Impartial is Impossible
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, back when Donald Trump was a mere businessman building casinos, not an embattled president haranguing the press, I was already dealing with what has since come to...
Second Thoughts on “Racism” at Barkan or Badatz
The accusation of racism may turn out to be a poorly-researched case of “shoot first, ask questions later,” inspired in not a small part by a traditional trope used by anti-Semites throughout history.
Open Orthodoxy Update, Parshas Ki Savo
From wishing Mazal Tov to two men on the “birth” of a boy, to reiterating a claim considered by others to be a “violation of a fundamental of our faith,” Open Orthodoxy is going further off the path.
The Nation-State Law is Not the Problem
To create Palestine, Arabs revived a word used by Roman barbarians, a flag from the Arab Revolt, and a map from Israel. The Palestinian Authority not only refuses to guarantee the safety of a Jew who enters its territory, whether Israeli or otherwise, but it also pays the families of terrorists.
How America’s Jews of Tomorrow Learned That Being Liberal Did Not Replace the Messiah
Unlike others, Steven Weisman isn’t at all puzzled about why American Jews are so liberal. Writing in today’s New York Times (“How America’s Jews Learned to Be Liberal”), his analysis seems, at first glance,...
First Amendment and Ninth Commandment
Most of us born and raised in this great country, an outpost of galus that offered our immigrant forebears unprecedented freedoms and protections, deeply appreciate not only those gifts but the Constitutional principles on...
Haley’s Comment
You likely haven’t heard of Bryan Sharpe. He’s a black activist who, in the grand tradition of Louis Farrakhan, has demonized Jews (whom he calls “Jutang Clan,” an unimaginative play on the name of...
Is Barkan Wine Kosher?
by Rabbi Yaakov Hoffman The allegations of racism at Barkan winery have been put to rest, but one question remains: Was there actually a problem with the kashrut of Barkan products? The answer depends...
Moral Breakthrough At Stanford: PTSD In A Time Machine
Stanford student Hamzeh Daoud took the easy way out, after threatening Jews with physical violence. In going down, he added a new term to our lexicon, and an important tool in evading moral responsibility....
Faisal, Mohammed and Hasnain
Arriving in Toronto for a family simchah last week, my wife and I found a city – at least the parts of it not involved in personal celebrations – still reeling from a gunman’s...