Controversies
Going once, going twice….On Nov.9 an unusual auction will be held in Manhattan, at the Kestenbaum auction house. Today, Wednesday Nov.8 (19bHeshvan) is the last chance to see the pre-auction exhibit of the most...
The Pitfall of “Orthopraxy”
Amid the abundance of good Jewish writing these days, it would be a challenge to declare any single article particularly outstanding. But a remarkable recently published essay merits such a distinction. And it was...
Anniversary, Martin Luther!
Sure, something is missing in the title. The word “happy.” Couldn’t bring myself to write that. Read on. You’ve heard the story before, but it continues to elicit chuckles. The Jew, humming to himself,...
Agudah to NYers: Vote No on Constitutional Convention
On Election Day, November 7, 2017, New Yorkers will be asked to vote on a proposed Constitutional Convention. Agudath Israel of America urges its constituents to vote “NO”. It is not in our community’s...
The Art of the Decertification
What does President Trump’s decertification of the Iran deal mean, and what does it mean? That wasn’t a mistake. There are two questions here. What exactly it is that the president did, and what...
Chassidim Who Opt Out: the Netflix Documentary
If you accept some of the reviews and the conversations with the filmmakers, “One of Us,” the Netflix documentary released late last week is an artistic failure. Watch the film for what it seems...
Rabbi Shafran Got it Right – a Response to Rabbi Geretz and Dr. Stadlan
(This article first appeared in Times of Israel.) In recent articles, Rabbi Daniel Geretz and Dr. Noam Stadlan take Rabbi Avi Shafran to task for his support of the Orthodox Union’s ruling that women cannot be ordained or serve as clergy....
Sullied Reputation
The rioting last month in St. Louis following the acquittal of a white former police officer who killed an African-American man, like all rioting in the wake of unpopular verdicts, was ugly and unjustifiable. ...
The Paris Statement and the Judeo-Christian Legacy
On October 7th, a group of European philosophers issued the Paris Statement, decrying the quasi-religious liberalism that they believe is destroying Europe and robbing hundreds of millions of people of their patrimony. While the...