R Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l – The Last Word
We gave more space to the petirah and the life of Rav Lichtenstein than anyone else we’ve covered in Cross-Currents, chiefly because we reasoned that our readers knew less about him than they did...
Our Children are Children Too
A response in the New York Jewish Week to American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, who wrote an earlier op-ed in that paper opposing NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to grant some relief...
There’s a Reason Hashem Invented Capitalism
The real haters won’t be satisfied until all the men close their gemaros. But for others – the majority of Israelis, I am led to believe – if families are self-sufficient and not on...
Ordination of Insubordination
“We’re going to blink and there’ll be 100 Orthodox women rabbis in America that have been given ordination”. –R. Adam Mintz, professor of Talmud, Yeshivat Maharat Within the week, three Orthodox-identified rabbinical ordination programs for...
Who’s In Charge?
Some of us can remember when taking a plane was a pleasant experience, even exhilarating. Those days, of course, are long gone. It used to be – if “good old days” syndrome hasn’t played...
Appraising Children
The teaser headline on a Business Insider article — “The ultimate status symbol for millionaire moms on New York’s Upper East Side is not what you’d expect” — is explained by the piece in...
47 Homicides and Counting
Why are so many young black men being murdered in Baltimore, after Freddie Gray? It’s what happens when police know they might be arrested for doing their job.
Knowing Half the Story
The video is horrifying. A bus driver, with just a few kids left on his route, stops at the side of the road. He throws a kid’s bag out the door onto the grass,...
Bias Ne’eman
By now, with a couple of decades of monitoring media on behalf of Agudath Israel behind me, I really shouldn’t be surprised by examples of journalistic bias. But there are times when I can...
Rabbinic Dignity – A Contemporary Lesson
After reading about the latest rabbinic “issue”, we do not know what to say. While the rabbi involved has the right to explain himself, and we cannot assume wrongdoing beyond anything which would be...