יום שישי, י״ח תמוז תשפ״וFriday, July 3, 2026
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Highland Park is heavily Jewish. It is estimated that Jews comprise between 30 and 50 percent of the population.
The coach was asking only for a private moment to take a knee and express gratitude to God on the gridiron after a game.
You would think that we are all on the brink of World War III.
Which political philosophy is closest to Judaism, liberal or conservative?
the Islamic Jihad terrorists that ambushed Yehuda were caught. They will now face Israeli justice. But that will hardly comfort the bereaved. His loss will be felt for a lifetime by all that were close to this gentle and kind man.
Though I definitely do not agree with everything the government wants to do, I continue to resent calling them anti religious. They are not
Civil Rights Today does NOT = CRT-Critical Race Theory
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?
"What is, Being TOO pro-Israel"
I thought that this is a new low for the Democratic Party. Israel no longer enjoyed universal support in congress. That support now existed only among Republicans.
I too have questions. And like many, I too have not found satisfactory answers to them all. And yet I remain true to my faith.
I doubt there is a single parent that ever feared anything remotely like a drive-by shooting would ever happen to their child.
Both Pfizer AND Moderna have said that we will all need a 3rd booster shot before the winter.
If we can’t make them realize the folly of their ways, we can at least try and stop them from profiting from it
The question is why? Why is the Taliban so successful? This brings me back to extremism.
Bet Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch has fired the Charedi members of her ruling coalition.
It’s difficult to place any kind of silver lining on this event. People are still suffering...There is no sliver lining for them. But I believe that a Kiddush HaShem should be made public. There are two of them I’d like to highlight.
I see no difference between Hitler and Raisi. Other than the fact that Raisi sees eradicating Israel a religious obligation. Even if means mass murdering Jews. In my view this makes him more dangerous that Hitler
There are others on Biden’s foreign policy team that also hostile to Israel.
What about religious issues? Clearly some of their coalition partners are not too thrilled about religion playing any part in government decisions. They see Charedim as an impediment to that.
So I am not against having this event every Lag B’Omer. I am only against having crowds of this magnitude there. The chances of a tragedy like this happening again can be avoided or at least minimized.
This is no way to run a country. True leaders need to be color blind. You look for the best people and hire them
How does antisemitism fit into all this? Unfortunately antisemitism is becoming acceptable as part of the ‘woke’ culture
Israel is both a democracy and a Jewish state. But by their decision, the Supreme Court has moved the needle. They apparently place more importance on being a democracy than they do on being a Jewish state
I just wanted to reflect on how devastating this disease has been to the world in general and to our community in particular.
Does SNL owe Israel and the Jewish community an apology?
Leaders of the Conservative Movement keep thinking they are going to innovate themselves out of the mess they got themselves into
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.
I often wonder if the sages were transported to the world we live in today, would they even recognize it as in any way Jewish? I am not talking about modern Orthodox Jewry. I am talking about the world of Charedim.
If Kushner epitomizes incompetence and mediocrity, we could sure use a lot more of it!
Lipman's critique is limited to Obama’s discussion about Israel. And it is not flattering to say the least. In fact it’s a pretty scathing attack against the former President which might explain some of his policies towards Israel. Especially near the end of his term.
Although we could not attend those weddings, we are so grateful for those blessings.
What is seen in movies and on TV or is heard in song, or reads in books - is all too often emulated by the viewer.
While his words and demeanor hand have been the opposite of our ideals, for Orthodox Jews the President’s policies have been more supportive of them than any other President in American history.
My answer is simple. Unless you think all the Europeans responsible for the massive COVID numbers are MAGA people - the facts speak for themselves.
Dn’t believe that Orthodoxy is doomed. We are not all going to have some kind of epiphany and reject our beliefs. Even if our questions and challenges remain unanswered.
Liberal Orthodoxy is now the Torah of the left. It is a doctrine that is constantly being heard on campuses all over the land. A philosophy reflected by the media with little to no opposition.
