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Yes, I am an Optimist!
Is Ivanka the President's top adviser? (VIN)In my wildest dreams, I never thought an Orthodox Jew would be a top adviser to the leader of the free world. And yet that is exactly what seems to be...
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American Muslims, Palestinian Muslims, and Hamas
Vandalized Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia (Reuters via the Jerusalem Post)I wish it were that easy. In a poignant plea for understanding between peoples, Salaam Bhatti asks the question asked by the...
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No Way to Lead a Country
The people voted. And we have a President: Donald J. Trump. Those who voted for him knew exactly what they were getting. A man they saw the ultimate change agent. A man that publicly said what they...
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A Hollow Judaism
Rabbi Henoch Plotnik (Mishpacha)Rabbi Henoch Plotnik is one of my heroes. He is a Rebbe in Yeshivas Meor HaTorah, a Yeshiva high school in Chicago which caters to the Charedi community. He is also a...
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Not Your Father’s Esav
Rabbi Aryeh Zev GinzbergIn what is otherwise a beautiful plea for civilized discourse that should reflect the pleasant ways of the Torah, I must take issue with an attitude Rabbi Aryeh Zev Ginzberg...
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The Tragedy of One Sided Compassion
Jewish Voice for Peace - Do we need more of these? (Forward)Peter Beinart is a tragic figure. This is a man, (an observant Jew I’m told) whose conscience has moved him to make unpopular choices....
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Grasping at Straws
It may not be the end of their world. But can we see it from here?What a downfall for a movement in America that was once boasted the largest membership of Jews in the country. It is no secret that...
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Is the President to Blame?
The New Yorker caricature of Philip Roth by Tom BachtellThere has been a spike in antisemitic incidents in the last few weeks. Over one hundred bomb threat at Jewish institutions (mostly JCCs) have...
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The Ultimate Segula - Cheap at Any Price!
The Fargrepster Rebbe in his younger yearsEureka, I found it. It’s the real thing. And just in time for Purim. The solution to the Shidduch crisis. Yes, boys and girls. All you need to do is follow...
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What Will it Take to Stop Them?
IDF solider hung in effigy a year ago in Meah Shearim (TOI)Disturbing. Disgusting. Sickening. Despicable. These are but a few adjectives that came to mind when I once again read about what happened...
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Orthodox Schools as the Model for Public Education
Agudah leaders recent meeting with Secretary DeVos in Washington DCSometimes we Jews are our own worst enemies. Even those of us that are Orthodox tend to be critical of praise from the outside. We may...
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MbP - Knowledge is Power Revisited
A typical Bris ceremony (NY Daily News)Although the issue has been somewhat dormant, it has not gone away. The procedure known as Metzitza B’Peh (MbP) is still going on. With pretty severe consequences...
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Nothing to Gain Except a Chilul HaShem
Not the way to win friends and influence peopleThe recent arrest of a Charedi draft dodger has once again brought out threats of retaliation and disruption by his fellow Charedim. According to an...
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Trump, Antisemitism, Liberal Jewish Leaders, and the Media
Liberal Jewish leader- J street head, Jeremy Ben-Ami (Jerusalem Post)Most people that read this blog regularly know that I am no fan of the President. I am as thoroughly disgusted by his rhetoric and...
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A Role Model for All of Us
Rav Yaakov Edelstein (left) with Rav Chaim Kanievsky (Mishpacha)I have had little patience for the way some of the right wing Charedi rabbinic leadership in Israel actually leads. Not because I don’t...
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Sliding to the Left
Intermarriage. Is this the new normal for Conservative JudaismRoberta Rosenthal Kwall has written another insightful article in Commentary responding to the direction the Conservative Movement is...
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Is This the New UN?
United Nations Secretary-General António GuterresI used to think the UN was - at best - a complete waste of time and money. And at worst an antisemtic body whose primary goal was to destroy Israel....
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Chasing Chasidic Chumros
Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky - Should this image be banned?Modesty has become a big item in the 21st century Charedi world. But not in the broad sense that this Jewish value is intended. The way...
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Doing the Right Thing the Wrong Way
Rabbi Baruch Zalman Melamed (Arutz Sheva)If there is anything about me that people can be assured of, it is that I am a centrist (small c). I am not talking about my Hashkafa or world view. Although I...
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He Is One of Ours
Accused teenager hiding his face in an Israeli court (NYT/Reuters)I’m not in the habit of quoting myself. But in this case I just can’t help it. In response to a spike in bomb threats to JCCs and other...
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