London’s New Modesty Hotlines
I must ask, where is the hotline for victims of sex abuse? Or victims of financial fraud? What are the remedies for the victims? Or the sanctions for the perpetrators?
Reflections on My Trip to Israel
Despite some of my early negative observations - it still seemed like there was a tremendous sense of Achdus in many respects. The Shul I davened at was very Charedi and yet a great number of regular attendees there are Dati Leumi - Kipa Seruga, no jacket or hat. Even an occasional Israeli solider in full uniform can be found catching a Minyan there. All are welcome.
Kosher Sex
There should be more information about intimacy disseminated to young people before they get married
Are Good Intentions Enough?
Is funding Reform Judaism whose definition of a Jew is counter to Halacha even according to Conservative Judaism - a good idea? Do we want to increase the number of Israelis that will be defined as Jewish only by this one denomination?
Danny Thomas, The Steipler, and Rabbi Dr. Twerski
Danny Thomas was more than just neutral about the Jewish people. He showed kindness and sensitivity to the plight of a Chasid-- Abraham J. Twerski.
Torah and the Secular Jew
As a youth, MK Dr. Ruth Calderon was not satisfied with the secular treatment of Judaism she got in Israeli schools. So eventually she founded a secular yeshiva.
Is Being Right Always Enough?
There was an obvious appearance of prejudice – even if there wasn’t any in actuality.
Another Defender of the Haredi Status Quo Clucks His Tongue
No religious Jew would deny the merit that Torah study. But it is the height of folly to believe that a strong military is therefore unnecessary.
Emes Ve-Emunah: A Disappointing Dialogue
The average Israeli may not fulfill all mitzvos but shops at the mitzvah "store" regularly
A Deal at Any Price? Willful Ignorance? Or Both?
Obama wants a deal at any price, ending sanctions that brought Iran to the table in the first place
Will Modern Orthodoxy Survive?
Yes, Modern Orthodoxy is losing some of its youth to secularism.
Iran, Israel and America
I have to believe that the prime minister has red lines. He knows when they will be crossed. He is not going to wait a moment beyond that to destroy Iranian nuclear reactors. He knows that if he doesn’t act decisively at the right moment - the consequences of a nuclear attack against Israel will rival those of the Holocaust. Only this Holocaust will be nuclear.
Emes Ve-Emunah: Polish Death Camps
Except for the righteous gentiles among them, the Poles were perhaps the most eager participants of all nationalities in helping Nazis send Jews to the death camps of any other country.
What If?
There is no doubt who Trump will blame if a Mid East peace deal doesn’t work out. Trump has already indicated that it is Palestinian violence against Israel that is to blame-NOT the settlements.
A Shameful Tirade
Marvin Schick called Rabbi Frankfurters’s response "breathtaking in its mean spiritedness."
Emes Ve-Emunah: Another Look at Israel’s Reality
Until Palestinians start focusing on helping themselves instead of hurting us, nothing will change.
You Must Know What You Don’t Know
There was a time when Gedolei Torah knew what they knew and knew what they didn’t know.
Does the Very Air in Israel Make One Wise?
I don’t know what is in the air in Israel that makes some people think that they are doing the right thing by God in sticking knives into the heads of their opponents.
There’s Still Something Wrong with this Picture
Charedi schools like Darkei Sarah now realize that the Charedi family can no longer survive on the kinds of menial jobs women can get without a decent education.
One Torah – One People
There is not an iota of real difference between the way Torah is studied in the Beis HaMedrash of YU and the way it is studied at any other Yeshiva. It is more than time that Modern Orthodoxy is treated like an equal among equals and given the same prominence they give those to their right.
Extremism in Defense of Tznius
One measure for living a "normal" life is Halacha, and the other is societal standards.
Women – and Charedi Publications
Erasing women from the public square sends a very negative message to young girls in that society.
Over Killing the Left
Not only did Jonathan Rosenblum criticize Rabbi Lopatin, he criticized the British Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis for accepting an invitation to Limmud.
Emes Ve-Emunah: The Spiritual Leaders of the Future
tudies now show that the rate of growth in Orthodoxy now exceeds the dropout rate. “Increasingly, Orthodox Jews are choosing to remain Orthodox” says Professor Waxman.
So…What’s So Good about Charedim?
Just because I have a Hashkafa that differs from them, that does not mean I do not respect them.
Another Milestone for the Jewish People in America
I said I am proud of the President for choosing the best man for the job at Treasury even though he is Jewish.
Solving One Problem, Sort of…
I personally see no problem with what Satmar did. They lobbied for the land and they got it. Black and Latino leaders could have done the same.
Poway and Jews in America
The Jewish community has not yet fully recovered from the mass shooting of Jewish worshipers in Pittsburgh and something like this happens. That is enough to traumatize Jews all over America. Should we be worried? Are we re-living 1930s Germany?
A New Beginning?
The era of Godless leadership in the Knesset ended with Menachem Begin. One might even say it ended with the Six Day War.
Emes Ve-Emunah: The Truth about the Gaza Protest
What is Israel supposed to do? Bring their own slingshots and Molotov cocktails?! Of course they are going to protect themselves and the rest of Israel in the most efficient way possible. All while respecting human life.