Emes Ve-Emunah

Photography shoot at a Charedi wedding (Ha'aretz)

Barbara Bensoussan’s article in Mishpacha Magazine on dating in the Orthodox world sheds some light on this much discussed subject. Often referred to as the Shidduch crisis the statistics quoted in this article raises questions about some of the long held assumptions about it.

Ms. Bensoussan interviewed Dr. Kiki Ehrenpreis, whose doctoral dissertation was on this very subject. In trying to establish some data about commonly held beliefs she found that some of them simply aren’t true.

First it should be noted that her sample had some inherent bias in that it was done via an online poll. Obviously that means that those Orthodox Jews that do not use internet were not represented. It should also be noted that Chasidim and Lubavitch participated very little.

Otherwise her polling sample was divided into main 3 groups: Yeshivish, Modern Yeshivish, and Modern Orthodox. I don’t really like these classifications because the first two overlap. And the 3rd is too broad. Modern Orthodox Jews consist of a wide range of Jews. The differences at the 2 poles are significant. Bearing that in mind I still believe that a lot can be gleaned for her data.

Let us look at the parameter of weight for example. Her data shows that it is clearly an issue for males. But not so much for females. Males look at a woman’s physical attractiveness; women apparently do not. Data on dating frequency per month was collected. The frequency of dates was the same for men no matter how thin or overweight they were. For women on the other hand those who dated the most were in the underweight category. And there is a sharp decrease in dating frequency as the weight goes up. The data showed 6 dates per month for underweight women decreased to 1 date per month for obese women. Weight is therefore clearly a factor in the Shidduch crisis.

What about the age gap theory. Which states that the increasing numbers of female singles born every year can never catch up to the lesser number of older boys born 3 or 4 years ago that are just now beginning to date. That leaves a lot of young women out in the cold since they are greater I number that the number of boys dating.

Well Dr. Ehernpreis’s data does find some truth to that. But she also found that there are a lot of older single males. Her data shows that 20% of these young women in her sample do not date at all! But it also found that 14 and 17% of young men do not date at all either. While the percentages are greater for women, they are pretty big for men too.

The question is, ‘Why don’t these two segments date each other?’ There are some obvious answers to this. One being that they do not run in the same circles. But some do. And yet those young people don’t date each other either. There are other reasons that I think are significant, like incompatible personalities and physical or mental health issues. But I have to believe that there ought to be a ot more cases than zero that could be dating. One out all of 20% of young women and 14 to 16% of young men that aren’t dating there has to be more than a few that are compatible and should be dating each other.

Why don’t they? I believe one problem is biases inherent in the Shadchan system. Another problem is the overprotective, overbearing parent who feels that no one is good enough for their child. And yet another problem is the personal biases of the daters themselves.

I believe the heightened level of scrutiny these biases results in is major problem that is given little if any attention by those focusing on the problem. The kind of scrutiny that asks what kind of table cloths a family uses on Shabbos. Scrutiny that includes many irrelevant questions like that about a potential date. There are some very fine Shiduchim that never take place because unsatisfactory answers to questions like that.

To back this up, Dr. Ehrenpries found that religious singles do not attribute their single status to demographics. When she questioned them about this - a lot of them said that too many people have unrealistic expectations or the wrong priorities. 38% of boys said that the opposite sex is too picky, and 40% of the female respondents said that mothers of boys are seen as the gatekeepers and too picky for their sons.

Then there is my personal pet peeve which I believe is a major factor in the crisis. The idea that the ‘learning boy’ is the sine qua non of the dating world. If a young man expresses any reservations about continuing to learn full time after marriage, he is not considered prime dating material in the Yeshivishe world. That leaves a lot of very good young men out in the cold. And it also helps explain the excess numbers of unmarried women. I have said this before, it’s a lot easier to want a learning boy than to be a learning boy. There are therefore a lot more people that want to marry a ‘learning boy’ than there are actual ‘learning boys’.

Now I have no issue with finding out some essential details about a potential date. Like Hashkafos, Midos (character), personality type; and general appearance. But most other questions are in my view counterproductive. Sure there are certain specifics that a one might be looking for in a mate. Like if they have a sense of humor. But that is the purpose of the actual date.

This may not solve all of the problems in Orthodox dating. But it will solve at least one major one.

The bottom line for me that demographics are clearly not the only - or perhaps not even the primary reason for the so called Shidduch crisis. I still maintain that there are as many males born into the world every year as there are females. I therefore feel that calling it a demographic problem is the wrong approach. It is an age bias problem.

If it were up to me, that would be the one piece of information that should be off limits to any Shadchan. The age of a potential date should never be revealed. Because the only thing that does is add a meaningless impediment. That information should be off limits. That is surely a better alternative than lowering the age to 19 or 20 - the age where women begin to date. I do not believe that 19 year olds are mature enough in our day to get married. Promoting this approach is a disaster waiting to happen. Divorce will surely increase as the marrying age is lowered. (Yes there are many exceptions. But we are talking about the rule here).

So here is my formula for success. The Charedi world must change the paradigm to value those who will be working as much as those that will be learning after marriage. The Shaddchan must be required to eliminate all the irrelevant questions they ask about a potential date. And finally a Shadchan should never reveal the age of a potential date. Of course this presumes the age gap is not too great in either direction. Up to a 6 year age gap or less seems reasonable in either direction – meaning whether the boy is older than the girl or the girl is older than the boy.

If these guidelines are followed I believe it would go a long way to restoring normalcy to the dating world of the Orthodox.

Yes, that's Trump with his friends - Bill and Hillary

According to the latest polls (and much to my chagrin) it looks like Donald Trump will win most of the primaries in the 12 states having them tomorrow, Super Tuesday. Which means his path to the nomination will be pretty hard to undermine. Not that it is impossible. But after awhile the handwriting starts appearing o the wall.

I still hold out hope that Rubio can somehow overcome the odds and prove the polls wrong. I also hope that I will win the lottery (...not that I buy lottery tickets). Hope is not enough. But as I said, there is a chance.

In my view, at this point the only hope for Rubio is a brokered convention. Which will happen if none of the candidates get enough delegates to guarantee the nomination. After the first ballot, delegates are free to vote for whomever they choose. And that's when the candidates start lobbying them for their support.

But should Trump get enough delegates, then it's all over but the shouting. In my wildest dreams I would have never predicted that a man whose racists and sexist comments are so repulsive; a man who just yesterday refused to disavow the KKK - could be so popular with mainstream Republicans. Nor would I have ever predicted that successful mainstream Republican politicians like Chris Christie and Jeff Sessions would have endorsed him. But they did. As do at least 49% of Republican voters. That - according to the latest poll - is the percentage of Republicans that would vote for him if the election were held today.

I still can't believe it, And yet, there it is. I have devised a little poll. It is located on the right margin. It asks a very simple question with only two possible responses. Who would you vote for? Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump.

I realzie of course that my readers may not be a representative sample of the American electorate. But I am still curious to know what my readers think. Does Trump actually have a chance at becoming President? Am I wrong in my prediction that he will be soundly defeated in a landslide - as I said a few days ago? I am beginning to think a Trump Presidency may actually happen. So I ask my readership, what say you? Who would you vote for between Trump and Clinton? The poll closes in about a week.

I have been asked by a family member to remove the previous post. Even though this particular family member assured me that there was no problem with what I said, they prefer to keep the matter as private as possible. I am honoring their wishes and apologize for any pain it may inadvertently have caused.That was truly not my intention.

Rav Moshe Feinstein, ZTL. He did not attend Gadol School

It’s about two hours long. So I am not necessarily suggestion one listen to the entire thing. But Klal Perspectives– an online magazine dealing with many of the issues I discuss here – had a panel discussion on same. The panel consisted of what I believe to be moderate Charedi personalities. Some a bit more to the right than others. But moderate just the same.

My ears perked up when the discussion veered into the idea of striving to be a Gadol… a top Torah scholar of the generation. Jonathan Rosenblum made what seemed to be a contradictory comment. On the one hand he said that everyone should be given the opportunity to become a Gadol. Then he said not everyone is cut out to be one. They are therefore being given the wrong message if they are told that is what they should strive for.

Indeed that is contradictory. But one of the panel members asked, ‘What’s wrong with telling everyone to strive to be a Gadol’? That remained unanswered - ending up being a statement rather that a question

This, in my view is the crux of the problem in much of Charedi education. Instilling in these young men the idea that they should strive to be among the most learned men of the generation no matter where their capabilities lie does a great disservice to Klal Yisroel. I have said this many times. As a Centrist this is a point of departure for me. In my view a person should be encouraged to pursue a career in the area to which he is best suited. And that is not always in Torah study.

This is not to eliminate those studies completely. As Jews we must learn how to be a Jew and the best way to do that properly is to study Torah. It is also true that Torah study is considered to be of the highest value. So it should be studied intensely by all. But not to the exclusion of all else. Nor should anyone be discouraged from pursuing areas of study where their real talents lie. They should instead be encouraged to explore where their talents lie and them to pursue them.

Yes, we need great Torah scholars. Our generation is no different than any other. And perhaps more than any other generation our technically advanced world today gives rise to far more Halachic questions than at any time since the days of Chazal. Those whose talents lie in Talmud study should therefore be encouraged along those lines - guided to pursue the Gadlus they are capable of. But certainly not everyone. Just because a student happens to be very bright should automatically be directed into a life of full time Torahs study. And yet in the Charedi world, this is the message they are promoting.

