A Quick Response To Chillul Hashem
The statement by the Lakewood Vaad came quickly, and expressed succinctly and effectively what had to be said. “We are saddened beyond words by the arrests of seven couples in our town. As firm...
The Kotel: A Public Space, Not a Public Square
The Israeli Cabinet’s recent decision to not upend the public prayer status quo at the Kotel Maaravi, or Western Wall, was met with howls of outrage from a broad cross-section of non-Orthodox leaders and...
The Kosel Compromise and the Conversion Bill – Some Final Thoughts
Although my thoughts on the apparent collapse of the Western Wall Compromise Plan are all pretty much contained here (along with a link to Rabbi Wein’s important article about the Conversion Bill – please read...
Heterodox Protest Cancellation of Western Wall Compromise Plan: Inappropriate and Insolent
(This article originally appeared on Arutz Sheva.) I, like so many other Orthodox Jews , have a number of non-Orthodox relatives. When attending simchas (festive occasions) of my family, including those which involve synagogue attendance, my non-Orthodox...
Agudath Israel Reaction to Kotel Plan Freeze
Agudath Israel of America released the following statement today: The Israeli Cabinet’s decision to not upend the status quo of normative, traditional Jewish religious worship at the Kotel Maaravi, or Western Wall, is a...
Make Learning, Not War
I don’t know about you, but until President Trump’s trip to the Middle East last month, I had never heard of a “sword dance.” Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, you’ll recall, were...
A Tale of Two Testimonies
“Gentlemen! Start your engines!” Or, maybe better, “In this corner, heavyweight champion…!” Neither phrase was actually blasted from a loudspeaker on either June 8, when ex-FBI director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence...
Another Open Orthodox Rabbi Opens Up to Intermarriage?
It just happened again. Another popular YCT graduate has opened up to intermarriage. In a new article entitled Intermarriage Isn’t Good, or Bad, Rabbi Aaron Potek writes: Will any particular interfaith couple successfully raise...
The Good and Not So Good News
Borough Park is part of the district that includes much of Harlem, which would not necessarily be bad if we had a Congressman who cared as much about BP as he cares about Harlem. But we do not.
Science and Scientism
A high school science teacher in Wellston, Ohio was the focus of a front page New York Times story last week. James Sutter was subtly lionized by the report’s writer, who sympathized with the...