis.

In the Washington Examiner, Dr. Troy discussed how President Biden has continued to support Israel despite internal dissension within his administration. Dr. Troy also joined two episodes of Tablet’s “Take One” Daf Yomi podcast, exploring the conflict between the bonds with our own people and those of the larger community, and how themes of liability in Tractate Bava Kamma historically took place in the White House. 

Rabbi Dr. Dov Lerner, Clinical Assistant Professor at the Straus Center, published a chapter on the thought of Rabbi Sacks, and Yisroel Ben-Porat contributed an article to the latest issue of Tradition. Other Straus Center staff and faculty are working on multiple book projects in progress. Dr. Troy’s forthcoming book, The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between American Titans of Industry and Commanders in Chief, was reported by Politico and Jewish Insider.