In my view this is one of the biggest contributing factors to the so called OTD problem - children from Charedi homes abandoning their religious heritage. How many times have I heard about a bright child that just couldn’t pay attention to a Gemarah Shiur. He might be daydreaming about a book he read about the cosmos. That child will be better served by guiding him into the field of science. That is where he will excel.

A bright student may even do well in his Torah study. But if he sublimates his true passions, he will not in my view be using his God given talent where they belong; the field of study where his true passions lie. So he may become a competent Torahs scholar. But he will likely not become a great Torah scholar. Had he on the other hand pursued his true passion – like science for example – he would become a great scientist and contribute far more to Klal Yisroel than he would as merely a competent Torah scholar. Why should this child be encouraged to only pursue Torah study?

Why must a fellow like this end up in a Kollel whose level of Torah study can stagnate instead of having been prepared to pursue his true passions and talents and thrive?

And yet, the rabbinic leaders in the Charedi world insist that this full time Torah study is what everyone should pursue. And that only after realizing that they are not going to become that Gadol, should they try something else. In some cases that works. But they may have missed the opportunity to become great at what they are really good at

So to answer that panelist’s question about what’s wrong with encouraging everyone to strive to become a Gadol is – plenty!

Trump at his victory 'press conference' last night

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had a big night yesterday. Both of them won big on Super Tuesday. Clinton will be the nominee unless some major scandal erupts. Which I doubt will happen.

As for Trump, all the pundits are saying he’s just about unstoppable. I am not yet convinced of that. What I will say, however, is that he has surpassed by orders of magnitude all expectations and is on a path to win the Republican nomination for President.

And yet, although it will be difficult to beat Trump now, it is not impossible. There are still 35 states that have not had primaries yet. But the polls do suggest that Trump is going to win most of them.

How can he be beaten? Let us consider the numbers. If you combine the percentages of votes received by his main opponents, Rubio and Cruz - they would have won in most of the primaries last night. This tells me that Trump’s Republican support probably peaks at about the 35% level. That doesn’t even take into account the votes of Kasich and Carson. If those 2 candidates bow out, my guess is that Kasich’s supporters will go to Rubio. Carson’s supporters will probably go to Trump.

If Trump has any chance of being beaten, here is what has to happen. First, Kasich and Carson have to drop out. And then Cruz had the right idea. But it needs to be reversed. Cruz has called upon Rubio to drop out so that his voters will accrue to him. He claims his win in 4 states and greater number of delegates gives him a far better shot at overtaking Trump in future primaries. But nationally he is behind Rubio in popularity. Rubio has a far better chance at doing what Cruz wants to do, if Cruz drops out and his supporters go to Rubio. And Rubio will also have a better chance to win in the general election.

Cruz is not very popular among his fellow Republican senators. Very few is any have endorsed him yet. It is Cruz that should drop out and his support should accrue to Rubio. He may not get all of them. But I think he will get the lion’s share – enough hopefully to defeat Trump in most of the rest of the primary states.

One thing seems certain (although you never can tell). If Rubio loses Florida, his home state. It’s over for him. The polls currently show Trump running 20 points ahead of him. Now things can change between now and then. Rubio claims that he has recently made some headway into Trump’s strength with the Republican voters which reduced his margin of victory last night. But I don't know if it’s enough to overtake Trump in Florida.

In my view, if Republicans are serious about stopping Trump, they need to find a way to rally around Rubio. Not Cruz. If that happens before the next primary, then Rubio has a shot. But if - in the more likely scernaio - that does not happen - Trump will very likely be the nominee of the Republican party. And the party itself will have changed to unrecognizable proportions. It will no longer be the party of Reagan. It will be the party of Trump.

What we are now witnessing has tremendous historical import. Trumps successful candidacy is as unlikely a story as one would ever find. You could not make this scenario up.

From practically the very moment he announced his candidacy, he seemed to be his own worst enemy. Making the kinds of statements that should have clearly ruled him out with the voters. Political pundits immediately ridiculed him and thought his candidacy was a joke that wouldn’t last 5 political minutes. No one could possibly support a guy like that. Media coverage of him was almost exclusively negative.

I too thought at the time that his candidacy was a joke and that he was un-electable. How in heaven’s name can a foul mouthed bigot get elected dog catcher, let alone President? Surely Repubican voters would agree and run in the opposite direction in any primary. I recall thinking that he would be so badly beaten in the very first primary and so embarrassed by it, that he would withdraw.

Was I ever wrong. And so was everyone else. I have tried to analyze his success in a number of ways. As I have mentioned the people voting for him don’t care what he is saying. They just want to shake things up. They have – and it ain’t over yet. But shaking things up is one thing. Doing it the ‘Trump’ way is something else. To my great surprise it appears that a lot of very fine people people don’t care how he’s doing it.

It also appears that Trump has managed to get support from two bigoted factions that are at opposite extremes of bigotry: Former Klansman David Duke and Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan. The only thing they have in common is their antisemitism. Don’t they know that Trump has a Jewish daughter and Jewish grandchildren? How does anyone appeal to both of these guys at the same time?

After thinking about this for awhile, I have come to the conclusion that Trump may be the most brilliant politician of all time. He has succeeded in uniting bigots of opposite ideologies to support him. He has increased voter turnout to unprecedented numbers. He thumbs his nose at everything and anybody that gets in his way. He is as politically incorrect as one can possibly be. And his supporters love him for it. The fact that every pundit and politician can’t stand him, seems to actually work in his favor.

That Trump has no policy positions doesn’t matter. They see him as the solution to the problem. They believe him when he says he will make America great again. They see him as someone that will get things done despite an unwilling congress. Whether that is even possible doesn’t seem to enter their minds. They see a successful billionaire and think he will have the same kind of success as President. That if anyone keeps his promises, he will. He will not owe anyone anything. He will walk into office free to do as he pleases.

They also realize is that Trump is not really a bigot. He in fact has no history of any bigotry in his past. All of his rhetoric to the contrary is to get attention. And attention he gets in spades. He is at the center of political gravity these days. It doesn’t matter that his publicity is so negative. His supporters don’t care. They think he will be a different man when he becomes President. They believe that once in office he will get the best people to advise him on how to carry out his agenda. So it doesn’t matter at all that he has no policy about anything right now. That will come later, once he is in office.

The world may be laughing at us now. But if he ends up as President, no one will be laughing. Least of all me.

I have been saying that Clinton will win in a landslide if Trump is her opponent. But I am no longer sure about that. I believe most of my readers are pretty intelligent people. Those that are voting in my poll are probably a representative sample of the whole. If my poll has anything at all to say about it, Clinton is a goner. Trump is currently ahead 56% to Hillary’s 43%.

Manny Vogel, a survivor of abuse, in Crown Heights (Newsweek)

Everything you ever wanted to know about abuse in the Chasidic world is in Newsweek. In what has to be the most comprehensive story ever published in the non Jewish media, Newsweek discusses cases of physical abuse and mostly sex abuse where survivors were victims of rabbis, teachers and others.

While the article focuses on Chabad, they are not alone in how poorly abuse has been dealt with. It is not limited to Chabad or other Chasidim. It happens in similar ways in the non Chasidic world of Yeshivos too. Modern Orthodoxy is not exempt from this either.

In all cases, there have been attempts to cover up sex abuse at the expense of the victims. Some more egregious than others but cover-ups at one level or another seems to be a universal response by religious institutions of any hashkafa (or any religion - as the move 'Spotlight' showed about the Catholic Church for example). Religious institutions simply do not want to damage their reputations. After all, they represent God. That there was sex abuse going on at their religious institutions is the antithesis of being Godly.

The problem with that of course is that keeping things like this quiet ends up increasing the frequency of its occurrence. Abusers don’t get punished and are merely kicked out of the institution and maybe the city they were caught doing it – only to find another one to do it, where nobody knows who they are or what they did.

That’s the consequence of trying to keep abuse quiet. The thinking used to be (and still is in many cases) that as long as the abuser was out of their hair, that was all they had to worry about. Their secret remained a secret. And we all know what kind of damage that has caused.

The question raised by this article is whether the insularity that is the hallmark of the Chasidic world and to a lesser extent, the non Chasidic Yeshiva world is in any way contributory to this phenomenon. In discussing a particular case of abuse, the Newsweek article made the following observation:

While there is no evidence that child abuse is any more likely to occur in ultra-Orthodox schools than in public or secular institutions, stories like Reizes’s—an alleged abuser sheltered and victims unwilling to talk for fear of losing the only way of life they know—are common in the Hasidic school system. The many former students, advocates, sociologists, social workers and survivors interviewed by Newsweek , along with recordings, documents, public filings and personal emails that Newsweek obtained , place the blame on a confluence of factors: widespread sexual repression, a strong resistance to the secular world, and, most important, a power structure designed to keep people from speaking up about abuse.

If children aren’t taught by their parents and teachers about appropriate sexual behavior, they have no way to sense when touching turns into something that is wrong. “You don’t even know what your body is,” says Lynn Davidman, a professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of Kansas who grew up in a religious Jewish family. “And you are not supposed to touch or know, and then all of a sudden you are introduced to forbidden knowledge in a most abusive way.” The abused have no way to make sense of what’s going on, to stop it or to tell anybody about it.

She has a point. While the article pointed out that there is no evidence that sex abuse is any greater in the Orthodox world, that doesn’t mean isn’t. But we will never know. Attempts made to gather data has been met with strong resistance by these communities that prefer keeping their lives as private (and insular) as possible.

If you are indoctrinated to shun the outside world and not trust anyone in it, then of course you aren’t going to participate in any studies. You suspect everyone outside of the religious community having an anti Charedi agenda.

