The Green-Eyed Monster
Mercedes recently ran a full page ad in The New York Times. It contained only six words. At the top were two words: “More Power.” Four inches below that were two more words: “More...
Megagiving, Jewish Loyalty, and New Roles for the Orthodox
Among the Jewish super-rich, philanthropy is alive and well. A decreasing share of it, according to a recent issue of Lifestyles magazine, stays within the community. The upshot of this is not so much...
The Kidnapping of Rosa Parks
Rosh Hodesh Adar. Sometimes I go to great lengths for the sake of the Cross-currents blog…. Last week I rode the length and breadth of the Land of Israel on the mehadrin buses in...
Tzedakah Postscript
Some further clarification of the issues I raised in an earlier piece. Judging people favorably is sometimes a halachic requirement, and sometimes just an admirable trait, even when not absolutely required. Never, however, does...
A Grave Matter
by Rabbi Harvey Belovski I am enjoying the privilege of showing my eleven-year-old daughter around Israel and yesterday we spent the day grave-hopping in the Galil. We had a wonderful time, which both of...
Look Before You Leap
The dedicated askanim who devote themselves day and night to solving some of our most pressing communal problems are one of the crowning glories of the Israeli chareidi community. Recently two groups of askanim...
Defending Jonathan Rosenblum
No, this is not a defense of THE Jonathan Rosenblum article, the one that decried the cavalier attitude that some in the haredi community display towards the way their less laudable actions will be...
Do Jews Defend their Civil Rights?
The following question and answer just appeared on our Jewish Answers web site, under the heading “Jewish Civil Rights:” Please tell me why Jewish people as a whole seem not to defend their civil...
So Intermarriage is a Bad Thing, After All
An alert reader tipped me off last week to this piece from the JTA: “Latest salvo in intermarriage debate suggests a split in Jewish community.” Steven M. Cohen, a prominent Jewish sociologist, has fired...