Author: Yaakov Menken

9

Conservative Jews Deserve More than PR

All agree that the Conservative Jewish movement is in rapid decline. But by hiring a PR agency, the United Synagogue is going in the wrong direction — surveys and branding will not fix the fundamental problem.

14

Rabbi Gordimer and his Critics

I rise on a question of personal privilege on behalf of an esteemed colleague. An open debate of ideas is appropriate (as we have said all along), but unfounded mischaracterization of a writer’s motivations and dialogue with others is quite out of line.

A Monument to Discord

The new Israeli agreement to create an “egalitarian” section at the Western Wall promises not merely a fissure, but fragmentation. It has already exposed the fault line of disagreement between the Reform movement and the Reform-funded Women of the Wall.

5

Like the Face of a Dog

R’ Yisroel Salanter described modern politics quite accurately when he explained the Mishnah’s cryptic statement that “the face of the generation will be like the face of the dog.” Sadly, he described modern religion, too.

8

Pharoah and the Jews: a Case Study in Anti-Semitism

It’s possible to read the story of the Exodus repeatedly, yet fail to notice that the same lies that Pharoah told about the Jews over 3300 years ago are the same ones circulated today. If you think BDS is something new, or that there is a problem of “occupation,” it’s time to acknowledge the reality of hatred.

39

The Model is Working

Twenty years ago, no one thought it was “triumphalism” to refer to the exponential growth of the observant community. At that time, it was termed “unrealistic” — though then, as now, it was very real.

31

Open Orthodoxy: An Amicable Divorce?

Integrity demands that “Open Orthodoxy” discard the “Orthodox” moniker. There are early signs that — thanks to the Agudah, RCA, CER and others — this may, at last, be taking place.

Pin It on Pinterest