A Day We Will Not Forget
For those who are in a position to do any damage control with friends and neighbors, this is still the most compelling video showing what the naval commandos who boarded the lead ship had...
Author: Yitzchok Adlerstein
The Rebbe and the General
Israeli historian Arie Morgenstern tells of a fascinating difference of opinion between the Lubavitcher Rebbe, z”l, and Moshe Dayan in the current (Winter) issue of Azure. The setting is the Yom Kippur War. Morgenstern,...
Ode to Shavuos
Poetry stirs the soul. For better or worse, my favorite mood-setter before Matan Torah is not a particular story, mashal, or medrash. It is a poem, authored by someone who first learned in Volozhin,...
Petirah of a Gracious Lady
The reaction to the petirah of Lady Amelie Jakobovits z”l shows how to be loved and admired as a person, bring great tribute to the Torah, win widespread recognition – all while maintaining uncompromising...
Notes From a Hollywood Dinner
The key to a successful fund-raiser in our community is often the choice of honorees. You look to find people connected enough that their friends will attend (and contribute) in droves. If you are...
Insight Into a Perfidious Mind
Richard Goldstone condemned 28 black people to death while serving as a judge in apartheid South Africa, according to Yediot Achronot (as cited by the Jerusalem Post). We could have expected a denial. He...
The Goals of Kiruv – a View From the Past
What are the goals of kiruv? What kind of change should offer the mekarev some sense of accomplishment? I remember debates about this years ago at AJOP conventions, where kiruv professionals gathered for chizuk...
Torah Always Matters
This was not an easy blogging week. The issue of women’s ordination brought some sharp divisions within the community into focus, including fundamentally different conceptions of halachic process and authority. Surprisingly, the most jarring...
The Day the RCA Became Agudah
Not in the way you think. This is written in praise of the RCA, not to score points for Agudah. (I wouldn’t take sides – I have a high regard for, and work with,...
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