Jewish Currents

Jewish Currents is a progressive, secular Jewish magazine dedicated to politics, culture, and ideas, offering quarterly print editions and daily digital content. The magazine is acclaimed for its in-depth reporting, analytical rigor, literary quality, and cultural criticism, addressing pressing topics such as antisemitism, racial justice, feminism, labor, climate, immigration, Israel/Palestine politics, and the global far right. Its mission is to provide readers with thoughtful, independent commentary while engaging a broad audience in contemporary Jewish and progressive debates. Founded in 1946 as Jewish Life by the Morgen Freiheit Association within the orbit of the American Communist Party, the magazine originally promoted anti-McCarthyism, Black–Jewish solidarity, Yiddish culture, and non-Zionist support for Israel. Surviving the collapse of the CPUSA’s influence in the 1950s, it was renamed Jewish Currents in 1958 and gradually evolved into a democratic socialist publication, guided by editor Morris U. Schappes. Over the following decades, it remained a voice for civil rights, U.S.–Soviet détente, Palestinian self-determination, and Jewish progressive thought. In 2005, the Workmen’s Circle briefly became publisher, revitalizing readership and uniting factions of the Jewish left. In 2018, a millennial-led relaunch redesigned the magazine and website, expanding its influence among contemporary progressive audiences. Today, Jewish Currents continues to combine historical insight with cutting-edge reporting and commentary, remaining an essential platform for thoughtful, independent Jewish journalism.