Menorah Journal


The Menorah Journal was a Jewish-American magazine, founded in New York City and "the leading English-language Jewish intellectual and literary journal of its era.

History

1920s: The journal came from the Menorah Society of Harvard University to explore humanistic values within Judaism and promote secular Jewish culture. An Intercollegiate Menorah Association arose in 1913; membership peaked in the 1920s on 80 US and Canadian colleges and universities.
1930s: The Great Depression that started in late October 1929 led the journal to cut publishing from monthly to quarterly. At the same time, Jewish intellectuals moved left, splitting readership. "In 1931, a core of key editors and writers, including Elliot E. Cohen, Herbert Solow, and Felix Morrow joined the Communist Party and its literary journal, the New Masses. Most of these writers had abandoned the Party by 1934 for Trotskyism. Most moved away from Jewish identity.
1940s-1960s: Following World War II, nationalist Zionism become popular, but journal editor Hurwitz aligned the Menorah Journal with the American Council for Judaism and so exclusively religious. More specifically, Hurwitz advocated "Zakkaian Judaism". The journal ended shortly after Hurwitz’s death.

Founders

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