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All Black Lives Matter
BLM founders Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors (Adweek)The noise seems to have quieted down. But the controversy remains. The issue is racism. Is this country racist at the core? Is there...
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Disqualifying Mayim Bialik for Being Pro Israel
Mayim Bialik on the set of Jeopardy (UWI)Yet again the New York Times has put its best anti Israel foot forward. The Times would of course vigorously deny that. But any fair-minded individual with the...
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Chasidic Behavior on a Plane
Image for illustration purposes only (Rationalist Judaism)I just know that I will be accused of bias against Chasidim. I am absolutely convinced of it. But this has nothing to do with bias. It has to...
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Extremism and the Charedi Narrative about Smartphones
Protest in front of Didi Phone in Bnei Brak (YWN)Obviously these Charedim are extremists with lots of time on their hands. And very likely ignorant of the skills needed to lead productive lives. No...
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Dennis Prager’s COVID Stupidity
Dennis Prager (Haaretz)I recall the first time I heard Dennis Prager’s talk show. I stumbled onto it while trying to find a talk show on the radio that I could listen to during work that was...
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The High Level of Sophisticated Deception
'Michael Isaacson' before and after (JC) ...hard to believe it's the same guy.To say that it’s shocking is an understatement. That someone can so fake his Judaism let alone a Charedi version of it is...
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Of Blacks, Jews, and Prejudice
Thurgood Marshall and Colin Powell (Tablet)With the recent passing of Colin Powell there has been a lot of discussion about his successful life. One of the more interesting things for me was his...
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Rabbi Yakov Horowitz Defeats a Pedophile
Rabbi Yakov Horowitz outside the Knesset (Arutz Sheva)First I would like to congratulate Rabbi Yakov Horowitz for his impressive win. And to congratulate the Israeli judicial system for dismissing a...
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'If We Don't get it, Why should They?!"
Israeli MK, Meir Porush (VIN)Subtlety is not the forte of the far right. The more right wing one is, the more black and white one is. Nuance disappears.It is that characteristic of the extreme right of...
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Is It Really About Kashrus?
Charedi MK, Uri Maklev (Jewish Press)I don’t really get what all the fuss is about. On the one hand I support the Rabbanut (the Israeli Chief Rabbinate). Ideally there ought to be no competition in the...
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Biden and Settlements
The State Department escalates its rhetoric against settlements (UWI)As predicted right here, the Biden administration has resumed the pre Trump narrative that settlements in the West Bank and in the...
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Increased Enrollment in Heterodox Jewish Schools
Solomon Schechter Day School of ChicagoAny form of Judaism that does not strictly adhere to the Torah as interpreted by the sages of the Talmud and throughout history by the leading rabbis of each...
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Not Perfect - but Still Proud of Bennett
PM Bennett in prayer before meeting with President Biden (TOI)When Naftali Bennett became the prime minister of Israel, I felt a sense of pride. This was the first time an observant Jew became the...
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Is Extremism in Defense of the Torah the Right Approach?
Gerrer ChasidimIt’s no secret that extremism is currently in vogue. All one has to do is look at what happened on January 6th of this year. Unfortunately Jews are not immune to the extremist spirit of...
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The ‘Gap Year’ and ‘Growth’
A Times of Israel article about choosing a Yeshiva or seminary for the so-called ‘Gap Year’ got me to thinking about the value of sending a child to study in Israel for a year (or more in some cases)...
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An Important Lesson About the American Electorate
Virginia Governor-Elect Glenn YoungkinIt appears the ‘Silent Majority’ is a alive and well in the United States. It is fairly obvious that the country is divided between liberal and conservative...
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Is Gambling Philanthropy Good or Bad?
Gershon Distenfeld (Poker News)I have to admit I’m conflicted. Orthodox Jewish philanthropist, Gershon Distenfeld, sent me an article about his donation of $204,000 to Tzedaka. One may wonder why I am...
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Is ArtScroll Great? Or Terrible?
Screenshot from the Mishpacha interviewUnlike many critics of ArtScroll, I am a fan. Their Magnum Opus translation (elucidation) of Shas – the entirety of the Talmud - is the greatest advancement in...
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Rabbi Meir Shapiro, ZTL
Image from MatzavIt is with great sorrow that I report the death of Rabbi Meir Shapiro - a giant in the world of Chinuch. Announcements like this are often prefaced this way – to the point of becoming...
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How Would MLK See Civil Rights Today?
Alveda King (NYP)If I had to point to one thing that I believe divides this country the most, it would be ‘Critical Race Theory’ (CRT). A theory which has gained currency ever since the Black Lives...
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