Commentary is a monthly American magazine of opinion covering politics, culture, foreign policy, religion, Judaism, Israel, and social issues. Founded in November 1945 by the American Jewish Committee under editor Elliot E. Cohen, it emerged as a leading post-World War II journal of Jewish affairs, aiming to interpret American democracy to Jews while elucidating Jewish perspectives to the broader public. Cohen's tenure (1945–1959) established the magazine as an influential liberal anti-Stalinist publication, with notable contributors including Irving Kristol, Clement Greenberg, Robert Warshow, and Nathan Glazer. After Cohen's death in 1959, Norman Podhoretz became editor in 1960, transforming the magazine from its liberal roots into a prominent hub of neoconservatism through the 1970s, championing anti-communism, support for Israel, and criticism of the New Left and counterculture. Podhoretz's 35-year tenure (1960–1995) solidified Commentary's influence in conservative intellectual circles, publishing seminal essays by figures including Jeane Kirkpatrick, Saul Bellow, Lionel Trilling, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Bernard Malamud — a generation later labeled the New York Jewish Intellectuals. Neal Kozodoy, who had been with the magazine since 1966, served as editor from 1995 to 2008. John Podhoretz succeeded Kozodoy as editor on January 1, 2009. In 2007, Commentary separated from the American Jewish Committee to become an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Commentary Inc. (EIN 13-3610041), with Michael J. Leffell as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The Tikvah Fund is among the magazine's financial supporters, with Tikvah vice-chairman Gary Rosenthal serving on Commentary Inc.'s board. With a paid circulation of approximately 26,000, Commentary maintains a readership that includes policymakers, academics, and business leaders. It produces The Commentary Magazine Podcast hosted by John Podhoretz, Abe Greenwald, Christine Rosen, and Seth Mandel. The magazine has been praised for intellectual rigor and has shaped American Jewish identity, neoconservative thought, and U.S. foreign policy debates, though it has drawn criticism from some as overly partisan on Middle East issues.