Which is why they consider ‘Mesira’ - informing on Jews to secular authorities - as such a grave sin. ‘You are informing on a Jew to an ‘enemy of the Jews’! Their insularity gives them no real life experience with the real world. Their attitudes are therefore based on an antiquated idea of an antisemtic outside world out to ‘get the Jews’. This is what their teachers tell them.

Granted that Chabad is the antithesis of insularity. But at the same time Chabad prefers to teach religious studies only and not offer secular studies in their wide network of schools where they don’t have to. Brooklyn’s Crown Heights Neighborhood where Chabad headquarters are located is once such place. So young children there have little contact with the outside world. Leaving them ripe to be indoctrinated to see the outside world as an evil place to be avoided if - not for their outreach work.

Other Chasidic enclaves are even more insulated – shunning the outside world completely except as necessity demands.

I will end with the following. I recently received a e-mail from one of the many Charedi mental health professionals I know. He sent it to me in the context of another issue before this Newsweek article was published. I think he hit the nail on the head:

It is endemic to our yeshiva community. A rebbe who crosses boundaries with a talmid, with any form of abuse (including sexual, emotional, verbal, physical, etc.) is to be protected at all costs. A rebbe who embarrasses a child will never ask mechila from the victim. If anything, the talmid must seek mechila from the rebbe (who is a baal aveiroh). Why? Just ask. The answer is “Kavod”. I guess asking mechila is a denigration of one’s dignity. How do these people face the (Ribono Shel Olam) ” on Yom Kippur? Or do they?

Agudah Board of Trustees at the National Mission to Washington

While the title of this post is a punch-line to a misogynistic joke about what a woman’s place should be - it is not that far off from how women are to be seen in some segments of Orthodoxy.

This is not to say that women are mistreated in those segments. Nor does it mean to say that these women do not prefer having that role. In the ideal, they view the role of a Jewish women as responsible for raising children, and taking care of the home.

The reality of course is that few women even in those communities limit themselves to that. In the non Chasidic Yeshiva world, women are not only responsible for the aforementioned tasks, they are often the breadwinners too. They not only cook and clean, and take care of the children, they work – often putting in more time that the typical 8 hour day. All while their husbands spend long days in the Beis Hamedrash toiling over a section in the Gemarah.

Women in the Chasidic world are out in the workplace as well. While Chasidim do work - the vast majority of them are undereducated (except in Torah studies) and can only find menial low paying jobs. Considering that a family of 10 children is fairly common, a low paying job will not suffice even if they are as frugal as possible. The women in that world therefore work too.

The point here is that women are as out in the world today as men in virtually every segment of Orthodox Judaism. The idea of women staying home and out of sight is simply not the reality.

It still however remains the ideal. Kevuda Bas Melech Penima – Jewish women are to be seen as royalty and their honor is on the inside. Although I interpret that to mean a Jewish woman’s true honor is internal (via her midos - personal character), it is more often interpreted to mean that she should be modest – to be a private person and stay out of the public eye as much as possible.

However, in light of the reality of women being out in the world, is the latter interpretation even relevant anymore? There was a time that women were not seen in public very much. They stayed home. Men would work. They were the breadwinners. But that is rarely the case today. In fact even in cases where women do not work, they become involved in a variety of activities outside the home – with the full approval of their rabbis no matter how Charedi. There is a variety of Chesed projects, involvement with their children’s school via a PTA, and in various other pursuits that take them out of the home.

In short, there has been a huge paradigm shift since the days where women stayed home - rarely leaving the house. This shift did not happen yesterday. When it was the case, women were so rarely seen in public, that even sitting together with their husbands at a wedding feast was considered immodest. So much so, that Halacha forbade saying a common introductory phrase to the grace after meals of ‘Shehasimcha Bimono (….the joyous event is in God’s abode) because it was considered immodest for men and women to sit together and therefore not worthy of being in God’s abode. But many generations ago, Poskim started permitting that phrase to be said because it was no longer considered immodest for men and women to sit together. Women no longer stayed home all the time. They were a common sight in the public eye.

There are many that insist on maintaining the old paradigm of separating the sexes as much as possible. And in some cases they go to great lengths to separate men from women. Although it is the right of any segment to behave as they wish, that right ends at someone else’s door. And that is the source of a lot of animosity between extremist Charedim on the one hand; and other Orthodox Jews. Which has played out in a number of ugly ways, ranging from beating up women who sit down in the men’s section of a sex-segregated bus in Israel, to photo-shopping images of women out of pictures in Charedi publications.

The latest such occurrence involves a picture posted on Agudah’s website (I know they don’t really have a website – but they do.) It was a picture of a group of Agudah activists that were in Washington DC to mark the 55^th anniversary of their late leader, Rabbi Moshe Sherrer’s ‘historic testimony regarding government assistance to religious school communities’.

Interestingly, women were included in that picture. But Hamodia does not publish pictures of women. So Agudah, knowing that some publications won’t publish pictures with women in them took another one without the women in it. That is the picture Hamodia published. As much as I applaud Agudah for publishing the picture with the women in it, I’m sorry that they felt the need to honor a stringency they do not believe in themselves.

One might say it was nice of them to accommodate those to their right. But by doing so they also participated in a wrong. It is unfair to the women in the picture to have erased them from this event as though they weren’t even there. But even if the women in that picture didn’t object to it, it is an insult to women in general to be erased out of the public eye when they clearly have no real problem with it themselves. As evidenced by the fact that they published an identical picture with the women in it on their website.

Accommodating them in this grants legitimacy to a concept of modesty that no longer exists. A modesty that can cause all kind of problems and make Jews look primitive. In a world where men and women are out in the public square all the time it is insulting to photo-shop women out of a picture before it is published and explain it as a requirement of modesty. It is one thing to stand up for Halacha – even if it would insult modern sensibilities. That is a mandate for a Jew. One does not give up Shabbos - even if it would make us look bad. But to stand up for a principle based on past ideas of modesty based on circumstances that no longer exist and haven’t for many years is foolish and even harmful.

If you want to separate men and women at a Kiddush in your Shul on Shabbos… separate away. But if you are going to try to perpetuate archaic ideas about modesty when it involves people outside of your community, it should not be done. And those that wish to do so ought to be discouraged in any way they can.

Agudah’s policy of accommodating those to their right in this case was therefore a two sided coin. In my humble opinion, instead of accommodating them, they should have tried to impress upon them the problems such stringencies can generate and told them to use the picture they took with women in it, or not use any picture at all.

Home of the Michigan Jewish Institute (Forward)

You would think that by now a religious institution would have learned not to scam the government. Even if they thought they were serving the greater good by doing so, the mere fact that they will likely be caught should have stopped them from doing it. First, it is that it is inherently wrong to do so. Stealing is a biblical level sin. Second, it is a massive Chilul HaShem being caught cheating the government.

If the only way you can support a Torah institution is by stealing from the government, you undermine one of the fundamental tenets of the Torah you should be teaching. Making your entire enterprise illegitimate.

No matter how you slice it - this should not have happened. And yet it did. Yet again!

The Forward reports the following:

The federal Department of Education has revoked grant eligibility for a Jewish college that has prospered from millions of dollars in government aid over the years even though almost all its students live in Israel.

It seems that this ‘college’ The Michigan Jewish Institute relied exclusively on Pell Grant money. Which is designed to help poor students fund their education. While taking Pell Grant money is not in of itself wrong - that is the case only if it is taken under legitimate circumstances.

More from the Forward:

During a five-year period, MJI’s revenues were sustained by students who claimed $25 million under the Federal Pell Grant Program, which is designed for the neediest American scholars. But in October 2012, the Forward showed how MJI’s assets soared as the college enrolled thousands of students in distance and online learning courses in Israel.

Federal agents raided the institution last July. The Department of Education (DOE) interviewed 40 students and found that a number of them were not bona fide students. After which their eligibility for Pell Grants was revoked.

As a result:

The Michigan Jewish Institute suspended most operations Wednesday, citing the federal government’s refusal to re-certify it as a school whose thousands of students can receive Pell grants—a federal aid program designed to help poor students fund their educations that has been MJI’s lifeblood.

I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to see what’s going on here. Now, I could be wrong. It is possible that everything was done according to the law. But then why will their accreditation be revoked? Why the precipitous close instead of responding to a letter by the accreditation agency explaining why they should retain their accreditation? Why is there no public comment in defense of what they did?

I hope we don’t start seeing more perp walks here. Because if there was fraud to the tune of $25 million dollars, I can’t see the government letting them get away with it.

What a shame that a movement like Chabad which has done so much successful outreach has to be tainted by this kind of thing. I don’t know whether this was condoned by the movement’s leadership. But the fallout is the same. It casts a dark could on everything they do. And it makes us all look bad when so large a segment of observant Judaism is involved.

When are we going to learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch? And that the government is not just a bunch of dopes doling out funds blindly to anyone who asks for them without checking whether it was taken under legitimate circumstances? Is there no end to this? When are we going to educate our people to understand how wrong it is to cheat the government? And when is our leadership going to stand up and condemn it when it happens instead of trying to explain it away - as they have in the past?

Head of School Matt Culberson next to list of the Jewish values taught at his school

I don’t know whether to be flattered, anxious, or downright disturbed. Maybe I am a little of each. There is a school in Salt Lake City, Utah, that teaches non Jews to be – well… Jewish. Not to become Jews. But to practice Jewish ethics in their lives.

