Origins of ‘A Soldier’s Mother’

Posted on: June 11th, 2012

It’s been more than five years since I began writing about my oldest son’s journey into the army. At first, I wrote to calm myself and keep from sharing my greatest fears with him. I called the blog A Soldier’s Mother and watched him enter the army.

This Sunday, Don’t Read the New York Times – Read The Kuzari

Posted on: June 10th, 2012

Written in the form of a conversation between a Rabbi and a gentile king who is looking to find the true religion, The Kuzari lucidly explains the foundations upon which Judaism is based. What better time than “Book Week” to take another look at this wonderful classic? If you never studied its teachings, you’re missing a building block in your understanding of Judaism which the Gaon of Vilna made top priority for his students.

The Investment Scam That Will Wipe You Out

Posted on: June 10th, 2012

Which investment scammer has you in his sights? Who knows? But one thing is for sure - if you start by asking the most basic questions and not believing the unbelievable, you're well on your way to protecting yourself. The scammer will just move on to his next victim.

Ancient ‘Metzitza’ Practice Followed by Newer Custom of Haredi Bashing

Posted on: June 9th, 2012

Towards the end of last week, a story had come out about a new brochure issued by the NY City Health Dept. discouraging the practice of “metzitza b’pe.” DOH’s commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley was pushing the story, hoping to get New Yorkers to spread the word. There are important reasons why the practice should be [...]

What if God Stopped Believing in You?

Posted on: June 7th, 2012

Many atheists carry a theological crutch. Most are unaware of it. And, if you show it to them, most will deny it’s there. It is the silent belief that, should they ever change their mind about God, God will always be there for them.

The Great Identity Crisis

Posted on: June 7th, 2012

A values-based identity appears to be superior, but it is actually the product of an identity crisis. For example, Jewish assimilation dropped the 'peoplehood' aspect, leaving behind a values-based identity. When liberal Jews express their identity, it is values-based, built around "Tikkun Olam", or "Social Justice". That opens up a hole for someone like Peter Beinart to crawl in with a crisis of Liberal Zionism, a conflict between values-based identity and Jewish survival.

WARNING! Living in Israel is a Commandment of the Torah

Posted on: June 7th, 2012

For any reader who may be confused about the obligation to live in the Land of Israel, this sweeping halachic and Talmudic overview of Rabbi Kahane will surely put all uncertainty to rest. Because of its vital importance to each and every Jew, we will be presenting it in two installments.

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The Key to Greatness

Posted on: June 6th, 2012

Rabbi Meir Kahane, perhaps the most dynamic Jewish orator of our time, a speaker capable of inflaming hearts and inspiring the masses, a par-excellence TV debater who chopped the glib intellectual banter of opponents into tiny insignificant scraps, he had a bothersome stutter in his youth, which had to be mastered in order to fulfill his dream of reaching out to the Jewish People.

November Bout in NJ: ‘True Arab’ Pascrell Vs. ‘America’s Rabbi’ Boteach

Posted on: June 6th, 2012

Bill Pascrell, the "Arab" candidate, won the Democratic primary for NJ's 9th district. In the other corner, meet "America's Rabbi," Shmuely Boteach, the Republican candidate.

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Two Great Financial Reasons to Make Aliya

Posted on: June 6th, 2012

The quality of life has improved so much in Israel that the perception of needing to bring over essentials like washing powder and soft toilet paper or popular American consumer products is twenty years out of date.

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A Jewish Hero Grows Up in Brooklyn

Posted on: June 5th, 2012

“The non-observant Jew knows. Deep in his heart he knows. He knows that the path [he treads] is a false one, that the Judaism he professes is a mockery.... His moment of truth lies within him. His is the power to call it into being. Let him but dig deeply into his Jewish resources and draw from them the traditional Jewish qualities of courage, determination and sacrifice."

The Fat Nanny State

Posted on: June 5th, 2012

The obesity epidemic is a convoluted way of saying that the problem with government health care is the people. But that's not the problem. Obesity may not be healthy, but if we ban sodas and force everyone to exercise in the yard before work, the numbers still won't balance. Because the real problem with government health care is government.

Arabs Attacking Jews in NJ Primary

Posted on: June 5th, 2012

With the race between two fellow Dems getting to the finish line, many fear that it has given rise to the first bona fide Jewish versus Arab competition, and an ugly one at that. The battle "has transformed into a troubling ethnic brawl."

No Country for Old Incumbents

Posted on: June 4th, 2012

A storm is not a good time to be at the wheel of a ship and a worldwide economic disaster is not a good time to be at the wheel of the ship of state. Hard times are supposed to bring great men to the fore, but instead we have some of the sorriest men in history trying to find the wheel, sleeping off a bender in their cabins or debating whether a wheel even exists.

Is CUNY Planning a Jewish Quota?

Posted on: June 4th, 2012

CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein has stepped into a gigantic mound of odoriferous matter, and it isn't clear if and how he's getting out of it, and, worse, what will the cleaning bill be. What's worse, it's possible he didn't even intend all the mean things people are saying about him. Maybe all he wanted was to help…

Beyond Words – Rabbi Meir Kahane at His Very Best

Posted on: June 3rd, 2012

Why be a Jew!!! It is an agonizing cry from the souls of tens of thousands of young Jews who assimilate, integrate and disappear into the outer space beyond Judaism. It is THE cry, THE question. It is asked by young men and women who have seen the emptiness and the vapidness of the Judaism they grew up with.

Letter to a Reform Jew

Posted on: June 1st, 2012

The fact that a Reform Jew wishes to adopt a counterfeit form of “Judaism” is his affair. But the religious Jew is not bound by that. The State of Israel does not have to recognize on an official level the falsehood that every Jew may adopt on a private level.

The Patriotism of Palestinianism

Posted on: May 31st, 2012

Diplomats have developed a bad habit of insisting on a dysfunctional status quo tilted toward the Muslim side, until the messiah of final status finally comes. There can be no Jewish housing in Jerusalem, because it's a final status issue, we can't count the refugees because it's a final status issue, and we can't question the final status, because that too is a final status issue.

Poles Unhappy with Obama’s Retraction, as Entire Polish Economy Is at Stake

Posted on: May 31st, 2012

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk demanded a more "explicit reaction" to Obama's "Polish death camp" comment. Poland fears being sued for billions of dollars worth of property appropriated from Jews.

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Israel Recognizes Reform, Conservative Rabbis – Bloggers Start Your Engines!

Posted on: May 30th, 2012

First, the key points, as listed by Australian blogger Gary Dunn: Israel to Pay Wages of Reform, Conservative Rabbis Although the court ruled in 2009 that the state should pay up, a dispute arose over how to define non-Orthodox rabbis, which prevented the agreement from being finalized. The Reform movement insisted its leaders be called [...]