Jewish conservatism might appear to be an oxymoron, but in the age of Barack Obama it is becoming less so. A symposium is going on at Mosaic, which is an extended discussion of a controversial essay published in April, “The Spirit of Jewish Conservatism.” I suppose it was controversial because the issue was even addressed. Introducing the conversation, the Editor notes:

Our April essay, “The Spirit of Jewish Conservatism,” by Eric Cohen, elicited such strong reactions, both in our pages and elsewhere, that we decided to continue the debate in the form of a symposium. Over the course of this week, we’re presenting brief reflections on Cohen’s thesis by 37 leading Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers.

In today’s opening group are Evelyn Gordon, Peter Berkowitz, Martin Kramer, Yehuda Krinsky, William Galston, David Gelernter, and Joseph Isaac Lifshitz. Read them sequentially, or click on a name to jump to an individual contribution, and let us know what you think in the Comments section. We hope you’ll enjoy the mix—and the fray.

For those of us on the right side, pun intended, of the political/cultural spectrum, this is an encouraging development.