Originally a Jewish school (non denominational – I assume) sponsored by the JCC in that city, it has morphed into a an independent school. And after a sizable donation from the non Jewish McGillis family, it changed its name from the Jewish Community Center Elementary School to the McGillis School. Only 10% of the staff is Jewish and only 25% of the students are Jewish. None of the administrators are.

What makes this school extremely unique is that it teaches only Judaism to its students. From a JTA article:

It’s Friday afternoon at the McGillis School in Salt Lake City, and students from the third through fifth grades are gathered for the weekly Shabbat celebration.

They read and discuss a passage about humility by former British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Then a blond girl with braided hair prepares to light the candles. A hush falls over the room as the flames are kindled, and the students recite the practiced benediction in unison:

“As we bless this source of light, the warmth these candles bring reminds us of times we gave light and received light,” they sing, followed by a recitation of the traditional Shabbat candle-lighting blessing in Hebrew.

The ceremony is not dissimilar from weekly Shabbat celebrations held in Jewish schools across America.

Except for one thing: The student lighting the candles isn’t Jewish. Nor is the one who follows her to recite the kiddush blessing over grape juice. Nor the one after that who recites Hamotzi over the challah bread…

…walk into the school in midwinter and you’ll find McGillis’ main gathering space festooned for Tu b’Shvat, the Jewish Arbor Day. Mezuzahs are on every doorway alongside benedictions penned by the children. Student-made Hebrew art adorns the walls, and the hallways are lined with prints of Israeli landscapes.

Practically everywhere you turn, identical blue posters advertise the school’s guiding Jewish values: tzedakah (translated as “giving to others”); tikkun olam (“repairing the world”); gemilut hasadim (“doing good and kind deeds”); derech eretz (“having respect for all”); limud l’shma (“learning for the sake of learning”), and kehillah (“our community”). Students, teachers and administrators constantly reference these values, albeit sometimes straining to pronounce the Hebrew.

“We’re trying to teach Jewish values broadly,” said Liz Paige, the school’s ethics and cultures teacher. “Though they are in Judaism, they are universal, and we’re teaching them to a very wide community.

“We’re not proselytizing here. We’re teaching Torah as literature, philosophy, ethics – but not religion.

Although I would not call this a proper Jewish education I am amazed to what degree Judaism is taught at a non Jewish school and where 75% its student body is not Jewish. Leaving aside the fact that the 25% Jewish children in the school are not being taught Judaism properly, it is amazing that a non Jewish school exists and teaches only Judaism to its majority non Jewish students. No other religion is taught there. Amazing! Non Jews are teaching non Jewish students about the beauty of the Torah. Something we Jews should be doing.

I am glad to see that there are non Jews that actually appreciate the ethics and values of the Torah so much they want to internalize them in their children. If there was ever a way to preach brotherly love, this has got to be it.

But as I indicated in my opening paragraph, I am somewhat circumspect about this. Are there unspoken motives that can harm us? Mormons are Judeophiles. They see us more positively than they see any other group. So much so that a few years ago they decided to baptize us after we die – seeing this as an act of love and kindness. They believe that this enables us to experience a positive afterlife when we die. If I recall correctly they were motivated by the 6 million Jews that were slaughtered in the Holocaust who according to them cannot be accepted into paradise without being baptized. So that now after their posthumous baptizing - in their minds these Jewish souls are now ‘saved’ and living in paradise.

Now this does not in any way affect us religiously. People can say whatever they want and believe whatever they want. It does however belittle our belief system to say that we need their salvation techniques in order to achieve paradise… that we cannot achieve it through our own Judaism.

And another thing. If they are so concerned with our spiritual well being in the afterlife, they might be trying to do something about it before we die. Which puts an entirely different light onto this school. Are they merely appreciating us – trying to learn our values and put them into practice in their own lives? This is the claim. They say they want to universalize Judaism.

If that is their true and only purpose, God bless them. As long as they understand that having Jewish values does not make you a Jew. Which I think they do. A school like this can then turn their students into great friends of the Jewish people via their better understanding our values and practicing our ethics. If on the other hand this is some sort of ploy to ingratiate themselves with the Jewish people for purposes of proselytizing us, than this is a bad deal we ought to protest it.

Where does the truth lie? I’m not sure. But I hope it’s the former. Just some of my thoughts.

by Dr. Roni Grosz, Guest Contributor

Dr. Roni Grosz, curator of the Albert Einstein Archives at Hebrew University

A couple of weeks ago, I discussed a Mishpacha Magazine article that apparently showed Charedi tolerance of scientific evidence supporting an ancient universe. They used the phrase ‘a billion light years’. A light year is the distance light travels in a single year. A billion light years means that light has traveled for a time period of one billion years to get here so that we here on earth can finally see it.

The article was in response to newly discovered evidence of gravitational waves - a key component of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. The focus of that article was on scientist Roni Grosz, a Kopycznitzer Chosid who is the curator of the Albert Einstein Archives at Israel’s Hebrew University. Who called the discovery ‘a smile from heaven’.

Dr. Grosz has graciously responded to that post with his perspective on the subject. He did so in a comment thread that had to date 582 comments posted. I have received permission to post his comment as a guest post so that it will not be buried in that lengthy comment thread. It follows unedited in it’s entirety:

I am very honored to be mentioned together with Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan whom I hold in very high esteem. In my opinion as a charedi Jew you have first to be strong in Emunah before you approach scientific discussions especially where scientific belief (I'll explain the choice of words) clashes with Jewish belief. If you have problems with that you have problems as a Jew even without entering the realm of discussions with science.

If you have a good look how science approaches the computation of ancient world age you will see that much hinges of very critical assumptions, like that the carbon 14 method assumes that the shifting of the magnetic north is uniform since the creation of the earth. If tomorrow science will discover that the magnetic north pole shift "changed gear", the whole million years numbers can shrink to a fracture of the time.

I agree with Harry Maryles that findings like ancient dinosaur bones should not be disregarded but take the numbers with a grain of salt having in mind that they are relative. Science extrapolates short measuring periods to huge historical periods.

The Tiferes Yisroel was mentioned repeatedly and rightfully so. There is reference to mammoths finds in his commentary to the Mishnah (I can't remember where but I saw it myself). If you are really adventurous you can read his commentary Drush Or Chadash (at the end of Masseches Sanhedrin of the Wagshal Zecher Hanoch edition of the Mishnah) where you can read how Hashem trashed 974 worlds before he created ours and there are remnants of the former worlds.

One of the problems of this discussion is that those who have a lot to say don't speak to the world and those who speak to the world don't have a lot of relevant contributions. Most people who support scientific positions have no clue how fragile they are and therefore believe in them without understanding the considerations on which they are based.

But Toras Hashem temima and this is our belief as Jews. I ultimately believe that there is only one truth and that science and Torah are not in conflict. If both are true they will embrace each other.

I will finish with a quote from William Henry Bragg, a British scientist and 1915 Nobel Prize for Physics laureate :

Sometimes people ask if religion and science are not opposed to one another. They are: in the sense that the thumb and fingers of my hands are opposed to one another. It is an opposition by means of which anything can be grasped.

Palestinian terror victim, Taylor Force

Now they’re reporting the story objectively. By they, I mean the mainstream media. Yesterday - in what has become an almost daily event over the last few months, there was another stabbing in Israel by a Palestinian. This time the victim was an American. A non Jewish veteran by the name of Taylor Force. From the Forward:

Taylor Force, a 29-year-old student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, was stabbed by a Palestinian as he strolled around Jaffa...

Taylor was a graduate of West Point who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was in Israel studying its successful high tech industry.

The description in the media of this heinous murder did not follow the usual pattern. Which went something like this: Palestinian shot and killed by the Israeli police. He was alleged by the Israeli police to be have been attacking some Jews at the time of the shooting.

But now the media is reporting a virtual identical scenario this way: American fatally stabbed in Israel terror attack that wounds 10 others. The attacker was shot and killed as he was fleeing - stabbing people in cars as he was running away.

Nice to see a bit of honest reporting for a change. It’s just too bad that it took an American being brutally stabbed to death in order to get it. But I suspect that it will be business as usual the next time an Israeli is attacked by a knife wielding Palestinian.

When are Israel’s critics going to realize that Israel is not the villain here? No matter how much Israel is attacked, whether it is from Hamas in Gaza, or Hezbollah in Lebanon; or internally by random violence from individual Palestinians, it is always somehow Israel’s fault. The mainstream media first portrays Israel as killing a Palestinian first… and then almost as an afterthought, they might report the Israeli version of things. This makes Israeli law enforcement sound like trigger happy cops that are all about killing innocent Palestinian civilians at the slightest pretext.

There are a variety of factors that contribute to this approach. Let us examine one of them.

Last night I heard what New York Times foreign affairs columnist, Thomas Freidman had to say about Israel in a PBS interview (below). Friedman is not stupid. Nor is he ignorant of the facts on the ground in Israel.

He acknowledged last night that Israel is basically a miracle of high achievement in a Middle East neighborhood surrounded by enemies. He admitted that Israel lives in a very dangerous neighborhood (using the same phrase Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uses). He said he ‘gets it’.

He pointed to the fact that almost every country bordering Israel is in flames trying to determine what it’s future will be – none of which has a favorable attitude to Israel no matter what faction will prevail. He acknowledged the terror Israelis have to live under daily from enemies within and without its borders. He admitted that Israel has a right to fear giving up the West Bank based on what happened after they gave up Gaza.

