On Christmas Day 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem we now know as the song “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Earlier in the year, Longfellow had unsuccessfully pressured his son, Charles, not to join the Union Army. On Christmas Day, Longfellow learned his beloved son had ...

When I go to synagogue, I always smile and wave at the armed police officers stationed outside. I want them to know they’re appreciated, but also, at some level, I guess it’s fair to say that I’m trying to ingratiate myself so that the cop will want to put his or her life on the line to ...

Yes, President Donald Trump could have taken the high ground rather than excoriating Rob Reiner, the actor, director and producer found stabbed to death, along with his wife. The Reiners’ son, Nick, has been arrested in connection with the murders. Trump doubled down in a Truth Social ...

Historians considering the state of American depravity will doubtless pause to reflect on the remarkable support in certain quarters for accused killer Luigi Mangione, charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk last year. Mangione was caught on video ...

‘Tis the season. No, not that season. It’s the season for end-of-year lists. Time magazine, which, like so much in print journalism has suffered from a loss of readers, has published its annual list called the “most influential people of 2025.” The list includes “Artists, ...

The past week has brought an unusual amount of bad news; so much that it’s been difficult to focus on any one item before you’re buffeted by the next horrific headline. Here are a few of my personal observations on some of these recent events. n Murder of Rob and Michele Reiner, and ...