The Kiruv Imperative
While Dr. Schick has just contributed a new article, I think his previous one, about Jewish outreach, warrants further analysis and exploration. To an extent kiruv (Jewish outreach) requires a suspension of reality. This...
Should We Celebrate?
When the Supreme Court cut the constitutional baby in half and ruled that some Ten Commandment displays are kosher and some are not, the spokesman for the Orthodox Union warmly welcomed the development. Good...
Legal Rights, Moral Wrongs
Last week’s Forward reported that Washington lobbyist David Saperstein, director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, called on liberal religious and political leaders to launch a campaign to cut in half the number...
How Do We Measure Up?
There are things you can’t learn from books. You’ve got to learn them from lawyers. Strange as this seems, it is supported by Maharal. At least the first part. Maharal on Avos 2:9 (according...
A (Daf Yomi) Tale of Two Cities
(Note: For anyone interested in a bit of commentary on the Supreme Court’s Ten Commandments rulings, which haven’t been addressed on this site, see my piece today on Jewish World Review.) Boy, does that...
Responding to “Gay” Parades
As a basketball player, I was always something of a streak shooter, and I’m afraid that the same will be true of my contributions to this site. Every time I finally summon up the...
Self-criticism
A few weeks ago, Marvin Schick threw out for discussion an incident in Ramat Beit Shemesh where a group of residents of Ramat Beit Shemesh “B” were alleged to have pelted a group of...
Disengagement: Non-Political Responses
Cross-Currents is trying hard to stay out of the political arena. Not that its contributors think that “politics” is outside the arena of Torah commentary. My guess is that every contributor to this blog...
Radio Shack and the Jewish Problem
A few additional points following up on my last post: 1) Ms. Horowitz’ statement is by no means unique in today’s Jewish world. Come and hear, as they say, what Stephen Fried writes in...