One Way to Keep Every Jew on the Same Page
An essay I wrote about the Siyum HaShas and Jewish unity appears in the current issue of the Jewish Week and can be read here.
A Hard Look at the State of American Jewry
As we observe Chanukah, celebrating (among other things) our survival while our persecutors disappeared, we recall the infamous Look Magazine cover story in 1964. “The Vanishing American Jew” predicted that American Jewry might soon...
A Freilichen Christmas?
No way. We’re not going there, or any place near it. We can be respectful of our Christian neighbors without going the way of too many American Jews who “get with” the holiday spirit...
The Lesson of London Bridge
At the time of this writing – and, hopefully, of its reading – the most recent domestic terror attack was the shooting in Jersey City that left three civilians, including two Jews, and a...
How Today’s American College Experience Imperils All Efforts Invested by Modern Orthodox Parents
Modern Orthodoxy is in very perilous trouble because, as a general matter, the model as it took full shape in the late 1950s and 1960s never contemplated the current utter public debasement of American culture and society, and in particular the socialist-brainwashing-reeducation-camp intimidation that has overtaken American colleges.
Oy, Such Soros!
Last week saw the launch of an initiative born of a strange shidduch – between the foundation of famously progressive philanthropist George Soros and that of libertarian donor Charles Koch. The “Quincy Institute for...
Contemptible Comity
The state of political discourse in these United States today – unfortunately, including much of the American Jewish world (including our corner of it) – was well exemplified in the reactions to something Senator...
Modern Orthodoxy’s Defining Moment
“Modern Orthodoxy is in trouble… Where is Modern Orthodoxy headed?… Is Modern Orthodoxy going to split?“ These questions, prompted by the new Nishma Research study entitled The Successes, Challenges, and Future of American Modern Orthodoxy and by...
How to Deal With Heresy Without Raising Your Blood Pressure
Rabbi Gordimer once again was the Nachshon wading into the turbulent waters ahead of everyone else. His reaction to the new Orthodox heresies pulled no punches. Bottom line: If you are spouting heresy, then...
The Small, Soft Sound of Teshuvah
Today’s young people are different. They do search for meaning and depth, but not in unconventional places or with charismatic spiritualists. They do so while enduring a roller coaster of highs and lows, aliyos and yeridos, moments of deep inspiration mixed with a lot of self doubt.