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,...
Torah as Nazi Notebook Cover
Haaretz has a fascinating piece on a Nazi officer’s notebook, which was covered by a fragment sliced from a Torah scroll. It was given by the Nazi officer’s son to Moti Dotan, the head...
Iraq, Chateaubriand, and the Festival of Our Freedom
The month of Nisan is upon us, and our preparation for the Festival of Freedom is entering its final, frenetic state. The war in Iraq, foundering on the shoals of the primitiveness of Arab...
Israeli election, view from a Shas driver’s seat
Hodesh tov. I put in an intense 48 hours during the Israel election,(1) first handling media issues then (2) as part of a team driving cross-city and cross-country to get stranded voters to their...