Author: Yaakov Menken

Today was the levaya (funeral) of Rav Naftoli (Herman) Neuberger, the long time administrative head of Yeshivas Ner Israel of Baltimore. As the public representative of not only the yeshiva, but much of Baltimore’s...

David Forman, a Reform Rabbi living in Israel, argues in the Jerusalem Post that the Conservative and Reform movements in Israel should merge. The credits describe him merely as “a Reform rabbi [and] the...

The Jerusalem Post reports that the “lulav situation” was made worse by a cartel that managed to become the sole importer of lulavim. An unnamed Bnei Brak-based importer is credited with breaking the cartel...

As has been previously and compellingly demonstrated, a Nobel Prize is, in reality, no assurance of anything. Yassir Arafat received the Peace Prize; need I say more? But be that as it may, there...

Do you know whether the chair you are sitting on actually exists? At first glance, it seems like a silly question, but — as my correspondent pointed out — the truth is considerably more...

With all the talk about freedom of religion in this country, we must recognize that not only minorities need that freedom. Sometimes it is the religious rights of others that are impaired — and...

Network World was one of many newspapers and technology journals that carried a nice mention of the Contact Loved Ones project, which I wrote about earlier. I note, however, the entry below ours in...

Recently, Aish HaTorah produced a video presentation, called Inspired, featuring a range of Baalei Teshuva, returnees to Judaism, describing “what motivated them to change their lives and embrace Torah.” The goal of the movie,...

Senseless in Gaza Rabbi Avi Shafran Those nefarious Jews did it again. They had the gall to not destroy their 19 synagogues in Gaza, leaving them to silently stoke the passions of uncontrollable Arabs....

This is not usually a technology blog. But then again, the project I’m about to describe isn’t the usual technology project. Last Friday afternoon, Dan Schoeffler (whom I have never met) sent an email...