The pandemic has divided the right wing Yeshiva world even more, in unprecedented ways.
s Biden the lesser of two evils? Probably. But the lesser of two evils is still evil. I am probably one of the very few voters that has not made up their minds yet
She had little in the way of a Jewish education. But at the same time she was proud of her Jewish heritage. She said she was motivated by the Torah’s command of Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof – justice, justice you shall pursue.
Media reactions to Trump's speech show that the they have completely lost their credibility.
How do we educate parents to take their Judaism more seriously and with more enthusiasm so that they can pass that on to their children?
Of course this is not the first time the Charedi world responded to a crisis in order to benefit all of society. (Not just themselves as is often asserted by Charedi critics.) This also happened in Monsey, New York several months ago.
The more Arab states that make peace with Israel, the less support Palestinians will get for holding on to their unrealistic version of a state.
I am discouraged. Is this the end of America as we know it? ...the America I know and love?
Something for both sides to consider especially during the 3 weeks
To suggest that Orthodox Jews are alone in this country (or at least in Brooklyn as the title of her piece says) is just as false
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.
What unites us as observant Jews is far greater than what divides us. In that spirit I have to say I’m pleased.
There is no contradiction between scientific theories of evolution and the existence of God who created the universe. Scientific inquiry and study can perhaps determine 'what' happened - and when it happened along evolutionary time. But it cannot determine 'how' it happened.
What Rabbi Landes has done does damage the institution of the rabbinate. Ordaining a publicly gay man that lives with another gay man is a violation not only of the traditional image of a rabbi - it in effect says that a man who lies with another man as with a woman - a cardinal sin - is nevertheless an acceptable religious leader.
The media coverage is so consistently biased against Israel, I’m surprised that there aren’t more Americans that blame Israel for all that’s wrong in the world.
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?
Chanukah is not a holiday about our violent intolerance of others as Binyamin Zahav seems to suggest. It is a holiday of freedom from anti religious tyranny imposed by a kingdom bent on eradicating our faith and traditions.
Rav Levine was a Gadol. He exemplified the Midah of Emes and he openly stood his ground on principles in which he believed - even when challenged.
There are people on both sides of the ideological aisle that insist that their perspective trumps the other. Those scientists that are not guided by faith will discard everything that science contradicts. Those that insist on the literal interpretation of entirety of the Torah narrative will deny the science no matter how clearly the science is demonstrated as fact.
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.
Should it take a secular newspaper--the Wall Street Journal-- to give us Musser about what Modesty really means? I really think we need a little self-examination about what motivates our consumerism these days.
Admittedly, the optics are bad. Viewing this event out of context does make Israel seem trigger happy. But it is imperative to look at the historical context of this situation and see who is really to blame for the very real suffering of Palestinians living in Gaza.
Progressive Orthodoxy can afford to retreat. Not because they have won, as they think but because they have lost even if they don’t realize it yet. If they insist on maintaining this new innovation of 'women rabbis; they will eventually write themselves out of Orthodoxy
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.
"Though I may disagree with some of the things Rabbi Riskin has done of late, when he’s right, he’s right. And when it comes to whether Israel should remain an Orthodox state, I couldn't agree more that it should."
Rabba Hurwtiz is wrong in blaming opposition to women being in the Rabbinate on a pre-existing male power structure. Poskim of virtually every mainstream Orthodox organization stated that women cannot be rabbis and serve in that capacity regardless
One can say whatever they wish about the President or his ulterior motives. But one cannot deny the significance of what he has done for the Jewish people.
Thought the fight over the Kotel was about egalitarianism? Wrong. Conservative leader, Rabbi Steven Wernick, has made that very clear: "The issue is about legitimization, it’s about recognition,"
Why do committed Liberal Orthodox Jews have more of a propensity to be less observant? I believe they generally see values other than those of Torah overriding traditional Torah based ones - whenever they conflict
I think we should all just step back from our prejudices about those outside our camp, and see the world for what it really is a collection of human beings whose character ranges in the same ratio with respect to the entire spectrum of ethics, honesty, and kindness.
