INTERCEPTED LETTER #2 DATE: Purim, 5765 TO: Members of SHICR (Society for Halakhic Innovation and Renewal) In our last memorandum, we shared with you the groundbeaking decisions of our innovative SHICR halakhic experts. You...
The local version of Murphy is that “no good deed in Hollywood goes unpunished.” A variation for writers in the public eye might be “no published idea goes understood.” I experienced this twice today,...
On March 1, tens of thousands of Jews joined together to celebrate an event called the Siyum HaShas at numerous locations across the country, including New York’s Madison Square Garden and the New Jersey...
On March 4, 2005 Agudath Israel sent a letter to Dr. Tom Frieden, New York City’s Health Commissioner, estimating that in the yeshiva world half of the brisim have been conducted with matzitza b’peh,...
My friendship with, and admiration of, David Klinghoffer will survive his latest book. I hope that the good feeling is reciprocal, because I am going to have to respectfully disagree with his thesis. This...
When controversy erupts in the Torah world, should we refrain from discussing it or should we engage in respectful but frank debate? I was ambivalent about which way to go with respect to the...
She was very casual about it, as if it were common knowledge. At a meeting of Jews and Christian evangelicals working in support of Israel, I found myself speaking to a woman who was...
I am acceding to the request that I post this week�s column which deals with the claim by Jack Ukeles that 75% of Orthodox households are Modern Orthodox. If there are comments, they should...
I imagine many men (and women) want to know what it was like in the women�s section of the Jerusalem (English) Siyum of the Daf Yomi Wednesday night. My husband and I drove back...
Lay leadership or askanos is a term that can be translated as the nearly all-consuming commitment to communal activity. An askan is someone whose primary life mission is service to the klal. In my...