He even called out the Palestinian Authority for firing Salam Fayad, the one Prime Minister that advocated focusing on building up a Palestinian State the same way Zionists built up Israel instead of focusing on attacking Israel. Had they done that instead of attacking Israel all the time; fomenting terrorist attacks against innocent Israelis; and fueling boycotts against them, a Palestinian State would already be in existence and declaring it one would just be a formality. If the Palestinians stopped killing us and turned their intentions inward, settlements would stop being an issue.

And yet after acknowledging all those truths about Israel he still blames settlements as a major impediment. Even if I granted that it is, it is not the primary one. It is tiny in comparison to the real problem. Which is their pure hatred of Jews - a hatred instilled in them as children and reinforced constantly by their clerics, media, and political leaders. A hatred that perpetuates their 'struggle' against us.

Until Palestinians start focusing on helping themselves instead of hurting us, nothing will change. But even as Friedman basically acknowledged all these truths he still feels the need to lay at least equal blame on Israel for their problems. Where is his sense of proportion? He practically articulates word for word what Netanyahu has been saying and yet still blames him and his settlements policy equally with the Palestinians for the lack of progress in the Middle East.

This is the problem with the liberal mindset. It comes from a sense that if there is blame to go around, it must go around equally. Otherwise it isn’t fair to the poor Palestinian underdogs. I believe that is the motivation behind the biased mainstream media coverage. It’s not that they are anti Israel – or pro Palestinian. It’s that they are pro underdog and therefore do their level best to assign at least a moral equivalency to the failings of both sides – so as not to disadvantage the underdog.

I remain convinced that peace would prevail in Israel if Palestinians would eradicate their Jew hatred and focus on building a nation – just like the Zionists did. Israel has no interest in maintaining its harsh measures in the West Bank despite what it's detractors insist is the case. The measures Israel takes are done to protect its own citizens. Measures that perhaps should be tightened in light of the almost daily bloody attacks by individual Palestinians ever since October.

Israel would much prefer to live side by side with Palestinians and have the same kind of relationship with them as the US has with Canada. Settlement issues could be settled relatively quickly ala Ehud Barak’s offer to the Palestinians during the Clinton era. But as long as the conditions described by Thomas Friedman continue, talking about settlements is almost irrelevant - a phony excuse to continue attacking us. 'Settlements' is the Palestinians mantra for public consumption. The real issue is that they hate the Jews and resent us being there. That has always been true and nothing has changed. Until it does, things will unfortunately remain status quo.

Egalitarian Minyan at the Kotel - Not your father's Judaism (TOI)

There is no joy in what I am about to say. I am not here to gloat with some sort of triumphalist cheer. I am merely expressing what seems to be the case. Which I will analyze. A Pew study has shown that Reform and Conservative Judaism is not catching on in Israel. From theTimes of Israel:

The research explained that while the Conservative movement, in Hebrew, is called the Masorti movement, it should not be confused with masorti(or traditional) Israelis who overwhelmingly identify as either Orthodox (65%) or with no particular stream (27%). Just 2% identify with both Reform and Conservative Jewry.

Meanwhile, some 5% of secular Jews identify as Reform and 2% as Conservative — but 23% align themselves with Orthodoxy, and 64% with no particular stream. Overall, 50% of Israeli Jews identified with Orthodoxy, and 41% with no denomination.

This study is on the heels of another one showing that – except for Orthodoxy - denominational Judaism in America is dying out. Our successes in achieving acceptance in America has ended up destroying our very identity as Jews. Jews are so accepted, the religion of Bernie Sanders, a Jew running for President, is never even mentioned.

Such acceptance has wrought assimilation so complete, that young secular Jews don’t even care that they are Jews. Being a Jew is meaningless to them. What’s the point of identifying as a Jew if there is nothing Jewish about the way you live? Why shouldn’t they marry whomever they wish? What difference does it make? As long as you are a good person who cares if you marry a Jew or a Christian; a Muslim or a Buddhist?

To combat this attrition and maintain its numbers Reform Judaism has to keep redefining itself. If Reform Judaism was golf, it would probably look like croquet by now.

The biggest loser is Conservative Judaism. They are scrambling to try and figure out what to do. Like trying to re-brand themselves. This will not help them. They have failed because they did not educate their members Jewishly. Most Conservative Jews are not observant at all. Their values are American values. Which are not necessarily Jewish values. Now I’m not casting aspersions on American values. I subscribe to many of them myself. It’s just that they are not particularly Jewish. Thus obviating the need by their children to consider themselves as such. I therefore don’t see a bright future for heterodoxy in America.

I believe this is one reason there that Reform and Conservative leaders are applying so much pressure for recognition in Israel. They are screaming bloody murder at all the push back by the Charedi world and the Chief Rabbinate. Understandably so. But I don’t think they are going to go anywhere in Israel, even if they somehow manage to get recognition from the state.

I realize that a lot of money supporting Israel comes from heterodox movements. And money can move mountains. I therefore see the very distinct possibility that the Israeli government will recognize them in some sort of official way – even if the Chief Rabbinate opposes it and Charedi politicians threaten to quit the government over it. It may destroy the current government. But it will not destroy the determination by Reform and Conservative leaders too insist on recognition from the next government. No government wants to jeopardize the huge sums of money they get from these denominations. But money does not equal people.

One may ask why Reform and Conservative Judaism does not catch on there – as the Pew report suggests. After all the majority of Jews in Israel are not observant and would not in any way be defined as Orthodox. It would seem like a natural place for them to gravitate. While not fully observant, most Israelis are traditional and observe many of the customs. They may light candles on Friday night; make kiddush; and eat a traditional Shabbos meal. They might keep kosher. They will observe the major Jewish holidays, have a Pesach Seder, eat matzah and refrain from eating chametz during the week of Pesach. They will fast on Yom Kippur... What better place to be than in a denomination that considers Mitzvah observance optional (Reform) or is completely accepting of their non observance in other areas (Conservative)?

I believe that this is what the Reform and Conservative movements are banking on. Knowing the antipathy many secular Jews have for Charedim and the Chief Rabbinate – they think they can make their denominations a home for them.

But as the Pew survey indicates, secular Israelis do not buy into denominational Judaism. They may support the concept of pluralism and the efforts of Reform and Conservative rabbis in their quest for official acceptance. But they do not see themselves being a part of it.

I think the reason for this is that Jews in Israel realize what Judaism is supposed to look like. They know that their grandparents and great grandparents were observant by Orthodox standards. They do not see heterodoxy as an extension of that. They see it as an aberration. Albeit one which people have a right to be.

This attitude can be summed up in a phrase that had often been attributed to secular Jews in Israel: ‘The synagogue I don’t attend, is Orthodox.’ Based on this survey, that still seem to be the case.

The leaders of these heterodox movements might think that Israel will be their salvation. That their movements will survive there because Jews in Israel still strongly identify as Jews and will find their denomination as a home. But I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

Popular Israeli singer, Eyal Golan

One of the things that is undeniable about living in Israel is the pride most Jews there have in their Judaism.

This is not to say that there are no problems there. There are. Big ones. The polarization between different factions could hardly be any greater. A polarization that extends to even observant Jews among themselves. I see it all the time when I visit. And I see it here on this blog too.

But the positive side of living in Israel is feeling the pride of being a Jew among Jews. This cannot be denied. Unlike secular American Jews who are quickly abandoning any semblance of their Judaism seeing it as a nuisance at best, secular Israelis embrace their Judaism. And although most of them are not fully observant by Orthodox standards, they still believe in God and understand the importance of doing Mitzvos - even if they don't do many of them. They seem to acknowledge that this is definitive of Judaism. And embrace a culture based on it.

Just to point out one example of this. Everyone in Israel knows when it is Sukkos… and knows what that is. No matter how removed from it they are. Every radio channel no matter how secular wishes its citizens a Chag Sameach (happy holiday) during the entire 8 day festival. Every bottle of Coke says Chag Sameach on it around that time. There are no pictures of Santa Claus on them ever. The culture is entirely Jewish albeit it with a Middle Eastern flavor.

This is something the Conservative and Reform movements realize about Israelis and want to capitalize on. They rightly think that what they could not accomplish in the assimilaitionist culture of America has already been done for them in Israel. They believe that reaching out to secular Jews like this this will give them an edge in propelling their denominations into the future. They can say to these proud Jews that are secular that their mostly non observant lifestyles fits well into the Conservative or Reform framework. Once signed up as a Conservative or Reform Jew, they will not have to worry about them abandoning Judaism entirely – as is the case with their secular counterparts in America.

But their movement adds nothing to the secular Israeli. Most of them are who they are without having a Conservative or Reform identity to go along with it. What do these heterodox rabbis think they can add to an Israeli’s sense of Jewish identity that they don’t already have? But I digress.

The point is that it is inspiring to see a group of apparently non observant singers at a secular concert in Israel singing about God and Mitzvos… with an enthusiastic crowd joining in! As the video below demonstrates.

The Orthodox world (especially Charedim) in Israel should take note. Israelis are far more connected to God and Judaism than we give them credit for. They love God and they love expressing it in song. If only the observant community would see this and capitalize on it. We should be reaching out to them a lot more instead of constantly accusing them of being anti religious.

The Charedi world thinks secular Jews in Israel hate them. But aside from a small minority of them, I don't think that is true at all. What Charedim are instead witnessing is a reaction many secular Israelis have to having religion shoved down their collective throats. This should not be mistaken for hating religion since - as the video below illustrates - the opposite is true.

If I were a rabbinic leader in that world, I would urge all of us to re-think the flaming rhetoric against them one often hears in their circles. They should stop doing things like trying to close down a main artery in Jerusalem on Shabbos because it disturbs the sanctity of the religious neighborhood it passes through. Let them look at this video and see the potential that is there.

