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A Heartfelt Apology
I am taking the liberty of re-posting a public and heartfelt apology from Dr. Esther Shkop, Dean of The Hebrew Theological College’s Blitstein Institite for Women (Machon Torani L'Banot) and the...
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Some of My Best Friends…
Miss Israel - Yityish AynawI am not one to follow beauty pageants. Least of all those held in Israel. I am not going to get into the Halachic issues here – which do exist. As it pertains to this post...
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Hating Charedim – Whose Fault is it?
Rav Shmuel Auerbach speaking on Motzi Shabbos (Photo - Jewish Press)When one hears the term ‘Hate Crime’ it usually conjures up images of white supremacists beating up innocent black youth or some neo...
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Speaking the Truth - and Acting on It
Rabbi Avinoam Cohen - photo credit: Jerusalem PostHere is a Charedi rabbi we can all believe in. He is a man of both courage and action. He not only speaks – but does.Perhaps Rabbi Avinoam Cohen has...
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Sharing the Burden
HaRav Matisyahu SalomonI have to respectfully disagree with the esteemed Mashgiach of Lakewood, Rav Matisyahu Salomon. An article in YWN qoutes him as saying that the statement being made about...
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Strange Bedfellows
Charedim and settlers at a demonstration in 2011 - Photo Credit Times of IsraelIf there was ever a question about whether all Orthodox Jews support West Bank settlers this should end it. According to...
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Nachman’s Letter
Nachman and Raizy Glauber on their wedding dayIt is rare to see Hakoras HaTov (appreciation and thanks) expressed to parents on the day of one’s wedding the way it was by this Chasan on his own...
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A Short but Fulfilled Life
Reuven and his father dancing at a cousin's wedding shortly before his deathThis weekend the Kirshner-Maryles families observe the one year anniversary of my grandson Reuven’s death. Although the...
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A View of Observant Judaism by a Non Observant Jew
David Brooks - photo credit New York TimesI must say that I am both surprised and disappointed at the negative comments about David Brook’s op-ed column in the New York Times. And they weren’t few....
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A Moving Post for a Moving Day
Scene from yesterday's event - photo credit Neil HarrisI was profoundly moved this morning by a blog post on Modern Uberdox written by the blog host, Neil Harris. It describes events which took place...
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Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetsky’s Critique of Me
Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, ZTLUpdate:I have received a communication from Rabbi Kamenetsky apologizing for any anguish he gave me via his Ami article and asked for Mechila. I accepted it and was already...
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Milking the System Legally
Skverer Rebbe An article in lohud (Journal News) once again brings to mind the poverty of Chasidic communities like New Square. It appears that the poverty rate in New Square is so high that it is...
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If Only… A Chasidic Role Model
Typical scene in Williamsburg - photo credit: Forward First let me congratulate Mrs. Rachel (Ruchie) Freier for her many great personal achievements and contributions to both Judaism and the world at...
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The True Measure of Great Men
R' Mordechai Kamenetsky - photo credit: MatzavChicago has the unfortunate but well deserved distinction of missing out on opportunities to be one of the greatest Torah centers in the world. We have...
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Is Sabbath Observance Enough?
Egalitarian service at Cong. Kol Ami in Tampa, Florida - photo credit: Kol AmiThe David Brooks article in the New York Times about Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn has stirred up a lot of controversy. I first...
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Societal Abandonment of the Bible as a Moral Guide
Gay couple protesting outside the Boston State House in 2007 - photo credit: ABCThis morning I noted that one of the original sponsors of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - Republican Senator Rob...
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What Rav Shachter Said…
I met Rav Hershel Shachter about 25 years when he was the scholar in residence at HTC. I was the chairman of the culminating Melave Malke event. I remember being mesmerized by this Gadol as he...
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Visiting a Friend
The Prime Minister and the PresidentA lot of people are trying to spin President Obama’s upcoming visit to Israel this week in their own image. People on both sides of the divide see this trip...
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A Brighter Future for Charedim in Israel
19th Keneset Party Leaders - photo credit: IB TimesMaybe I am a hopeless optimist. But I see a lot of changes happening in the Jewish world. And they seem to all be for the better.One of those things...
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Information About Child Safety
Rabbi Yakov HorowitzI am happy to honor a request by Rabbi Yakov Horowitz to post the following video… and include a link to his recent post asking parents to speak to their kids about child safety...
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