Clik here to view.
The Key to Jewish Unity
Screenshot of Bnei Brak rabbis at yesterday's memorial serviceSometimes it takes an emotional event like this to remind me how much I pine for the unity of the Jewish people. Watching a video (see...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Work of God? Or Work of the Devil?
Extremist Charedim burning an Israeli flag in 2017 (Ynet)It takes two to Tango. As noted recently, one of my fondest dreams is to see unity among the Jewish people. And yet on this - Israel’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Conservadox Judaism - Good Thing or Bad?
Tel Aviv coastline (Jerusalem Post)“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Of Massive Protests
Demonstration supporting judicial reform. Biggest rally ever? (Jewish Press)Israel has experienced a series of continuous massive protests against government since the last election. Ostensibly against...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If You Are an Orthodox Jew DiSantis Is Your Guy
DeSantis speaking in Jerusalem a few days ago (JTA)I hate to disappoint my friends on the left. And by friends I mean that very sincerely. The people I call my fiends here are intellectually honest...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Image of an Educated Orthodox Jew
Do Yeshivahs risk offering an unsuitably narrow education? (JC) I reject the notion that Chasidism does not value a secular education (Limudei Chol). There are 3 great examples that say otherwise. They...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Good Bans - Bad Bans
Skverer Rebbe, Rabbi Dovid Twersky (YWN)Mayim Genuvim Yimtaku – Stolen waters are sweet. (Mishlei 9:17) These wise words are what I think of whenever I hear about rabbinic bans that ‘throw out the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beis Yaakov and Sara Schenirer - Yesterday and Today
A Bais Yaakov classroom in 1939 - an immodest photo? (Forward)Rabbi Yosef Bechhofer once told me that in the world of Charedi education, girls get a much better Jewish education than boys do. As a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Honorable Defender of His People
Chasidim - the most likely targets of antisemitic attacks (Tablet)I have in the past been critical of ADL chief, Jonathan Greenblatt for focusing almost exclusively on right wing antisemitism. Not that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Are Gay Jews Really Abominable?
Openly gay rabbi - Steven Greenberg (TOI)One of the most difficult issues for me to contemplate is homosexuality. This was not always the case. Back in the late 60s when I was a college student...
View ArticleClik here to view.
King Charles and the Jewish People
Then Prince Charles and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (TOI)I found it fascinating. In honor of the coronation of King Charles yesterday, Mishpacha Magazine featured a brief history of the Jewish people in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dr. Strangelove
Scene from the movie, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ (JTA)Dr. Strangelove was Stanly Kubrick’s 1964 satirical black comedy about the ‘cold war’ sparking an unintentional nuclear war between the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize
I’m glad the New York Times was not awarded the coveted Pulitzer Prize for its investigate reporting about the schools of certain Chasidic sects There was a lot of angst among defenders of these...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson and a Kiddush HaShem
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson with Chicago's Agudah officials (Agudah bulletin)One of the great things about Agudah is their successful lobbying efforts on behalf of observant Jewry. Although they are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Consequences of Flexing Charedi Muscle
A beautiful sight. But at what cost? (TOI)To say that I have mixed feelings about this is an understatement. On the other hand I got a sick feeling - a knot in the pit of my stomach after reading the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Holocaust and Wokism
Governor DiSantis during his recent trip to Israel (JTA)There is a troubling phenomenon taking place with respect to Holocaust education. A phenomenon whose apparent premise is that any publication...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jerusalem Estates
Typical ad for Jerusalem EstatesI often express my ambivalence on issues affecting the Jewish people. One such issue are the ads for luxury housing in Jerusalem. Like the ones in Charedi publications...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Unity - Is it Real or Fleeting?
World Zionist Congress meeting, L-Rabbi Pesach Lerner (Arutz Sheva) What unites us is greater than what divides us. This is not the first time I have said this. But I cannot emphasize it enough. When...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Well Deserved Praise of a Yeshiva Education
New York City Mayor, Eric Adams (Arutz Sheva)I like Eric Adams. Although ever the politician – knowing his audience at an OU event, I nevertheless believe the New York City mayor’s praise of Yeshiva...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Frightening Prospects of Artificial Intelligence
ChapGPT CEO, Sam Altman testifying in the Senate yesterday (AP)2001 - A Space Odyssey. That 1968 film by Stanley Kubrick took a look a few years hence into the future (33 years to be exact) to see what...
View Article