Category: General

That rabbi being me, a week ago.  A good part of my responsibilities at the Simon Wiesenthal Center (which is where I am when not at Yeshiva of Los Angeles or Loyola Law School...

Since writing about politics is a good way to get readers, and since I happen to know a thing or two about CAP, I decided to write about this major player in the Samuel...

It seems unfortunate that Sharon’s doctors feel compelled to defend their decision to prescribe blood thinners after his mild stroke. A stroke is caused by a blood clot, thinners prevent clotting, and they had...

I got an update from someone who has known Jack for many years. He is in fact a BT (Baal Teshuva, lit. “Master of Return”), meaning he did not grow up Orthodox. He only...

I strongly disagree with Rabbi Adlerstein’s observations on the middos (character traits) of Baalei Teshuvah (late adopters of Orthodoxy) — not because the flaws do not exist, but because it is unfair to blame...

When both my wife and Jonathan Rosenblum think I left room for some serious misunderstanding of my position, I know I’m in trouble.  Allow me to explain what I do and do not believe,...

My daughter was married last week to a fine young man. She is our eldest and she is the first of our children to be married. It is a firm Jewish belief that deceased...

I like the way my brother-in-law, Elie, put this so much, that I’m simply copying and pasting what he said: The annual Jewish/Israeli Blog (“JIB”) awards are now being held, sponsored by the Jerusalem...

If you ask me, they all got it wrong. He did not wear the hat to look more pious. Decades ago, the head of a large group within American Orthodoxy faced extremely serious charges...

As a follow-up to Rabbi Rosenblum’s piece about the Reform convention from Friday, it is worth noting that the resolution on Iraq isn’t merely evidence of a threat to Jewish continuity. It also runs...