As we approach the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29, Americans should take the opportunity to learn not only the familiar lessons about economic and racial injustice, but also to embrace the responsibilities these lessons oblige. New Orleans nourishes a vibrant African-American culture and a flourishing Jewish community. More fundamentally, our communities' shared sufferings demand our special commitment...

I was recently standing with my husband in the vast lobby of the Borgata, presumably Atlantic City's eighth wonder of the world. The place was opulent, naughty and dizzying, sometimes all at once. But I was remembering another Atlantic City, the one so familiar to legions of Jewish Philadelphians, the one my grandmother called "Tlontic City." There were no glittering...