Instead of turning them away thinking that it preserves their own holiness, they ought to take a page from the Lubavitch. You don’t have to make every secular Jew a Charedi in order to accept him. You don’t even have to make him fully observant.

Do what Lubavitch does. Love them all as Jews and set an example for them to follow. These people want to be Jewish. Many of them don’t know how. And many simply don’t want to change their lifestyles. That’s fine. Don’t preach. Just practice loving kindness and be a role model of acceptance to them. That can do wonders. Don’t think so? Just ask any Lubavicther Shaliach. He will show you just how successful this approach can be.

HT/ RYGB

Trump supporters appearing to raise their hands in a Nazi-like salute

No, he’s not Hitler. But he is scary. Not so much because of what he says. But because of the way his supporters support him. A support that seems to be growing!

Donald Trump can do no wrong. Awhile ago he said that if he shot and killed somebody in the middle of Times Square, people would still vote for him. I think he’s right. The more outrageous he gets, the stronger his support seem to get.

This weekend Trump had to cancel an appearance at The University of Illinois - Chicago Circle Campus. Because anti Trump protesters turned violent even before he showed up. The opposition to this guy is just as fierce as his support is. This followed a Trump event where his supporters got violent with protesters. Which many blame on Trump’s rhetoric urging people to get violent and that he would pay their legal bills!

I mean… REALLY?! Is this the kind of man we want to be the leader of the free world?! I have never seen anything like it in my lifetime. Trump has managed to bring out the worst in all of us.

The media has been relentless in criticizing him. They have correctly pointed out what to me is obvious. The man is a vulgar self promoter that has incited violence among his supporters and inspired violence against him by his detractors. He is a man that will say anything to get elected.

When challenged does he not back off. He doubles down. He refuses to take any responsibility for the violence that took place at his rallies responsibility.

In what has to be the ultimate analogy to Hitler, Trump asked people at one of his recent rallies to raise their hands and pledge to vote for him in a primary regardless of any possible impediment. But instead of raising their hands they way would in a court, they raised it in what looked like a Nazi-like salute.

Was this a ‘Heil Trump’?! Absolutely not. I am not accusing anyone of Nazi-like feelings. Not Trump and not his supporters. But one cannot ignore the irony of an image like that in light of the kind of racist-like rhetoric from Trump that one might hear from a racist dictator.

How in heaven’s name can anyone support this guy after all he has been saying? His rhetoric seems to get worse with each passing day! Maybe the answer is contained in my question. The hand of God is guiding this.

But there are more mundane explanations. There is a lot of anger by the typical middle class American voter. Anger about the increasing divide between the rich and the poor. The middle class is shrinking as incomes decrease while the rich keep getting richer and living the kind of ‘good life’ that they can only dream about – with the possibility of achieving it decreasing year after year while politicians in Washington ‘fiddle’.

Bernie Sanders is the most likable candidate. How can you not like his attack on income inequality and the shrinking middle class? It’s just too bad his socialist ideas aren’t realistic, un-American , and ultimately counter-productive. The last thing we need to do is turn the United States into another Europe. Which is what he is selling.

What the people supporting Trump are saying is the same thing the people supporting Sanders are saying: Enough! They want someone that says what is on his mind regardless of the fallout. They want that person to say to congress what he is saying on the campaign trail.

People are also tired of the political correctness that disallows saying anything negative about Islam. It’s not that they want to overturn the first amendment. But a lot of people are afraid of the kind of terrorism that stems from that faith. They appreciate Trump’s candor on that subject instead of the usually politically correct response about religious freedom.

It’s not that Americans want to deny refuges from countries at war entry onto this country. It’s that they don’t want themselves to get shot in a mass murder by someone from a religious group that in our day has a proven record of doing so. People like hearing him say that we should treat terrorists that behead our citizens in kind – instead of saying that water-boarding is torture.

Trump taps into this kind of thinking. People like what they are hearing from him – and not hearing from other candidates. That’s why he is getting the kind of support he is. The media coverage – although mostly negative – loves covering this guy because this is what gets people to pay attention to them. And yet the more they condemn Trump, the more support he gets. They are going to support the guy whose thinking reflects theirs.

What about all the anti Trump ads by political pacs? Waste of time. They will only encourage more support. Trump has inspired people who never vote to come out and support him. The numbers voting in primaries is unprecedented.

Just to be clear. I don’t think Trump’s supporters are evil or stupid. Because that would make half the country evil or stupid. I refuse to believe that. They are just rebelling against the system. This may be our ‘Arab Spring’!

I am appalled that this guy is very likely going to get the Republican nomination to be the President. But it seems likely now.

What about the general election? I no longer believe that Hillary Clinton is the inevitable winner in a contest with Trump. The momentum is on Trump’s side. And his support is increasing. Clinton, in the meantime has her hands full with Sanders, having lost Michigan to him in a major upset. There is no doubt that she will get the nomination. Her lead in the delegate count is likely insurmountable. But in a general election, all bets are off. Sanders has shown her to have weaknesses. Her negatives are probably just as high as Trump’s.

I have said that in a contest between Trump and Clinton, I would support Clinton. But she is a very unappealing candidate for me. The more I see her and hear her speak, the less I like her. Her authoritarian angry tone is almost as scary as Trump’s ugly rhetoric. That tone combined with her position on social issues will move the country even further away from the values I hold dear. I may very well sit this one out (for the first time in my voting life).

How can I sit-back and not vote against a possible ‘President Trump’? Because the Trump we see is not the Trump we will get. He is not a racist. He is not anti Israel. He is not a misogynist. He is not anti immigrant. Despite his current image – his record shows that he is basically a fair minded man who knows how to get things done.

There is no negative record of him in any of those contexts prior to his entry into the Republican Presidential primary. What we see now is a man who knows better than anyone else how to get publicity. He does what it takes to get it - by getting the media to focus on him. He knows that publicity – good or bad – is publicity. And ‘as long as they spell his name right’ – he’ll take it.

I do not believe the country will fall apart under either candidate. I certainly hope not. But I cannot stomach Trump or Clinton – and I doubt I will be voting for either of them.

No new post today. In bed with the flu.

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah President, Rabbi Asher Lopatin

A few days ago, I read a very disturbing essay on Cross-Currents. Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer discovered an essay by a Semicha student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT) that said the following:

One may still acknowledge the evolutionary nature of the Bible’s composition, and one may still recognize the archeological, philological, historical and ethnological findings that indicate the Pentateuch’s multiple authorship, while still believing (in a theological sense) in the divine unity of the Torah… The Bible is also not a work of “philosophy” or “theology” because the biblical writers were similarly unfamiliar with such logical, systematic disciplines; to impose our familiarity with these disciplines upon the biblical writers is to commit an anachronism… (Sacred Scriptures, Secular Interpretations: The Bible as an Anthology of Philosophy, Psychology, Literature, and Religion; Religious Studies Review 39:4, p. 231; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rsr.12070/abstract)

Naturally this once again raised the prospect of heresy being tolerated by a Yeshiva whose philosophy is that of Liberal Modern Orthodoxy. (I use this term instead of Open Orthodoxy at the request of YCT President, Rabbi Asher Lopatin). As I have stated many times in the past, this is a deal breaker for me. An institution that tolerates heretical thought cannot be called Orthodox in an real sense of the word. All of the other problems with this movement, serious though they may be, pale in comparison to this.

Last time this happened it was with one of their already ordained rabbis. He too espoused such a leaning with respect to the bible critics. I was at the time assured by Rabbi Lopatin that this idea was indeed unacceptable. The concept of the Torah actually being given at Sinai was not negotiable. But it appeared from this artlce that it somehow is going to be not only tolerated, but that someone that holds these views was going to get Semicha!

I contacted Rabbi Lopatin about this and he assured me that what he said about Torah from Sinai being non negotiable was indeed the policy. He also told me that he would be looking into the matter as he takes these things very seriously.

I received the following declaration from Rabbi Lopatin that clearly deals with this issue. Although it does not deal directly with the student in question, I think it is safe to say that YCT does indeed not tolerate heresy, has in the past expelled students who had those beliefs and that they will do so in the future. This is good news. And a huge step in the right direction. I assume that this was always the unstated policy but it was very wise of them to make it formal and public. The statement follows in its entirety.

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah has always been, and continues to be, firmly committed to the meticulous observance of halakha and the foundational beliefs of our mesoret, including the belief in Torah Misinai as understood by our rabbis through the generations. Torah Misinai is a non-negotiable pillar of Orthodox belief.

During the application process, students must affirm in writing that their observance is fully consistent with Orthodox norms and halakha, and must submit an essay reflecting on their emunot v’de’ot, and these areas are further explored in the interview process. Numerous students have been refused admission over the years because they did not meet the necessary commitment to Orthodox belief or practice.

During their tenure at YCT, students are assessed at the end of their first and second year to determine if they will progress into the next year of their studies. These progression meetings explore the many areas that are critical for a person to be a successful Orthodox rabbi, including menschlicheit, yashrut, empathy, knowledge of Torah and halakha, teaching ability, interpersonal skills, and of course, personal belief and practice.

Over the years, a number of students were not allowed to progress on to the next year. There were different reasons in each case, but in some of them, the reason was because the student espoused beliefs that were not consistent with Orthodoxy.

Additionally, we give our students in our program the opportunity to ask hard questions and explore challenging ideas. This is critical to the process of developing a mature, nuanced faith, and we help students who are grappling with faith issues to develop their positions in a way that fits within traditional Orthodox belief.

