Us, Them and the Deep State
Hamodia opted to not publish my column submission for this week, but I share it here. The two thirds of the American populace that objected to the policy of removing children from their illegal...
Category: Jewish World
Klal Yisrael Matters
A “scandalous letter” in the files of Israel’s official rabbinate “reflects ignorance,” delivers “a severe blow” to Israel’s relations with Diaspora Jewry and “abandons the religious system in Israel to haredi hands.” Thus spake...
Not Your Bubbe’s HUC
The first ordination banquet of the Hebrew Union College of Reform Judaism did not go smoothly. A group of invited rabbis opened their menus, realized that the first course was to be little-neck clams, and immediately left. Fast forward 125 years, and once again the abandonment of Jewish values was too profound for some of those invited to bear.
Optics and Essence
While Democrats and Republicans were trading verbal punches – and misinformation – about immigrant children last week, an adult immigrant riveted the attention of a crowd, and then the world, as he saved a...
The Israeli Rabbinate’s New Standards
An article I wrote for Haaretz about Israel’s official rabbinate “blacklisting” some American rabbis, disallowing their vouching for people’s Jewish credentials can be read here. Even if you’re not a Haaretz subscriber or registrant, if...
Dismantling the Palestinian Lie
In a recent, now infamous, speech PA President Mahmoud Abbas turned his attention to history’s favorite target: the Jews. This is no surprise, as the very name “Palestine” has always served to dissociate the Jews from their homeland.
A Tale of Two Speeches
I had the honor of making two public presentations in recent days, one to second grade students at the impressive Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Southfield, Michigan; and the other, to students and members of...
Plane Talk
The Israel Airports Authority has rejected a billboard urging female airline passengers at Ben-Gurion Airport not to give up their seats to Orthodox men who don’t want to sit next to women. The billboard,...
Open Orthodoxy Update, Parshas Tazria-Metzora
If they did not mischaracterize themselves as Orthodox, none of this would be particularly newsworthy. We will be happy to stop publishing these updates, just as soon as they drop the word “Orthodox” from their name.
Chastened By a Midrash
I don’t find it terribly hard to be tolerant of others’ political points of view, even when they are far from my own. I try to be mindful of the fact that, as Chazal...
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