What Happened To Faith?

Posted on: March 30th, 2011

As an Orthodox rabbi living and working on Manhattan's Upper West Side, I'm thrilled to see so many single men and women actively involved in Torah and mitzvot. This is also the case in Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island, and wherever else singles are found. Whereas in the not so distant past the observance level of many Orthodox singles dropped the longer they remained single, today there are more scrupulously observant single men and women than ever before.

Poland Must Return Nazi-Confiscated Properties

Posted on: March 23rd, 2011

My childhood was full of magical, well-known tales about characters like Tevye the Milkman, as well as tales of love and joy and everyday life in the shtetls of Poland, told with warmth and wit by my grandparents.

Grievance Politics Barks, King Hearings Move On

Posted on: March 23rd, 2011

The hearings convened by Representative Pete King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, to examine the recruitment of American Muslims as jihadist terrorists revealed all the pathologies of multicultural grievance politics that for decades now have compromised our response to Islamic jihad.

Israel’s Silent Revolution

Posted on: March 23rd, 2011

As revolution sweeps across the Middle East at a dizzying pace, cries for freedom, equality and an improved standard of living ring out, touching millions around the world and bringing hope to millions more. Finally, their voices are being heard. Progress is being made.

Abuse And The Brain

Posted on: March 23rd, 2011

We may not want to accept it, but abuse occurs everywhere, even in our own communities. The effects of abuse are devastating and long lasting - not only on those individuals who are abused but on their families as well. Even one act of abuse against a person, regardless of age, can have a significantly negative impact that may last a lifetime.

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Posted on: March 23rd, 2011

We just celebrated Purim, which has always stood out in my mind as unique among the Jewish holidays. Unique for the giddy exuberance it brings, the gastronomic indulgence, the focus on unity and community, the retelling of arguably the most dramatic tale of Divine salvation in Jewish history - but most of all for the strong, spirited heroine at its center.

Think Amalek

Posted on: March 16th, 2011

Someone asked me what we should have in mind on Purim. I would answer with one word: Amalek. You want simcha? You want geulah? Think Amalek!

Purim And The Blessing Of Unity

Posted on: March 16th, 2011

Klal Yisrael. All of Israel. One people. One community. One.

Itamar: A Painful And Powerful Wake-Up Call

Posted on: March 16th, 2011

Early this past Shabbat morning we heard from military sources that a family had been brutally slaughtered in Itamar, a settlement near Shechem. Since my niece lives there with six children, we were extremely worried even though we realized there were many families that fit the description.

Itamar: Time For A New Paradigm

Posted on: March 16th, 2011

The atrocity in Itamar, in which two parents and three young children were brutally murdered by believers in the "religion of peace," has shocked and dismayed all civilized people. Blame is always ascribed to the perpetrators, whose inhumanity and animalistic instincts know no bounds. But it is foolhardy to ignore the effects of Prime Minister Netanyahu's policies that have facilitated both terror and the further deterioration of Israel's strategic position.

Our Children Are Not Hefker

Posted on: March 16th, 2011

One week ago on my website I announced my intention to attend the next court appearance of a man who was arrested last year and is now standing trial on 10 felony charges of child abuse.

Return Libya To Its Rightful Rulers!

Posted on: March 9th, 2011

The world is wringing its hands over the fate of Libya. Being a helpful sort of guy, and what with Purim fast approaching, I know just the proper solution.

Revolutions And Reverberations

Posted on: March 9th, 2011

Weeks of turbulent Arab uprisings throughout the Middle East have dislodged dictators and inspired tens of thousands of young Muslims to dream of freedom. Swarming through streets and squares, they have demanded the end of autocratic rule.

Whitewashing The Muslim Brotherhood

Posted on: March 9th, 2011

After spending two years condemning Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks as impediments to peace, President Obama congratulated Egyptian demonstrators - reportedly members of the Muslim Brotherhood - for setting up checkpoints and conducting body searches.

Recognizing Shame On International Agunah Day

Posted on: March 9th, 2011

It began in the United States with the Yiddish newspaper the Forward in the first half of the 20th century. The galeriye fun farshvundene mener (gallery of vanished husbands) appeared regularly, listing names and photos of men who had disappeared leaving their wives as agunot, chained to a Jewish marriage. The Jewish Press followed in the latter decades of the century, launching its own weekly seiruv list.

Whatever Happened To Our First Black President?

Posted on: March 2nd, 2011

If Toni Morrison, the Nobel-prize winning African-American novelist, could refer to Bill Clinton, a white man, as America's first black president, then surely we can take a reverse tack: Is it possible that Barack Obama is not the first real black president after all?

ACLU Needs To Clarify Stance On Censoring Israeli Speakers

Posted on: March 2nd, 2011

The international campaign to prevent speakers from delivering pro-Israel talks at universities has been assisted by leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union - an organization that is supposed to protect freedom of speech for all. The method used to silence these speakers and preclude their audiences from hearing their message is exemplified by a now infamous event at the University of California at Irvine.

Israeli Filmmaker Defames Israel And Holocaust Remembrance

Posted on: March 2nd, 2011

Israel's opponents increasingly contrive to hijack commemoration of the Holocaust in order to malign the Jewish state. Recently, a battle erupted at Northeastern University in Boston over the decision to invite Israeli filmmaker Yoav Shamir to screen "Defamation" at its annual Holocaust Awareness Week in March.

Nir Rosen And Totalitarian Stupidity

Posted on: March 2nd, 2011

One snowy day back in college, I was returning from class to my dorm and began to cross a small intersection. A woman was waiting at the stop sign in a large gray vehicle. As I began to pass in front of it, she suddenly drove forward into me. I banged on the hood, she came to and stopped, and I barked some remark about using her eyes. The incident was more startling than injurious, so I moved on.

Cloaks Of Light: Reflections on My Son’s Murder

Posted on: March 2nd, 2011

“In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel: On my right Michael, on my left Gabriel, before me Uriel, behind me Raphael. Above my head the Presence of God.” - from the traditional prayer before retiring in the evening. My beloved firstborn son, Avraham David, was one of eight innocent youths cruelly murdered [...]