Religious Girls, Thinness, and Social Expectations
As a follow-up to Shira Schmidt’s post about religious girls, weight, and self-esteem: In one area I think we do a lot better than the non-Jewish world, and that has to do with social...
The Cardinals, Chovevei Torah, and Crossing Lines
Everything about Chovevei Torah’s hosting of a group of cardinals to its beit midrash was appalling, wrong, and dangerous. Everything other than receiving them with warmth and dignity, and recognizing some of the important...
Religious girls: study belies stereotype
7 bNissan The article “Thin is not a mitzvah for religious girls” appeared in the Jerusalem Post April 2 (by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, an observant woman herself). Probably someone other than the reporter gave it...
Stereotyping religious girls
6 bNissan If you saw the following headline in the Jerusalem Post, what do you think the article would say? (Don’t go and look at the article yet; that’s not fair.) “Thin is not...
Orthodox Education in Israel: A Special Interest No Longer
Another interesting outcome of the Israeli elections: a chareidi party is now the third largest in Israel (tied with Likud), with the chareidi faction quite close to Labor in size. All told, the number...
No Disengagement from Another Jew’s Pain
During past discussions here and elsewhere, several writers referred to what they perceived as a strict division between the Chareidi and Modern Orthodox/Religious Zionist groups, especially in Israel. One commenter said, for example, “Each...
Another Twist in Israeli Election Results
According to the JPost, errors attributing votes to the right parties at several polling stations means that Labor will have only 19 seats in the next Knesset, with one more going to UAL-Ta’al. Labor’s...
Hoisted on their own contradictions
History provides a number of examples of ideological movements that flourish briefly and then collapse under the weight of their own internal contradictions. Classical Zionism is one such movement; Conservative Judaism another… THE CONSERVATIVE...
Pushing Interfaith Conversion?
There have been recent discussions here about both conversion of intermarried partners and decision-making within the Conservative movement; the two come together in a Baltimore Jewish Times Op/Ed this week, in which the Executive...
Israeli Elections: Whither the Charedi Parties?
Shas could have been a crucial element of any possible coalition, had it retained 13 seats in the new Knesset. With the final tally dropping Shas to 12 and bringing Meretz up to 5,...