Even in his third or fourth and final year, a student may be asked to leave the Yeshiva or may be refused semikha if the situation warrants, and this has occurred one or two times in the past. Ordaining rabbis for the Jewish community is a tremendous privilege and great responsibility, one that is attested to in every part of our teaching and training of our students. Everyone, is encouraged to visit our Yeshiva and to see, with his or her own eyes, how we are truly training the next generation of Orthodox rabbis to lead Klal Yisrael.

Rubio announcing the suspension of his campaign last night (NBC)

Well, my guy is out. Marco Rubio suspended his campaign yesterday in what can only be called a humiliating loss to Donald Trump in his home state of Florida. This is truly a shame. Under normal circumstance Rubio would have been a shoe-in. He had all the ingredients. He’s smart; He’s young; He has a young family; he is telegenic; he has ethnic appeal to Hispanics; his policies are conservative but still mainstream enough to not repel moderates; his values - guided by his faith reflect those of most Americans; he has foreign policy experience gained as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and is certainly the most pro Israel candidate running - which for me at least was a major plus!

He was in other words THE alternative to Hillary Clinton - the ultimate insider who has taken a major left turn in response to the unexpected success of her socialist opponent in the Democratic primaries. At this point she sounds more liberal than Obama!

Alas, the Trump machine just steam rolled right over Rubio. I’m not sure he ever had a chance in today’s political climate. He did however have some pretty bad missteps – that contributed to his demise.

The first was his bad performance in an early debate where he kept repeating the same talking points in response to moderator questions. Talking points which had little if anything to do with the questions asked. He kept repeating them - over and over. Governor Christie got the best of him that night in a big way. He kept pointing it out making Rubio look really bad. Although he did have a brief recovery from that, it didn’t last very long.

The second thing, which in my view was the final blow to his campaign, is when he got in the gutter with Trump. In the course of that - he made an off-color joke about him, which was repeated in the media over and over again. With that - his candidacy was essentially over. Even though he later admitted it was mistake to do that, it was too late by then. The damage was done. It was pretty much downhill all the way after that.

I remain shocked by all of this. It doesn’t matter what is thrown at him - Donald Trump’s support keeps growing - getting stronger by the day. He has been shown to be a fraud, and a bully. He is vulgar. He smears his opponents – using the slightest innuendo from a tweet as though it were a hard proven fact. He insults Hispanics and women, He insults Muslims. He gets support from both David Duke and Louis Farrakhan, 2 polar opposite anti-Semites; he has alienated world leaders, makes outrageous promises he knows he can’t keep. And has said he would be ‘even-handed’ in his approach to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. That word is seen my most experts in the Middle East as code for being pro Palestinian. Worst of all, he incites violence in his followers, and in his detractors.

And yet the more he does those things, the more support he gets. What kind of a country are we living in?!

I said in a recent post that his real persona is probably not what we are seeing now. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the persona he projects is what seems to motivate his supporters. That’s the scary part. He’s tapped into an anger that few people realized was there. At least not to such an extent. I don’t think even Trump realized it when he kicked off his campaign. But he sure realizes it now. And he’s capitalizing on it to major success.

The anger is there on both sides of the political aisle, That’s why Berine Sanders, a socialist, is making a strong showing against Clinton. People are angry. In any other year, a Bernie Sanders candidacy would have been a joke. I don’t hear anybody laughing.

Trump lost Ohio. That may slow down his momentum. Which means there is a glimmer of hope that he will not get enough delegates in the primaries to assure his nomination at the Republican National Convention. If I understand how these things work, if candidate is not nominated on the first ballot, delegates are free to vote for whomever they choose.

If that happens. I don’t see Trump getting the nomination. Everyone in the Republican party hates him. I think even supporters like Christie hate him. They just saw the handwriting on the wall early and wanted to hop on the winning bandwagon.

In the unlikely event that this does happen, there is one candidate that they could choose that would have a decent chance at beating Mrs. Clinton. I’m just not sure he would accept the nomination if it were offered. But if there is a contested convention, I hope he takes it - if offered. His name is Paul Ryan, current Speaker of the House of Representatives.

By all accounts, Paul Ryan is an honorable man that is well liked on both sides of the political aisle. Like Rubio, his conservative values are faith based which I believe reflect the values of most Americans. And like Rubio he’s young and he’s smart; His expertice on on the economy is acknowledged even by his opponents. This is a man I would vote for in a heartbeat. And I think most Americans would too. He has no negatives. Mrs. Clinton has many.

Back to reality. Although polls show Clinton beating Trump in the general election, I am not so sure about that. Nothing is guaranteed in the next election. Polls don’t always tell you the story. Ask Michigan. Strange as this may sound, I would not be surprised if some of Sanders voters would turn to Trump instead of Clinton. Just as a protest vote against the status quo which Clinton certainly represents. Ideology be damned!

The two candidates most likely to run for President have the highest negatives of any other candidate that ever ran for President. True, both Clinton and Trump have a lot of support. But they also generate an almost visceral hate among many those who did not vote for them. There are a lot of people like me that are going to vote for the lesser of two evils.

For me, I will have to hold my nose and vote for Clinton. As bad as her attitude is… and as much as she will continue the bad policies of her predecessor – both economic and foreign… and as much as her Supreme Court nominations will be disastrous for those of us who hold traditional values dear, this country cannot afford a man like Trump to lead our country. He is an embarrassment. He’s not going to make America great again. He will drive our reputation into the ground. If he hasn’t done that already.

Police guarding one of the locations raided by the FBI (VIN)

Why is there so much vitriol in some circles about certain Chasidim in places like Rockland County? Is it because they look and dress differently than the rest of us? Is it because of the significantly different lifestyles they live? I don’t thinks so. They do not look much different than the Amish. I don’t know anyone that has any vitriol against them! And as observant Jews, Chasidim follow the same Torah that the rest of Orthodox Jewry does.

I’ll get to ‘why’ in a moment.

I first want to preempt the almost certain attack I will get from their defenders. (Not that it will help. But I’m going to do it anyway). I will no doubt be accused of Charedi bashing (or more precisely Chasid bashing) for the umpteenth time. These defenders might even say that if you substitute the word ‘Jews’ for the word for ‘Chasidim’ I would be accused of antisemitism. I will no doubt be accused of spreading Lashon Hara (gossip based on false rumors) about the holiest of our people - about yet another raid of a Yeshiva by an antisemtic government agency whose goal is to paint poor, innocent, holy Jews as criminals when in truth they did nothing illegal and just want to go about their lives in peace and tranquility - not hurting a soul.

Why am I an accomplice to spreading these lies instead of defending them? Am I not the one making a Chilul Hashem - or at least helping to spread it?

The answer is, no!

I am sorry. I am not an antisemite. I am not anti Chasid. I am not anti Charedi. I am anti skating around the law - finding ways to take advantage of government generosity meant for entirely different purposes. And calling it a Mitzvah... a legitimate form of Parnasa (livelihood). I am anti using that generosity to support an otherwise unsustainable lifestyle of isolation and poverty - purposely chosen by them. I am anti avoiding an education that would help improve their lives materially so they would not have to be so dependent on government generosity.

I have absolutely no issue with them otherwise. They can continue to live their lives as joyously as they choose. A joy that is virtually universal among these kinds of Chasidim. They love how they live despite their poverty. They love their community - seen as extended family. They love the camaraderie they share among themselves. They love their charitable ways. They love their heightened sense of spirituality. They love their structured lives that give them little to worry about in terms of Shiduchim. Little to worry about in terms of affording to educate their children Jewishly.

They love their Chasidic Rebbe. They love honoring and obeying him - relying on him for all major decisions in life. I have no issue with any of that. They have a right to live their lives as they choose. Being happy with their lot is an important Jewish value. Who is a rich man? The man who is satisfied with his portion, the sages tell us.

I have a Chasdic heritage. I am a direct descendant of a Chasidic Rebbe, R’ Shimon Maryles MiYaroslav. Although I am not a Chasid for ideological reasons, I have no problems with those who choose that lifestyle for themselves.

As my father did after he retired. He moved to Bnei Brak from Chicago after he retired and lived there for 18 years – loving almost every minute of it. But he would be as appalled by this attitude as anyone I know. He hated the kind of fraud we see all too often in these circles today. He was strong believer in Torah U’Parnassa. He believed that people ought to work for a living and never rely on charity – unless they had a proverbial knife to their throats. That’s why he insisted I get a decent secular education.

But when a society raises generations of children to ignore any preparation for the workplace and instead encourages them to take advantage of every government program to designed to help the truly indigent that can’t help themselves…

…and use faulty rationalizations like ‘If those drugged out junkie mothers who doesn’t know who fathered her children can get welfare, why shouldn’t a refined Chasid who strives for the highest standard of holiness by eschewing the outside world - get the same benefit, if they technically qualify?

…when they are encouraged to finagle the legal system to financial advantage (like getting married only Halachicly and not legally so as to maximize government aid)...

….and they ‘interpret’ laws governing certain type of aid using it in areas where it was clearly not intended. Or in some cases outright fraudulent use of it…

Then, Yes! As an Orthodox rabbi, I am going to protest very loudly and very clearly. The ways of these people that I just described are an embarrassment to the Jewish people. And to God. And to His Torah. I am so sick of reading stories like this one in VIN.

Several dozen FBI agents armed with search warrants spread out early this afternoon throughout Ramapo in a raid that is reportedly related to illegal purchase of equipment by religious schools with federal funding allocated for educational technology.