Taking your children out of a religious school and placing them in a secular school - even a good one - should never be an option. Because if you care about their religious future at all
Orthodoxy must retain Jews in ways that do not compromise Halacha and do not cross the important lines of tradition. That is how the left wing of Orthodoxy used to be. but is no longer-and that is why a true left wing must emerge
It has been Islam that is the source of the ideology that motivates these terrorists. Overwhelmingly, the violence perpetrated against the civilized world (primarily Europe) has been done in the name of Islam.
America's public school system is a failing enterprise and needs radical changes to restore it to former greatness. Examining certain Orthodox schools may provide some inspiration
In my wildest dreams, I never thought an Orthodox Jew would be a top adviser to the leader of the free world. And yet that is exactly what Ivanka Trump has been to her father, the president
Once again at the Kotel, WoW did their monthly thing at the Kotel, promoting Feminism, definitely NOT Torah Judaism
There are 2 opposite reasons students will want to study in Israel for a gap year: Either they are happy with their upbringing-home, school and community or they hate it and want “religious rehab.”
All mainstream Orthodox religious authorities and institutions have rejected the idea of female rabbis, except of course, Open Orthodoxy rabbis and the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance
In the author's view, one should never give up hope that a child will be convinced to return to his roots even after they marry out.
This issue of ordaining women is not a Charedi versus Modern Orthodox battle. Only the fringe of liberal orthodoxy embraces it; The entire spectrum of Haredi to centrist-Modern rejects it.
Monsey has gone from a bucolic small town to a center of conflict where both sides having strong arguments.
‘Is moving the US embassy to Jeruselam worth it?’ Is it the right thing to do? What will be the actual repercussions of this move? Is moving the embassy to Jerusalem worth the ‘price’ of doing that?
It is one thing to reside in the left wing of Orthodoxy. It’s another to cross lines that virtually all other segments of Orthodoxy said should never have been crossed.
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.
The bloggist provides a decidedly alternative perspective but arrives at the same and right conclusion: Mr. President, I say Thank you. But ‘Good riddance!
The direction non-Orthodox Jews are going is clear. Heterodoxy has failed while Orthodoxy has succeeded, strong evidence that it is Halacha that has kept us alive throughout the millennia
I can think of no better endorsement for Friedman than J-Street vehement opposition to his appointment.
In all too many cases elderly leaders that are unfamiliar with the things they are asked to comment upon end up making mistakes – which later have to be corrected when they become better informed.
Sec'y of Defense nominee Marine Gen. James Mattis' nickname ‘Mad Dog’ is well earned. He once made the following statement: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”
Trump's appointments could put an entirely new, PRO-Israel spin on how the US sees a final solution between Israel and the Arabs. So, give him a chance.
Could anyone have ever imagined that the daughter of a President would be an observant Jew? And that she and her observant Jewish husband would the President’s most trusted advisers?
A Gadol B'Yisroel must be publicly accepted as a rabbinic leader, someone the Torah world turns to with confidence knowing he is God fearing and his views on Halacha and Hashkafa are authoritative
This is the man we should support. Mark Kirk is a Republican that must remain in congress. He is a good man and deserves to be re-elected.
No one is saying there shouldn’t be a cadre of Torah scholars involved in full time Torah study. The only question is whether it should be full time for everyone to the exclusion of everything else.
If reports are true, one of America’s preeminent Rabbis, Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz, head of the RCA Beis Din, has been dishonored by Israel's Chief Rabbinate which rejected conversions he approved
Clinton said we first need to examine the facts of the attack. Well… of course. But I did not hear any determination in her voice. Not this time and not really ever.
If one looks at the range of tuition one would have to pay per child, one might get sticker shock. It doesn’t take a genius in math to multiply those figures by 5, or more, children.
I always wonder how women wearing the Niqab, a veil that covers up the entire face except for a slit at eye level, take ID photos, eat-DRIVE?
To say that Rabbi Eckstein is controversial is an understatement. But I happen to believe that he is getting a bad rap from most of the Orthodox world.
I have to question why anyone today would want to do something that is so unaccepted instead of focusing more on those thing which are.
June 26, 2026 
