The Last Professor

Bill Kolbrener is the Executive Director of Writing on the Wall and, reluctantly, the last professor. Formed by an education that no longer exists and teaching in a world that no longer reads, he writes about what we must preserve — reading, interpretation, and the fragile human voice that refuses to become machine-made.

Tick–Tock: The Hope of the Hopeless

The Jewish optimism of hopelessness – kiviti – the hope that remains after all hope is lost.

Whiplash: Between Mourning and Celebration

The line between collective grief and celebration has become so thin that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other.

Ba’avor Zeh – For this Moment, Now

From degradation to triumph, from idolatry to the one God, from slavery to freedom, we first remember and retell.

Near Miss

I felt the car jolt – a sharp, sudden bang. I was sure I’d blown a tire.

Between the Sirens: Now Accepting Submissions

Be a literary witness from wherever you are. We are seeking creative responses - poetry, artwork, and essays - to the uncertainty of today. Click here to check out the series!

Flyover

Saturday was my father’s yahrzeit, the first anniversary of his death. I had planned a kiddush at home and was scheduled to speak in synagogue after the reading of Parshat Zachor. Every year on the...

Why I Didn’t Cancel Milton

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a class trip to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Muslim, Christian, and Jewish students moved easily through a shared historical space, speaking from within their traditions without defensiveness...

10th of Tevet

Explore the meaning behind the Tenth of Tevet. The fast does not mourn the moment the walls fell, but the moment the city was cut off economically, politically, and spiritually.