According to The Journal News agents raided several vendors in Monsey and Airmont at approximately 1:30 PM, demanding records related to the purchase of technological equipment through the government’s E-Rate program which distributes over $4 billion to schools nationwide each year for computers and internet access.

Now I know a lot of people will say that this raid was unfair. That these people were acting within the letter of the law, using funds designed to give internet access to underprivileged neighborhoods. They simply found some technical loopholes to use those funds so that they would not have to actually provide internet use to their students. An internet that has been forbidden in a decree issued by their rabbinic leaders under severe penalty for its violation.

I’m sorry. A community that forbids any access to the internet and takes government money designed for that purpose using it for something else – even of it is technically legal through some loophole - is at best unethical. That would be bad enough. But now it appears what the did was not only unethical - it may also have been illegal.

The jury is out on the legality of this issue. But in my view, a lifestyle that must resort to this kind of thing is not a Kiddush HaShem. And stories like this seem to be happening just a little too much.

I don’t know what’s going to happen to these people if they are convicted of fraud. But if they get a long jail sentence I can’t wait to hear the cries of antisemitism from their midst.

I will, however, not be saying that. This mentality has to stop. One cannot be holy while abusing a nation that has been more generous to the Jewish people than any other nation at any time in history. And I for one will not feel sorry for them.

Nachliel Jacobs (Jew in the City)

One of the truly disturbing developments that has resulted from our successful integration into American culture is our obsession with showing it all off. Many of our people tend to be in ‘upper bracket’ incomes. And they simply do not know what to do with all that wealth to prove that they have made it big.

It is also no secret that assimilation has caused far too many of us to shed our Judaism in favor of an a type of universal humanism that one might say is the hallmark of the American ethos. Obviously there is nothing wrong with many humanistic values - some of which are paralleled in Judaism. But humanism does not in any way require one to be a Jew. And that’s why so many American Jews are shedding that label. This gives them the freedom fulfill the promises of American dream in any way they choose without the restrictions their parents’ religion placed upon them - if they just try hard enough. How do they then see themselves? Simply as Americans. Judaism was the culture of their ancestors and as irrelevant to their lives as gefilte fish.

This is the challenge of our time.

But in some cases there is still some residual Judaism in their blood. How does one combine that with their desire to show off their wealth? It’s call the Bar Mitzvah. Or the Bat Mitzvah.

Unfortunately it is not longer news to find a Bar mitzvah ‘celebration’ of major proportion these days. If one has the money, and wants to show it off there is no better way than to throw a huge party, invite a lot pf people, and perhaps even get some media attention. If you are nominally Jewish and your child is the right age (12 for a girl and 13 for a boy) why not kill 2 birds with one stone? Spending hundreds of thousand of dollars on a party and calling it a Bar Mizvah is not all that uncommon anymore.

And if your rich enough, spending millions of dollars on it may not be out of the question.You want Elton John to perform at your ‘Bar Mitzvah” Sure, No problem. Let’s see if he’s available. If not, maybe we can get Billy Joel. Or even Lady Gaga. How about Beyonce?

You liked the movie Titanic? OK. Let’s lock in a date in the grand ballroom of a luxury hotel and build a mock ship that looks like the Titanic; and have the wait staff dress up in that period’s ship stewards. The father and Bar Mitzvah boy can wear the captain’s uniforms.

These Bar Mitzvahs have little if anything to do with Judaism. In fact non Jews, jealous of this excuse to throw a major party – and liking the idea of this ‘rite of passage’ have been known to throw Bar or Bat Mitzvahs for their own children.

Although obviously not to the same level, I often see opulent Bar Mitzvahs even in the Orthodox world. Across all Hashkafic lines. These of course do have religious content. But that is usually left for Shul on Shabbos. The party on another night does not have that much religious content, except for a possible speech or two.

This is not the first time I have discussed this issue. Now people have a right to do whatever they wish with their wealth. No one has a right to that money but them. God bless them, if they earned that money honestly. But when it is done this particular way its it is not a good thing. It sends a terrible message to your children when you throw so much money at – and lavish so much honor to a 12 or 13 year old – as though they just solved a world crisis when in fact they did nothing except get older than they were just a day or two ago.

This is a consequence of the world we live in. A world that means keeping up with the Joneses... or the Cohens and Katzes, and to show the world that you’ve made it. We live in a culture that glorifies financial success.

But every once in awhile you find people who teach their children real values. Values those children put into use. As Allison Josephs describes:

In some ways, Nachliel Jacobs is your average Orthodox Jewish twelve year old boy. He loves sports, music (he plays the drums) and hanging out with his three younger siblings. But there is something about this New York native which sets him apart from other pre-teens: instead of having a bar mitzvah party for just himself, he decided to raise money to throw a party for 300 complete strangers – bar and bat mitzvah-aged kids (and their families) in Israel who have cancer.

It’s not to say that Nachliel hasn’t enjoyed the fancy and lavish bar mitzvah affairs he’s attended, but several months ago while at such an event he got to thinking: All of this for just one night? Why so much wasted money? What could be done with the same amount of money but that would be lasting? It was then the idea for a bar mitzvah celebration to put smiles on the faces of kids who were suffering was born.

This is the kind of Judaism we should be teaching our children. I of course do not want to minimize the importance of observing those Mitzvos that are ritual in nature. Keeping Shabbos and Kashrus and all other such Mitzvos is of vital importance to a Torah oriented Jew. These are commandments that we must follow. But all too often, lost in the shuffle are Mitzvos that are not as much ritualistic as they are humanistic. They are called Mitzvos Bein Adam L’Chavero. Man’s interaction with man.

What values do we teach our children on this level? And how do we teach them? What is the best way to reach our children this way in the materialistic world we live in? I think the family described by Mrs. Josephs answers that question. In spades. Read it and learn.

I am so happy to report a Kiddush HaShem for change.

Confrontation between WoW and Charedim at the Kotel (NYT 2013)

I am disappointed. There was a compromise reached a while back where a section of the Kotel was designated for those among us that do not want to participate in traditional methods of prayer at the Kotel Plaza. They would instead be able to pray any way they wished at ‘Robinson’s Arch’… another section out of sight from the Kotel Plaza that would not disturb those who wished to continue prayer along traditional lines.

So that women who wished to wear Talis and Tefillin, or those who wished to pray together with members of the opposite sex would be able to do so without disrupting the traditional prayer goers.

To be clear, I am opposed to these movements for ideological reasons. I have stated my reasons in the past and will not do so here as they are beyond the scope of this post. But even though I opposed these movements, I supported the compromise because it was the lesser of two evils. I was tired of the constant confrontation and the occasional reactive violence it engendered from Charedi zealots. It allowed the status quo to remain at the Kotel Plaza.

I am a believer in peace. And this compromise seemed to be the means of achieving peace between heterodox movements and the Orthodox establishment that governs all religious matters in the State of Israel. There was some Kvetching on both sides about the compromise. But for the most part this compromise seemed to settle things down.

The Kotel Rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz was on board with it. And even the Charedi Kenesset members seemed to grudgingly go along with it. Their reasoning was very practical and I agreed with them. There were bigger fish to fry. And this one was not worth the price of strident unalterable opposition. A price that may have destroyed the ruling coalition of which they are now a part. And from which they have gotten many concessions. Not the least of which was restoring the financial aid to their Charedi constituents that was taken away from them by the last governing coalition.

Finally! …I thought. The Charedi politicians were using common sense and letting this one go. Peace at last… or as they say on the Charedi world ‘Shalom Al Yisroel’. Everyone was more or less happy. Nobody got 100% of what they wanted but they were more or less satisfied... happy to be done with it! The Charedi world was not endorsing this new arrangement. They didn’t vote for it. They just didn’t block it. They could still say they reject the validity of heterodox movements.

Heterodox movements did not get the Kotel Plaza, but at least they got a part of the Kotel with which they could do whatever they wanted. Plans were underway for a massive development of that area that would make it more accessible and user friendly.

But it didn’t last long. The underlying Charedi opposition was simply too much to bear passively. Rabbi Rabinowitz backed off of his initial acceptance of the compromise. What precipitated this radical turn? Apparently it was the Prime Minister’s invitation to Reform and Conservative leaders to celebrate their ‘victory’. That was too public for the Charedi politicians. I guess Charedi politicians do not want to appear in any way compromising with movements that are heretical. That would go against everything they stand for. They have never compromised before and they were not about to start now. “What”, they might have said “were we thinking?!”

I think that were thinking rationally for a change. Unfortunately this is Israel. And rationality seems to always take a back seat to rigidity. Compromise is a word they do not understand. Except for one brief moment in time.

The compromise as it stands now has been scuttled and is now under government review to see if the compromise can be adjusted to satisfy all parties.

Sure!

But then again, what was I thinking? Charedi intransigence is the rule of the day in Israel! It wouldn’t be Israel without it. Nothing is going to get into the way of that. Certainly not common sense.

A New Look at the Shiddach Crisis

If the Election Were Held Today

Apology

Gadol School

Is It All Over but the Shouting?

Spotlight – On Us!

Barefoot, Pregnant, and in the Kitchen

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

A Non Jewish - Jewish School

Science and Torah - Revisited

Another Look at Israel’s Reality

The Synagogue I Don’t Attend, is Orthodox

Who is like Your people Israel!

Is this the American ‘Arab Spring’?

Sick Day

YCT Statement on Belief

What Now?

A Holy Lifestyle that is Less than Ethical

A Lesson to Learn from a 13 Year Old

Intransigence Wins, Common Sense Loses