A Small Voice

Posted on: July 27th, 2011

This article was originally published in The Jewish Press on May 20, 1960.

Bergson Group Activists Recognized At Yad Vashem-Wyman Conference

Posted on: July 27th, 2011

The "Bergson Boys" have finally come home.With an international conference at Yad Vashem, a reinterment ceremony in Israel, and the publication of a new book, the controversial Holocaust rescue activists last week took a major step forward in gaining the public recognition they were long denied.

The Single Aunt

Posted on: July 20th, 2011

She gets out of the taxi at her little sister's place, As she approaches the front door she slows down her pace. She takes a deep breath and forces a smile on her face, Though sadness and anxiety make her heart race.

Smoking – The ‘Kosher’ Way To Kill Yourself

Posted on: July 8th, 2011

Several weeks ago, a young husband and father wrote a letter to Dr. Yael Respler, columnist for The Jewish Press and a psychotherapist, asking for advice on how to stop smoking. He mentioned that his father, a heavy smoker had died of lung cancer. The young man wrote that he loved his wife and children and hoped he'd be zoche to have a long life with them. His problem, "I am also a chain smoker since my time in yeshiva as a bochur."

Rabbi Abraham Joseph Ash: Strengthening Orthodoxy In Nineteenth-Century America

Posted on: June 29th, 2011

Readers of this column are aware that it was not until 1840 that the first ordained Orthodox rabbi, Rabbi Abraham Rice,1 settled in America. Other rabbonim soon began to settle in America. One of them was Rabbi Abraham Joseph Ash.

The Wheel of Change

Posted on: June 22nd, 2011

Dear Readers: The Torah revolves around one simple concept - treating others in the way you would want to be treated. The following poem gives a glimpse as to why.

Men And Books

Posted on: June 15th, 2011

This article was originally published May 13, 1960

Remembering Shimie – The ‘Pied Piper’ Of Flatbush

Posted on: June 7th, 2011

I have never used my column to eulogize friends who have passed away, as their loss affected me and an inner circle of people who knew them - but not necessarily the community at large. But that is not the case for Shimie Silver, a"h, for without exaggerating, his circle of friends numbered in the thousands and transcended borders.

Remembering Babe Ruth’s Concern For Jews During The Holocaust

Posted on: June 1st, 2011

The New York Yankees and their fans observe April 27 as Babe Ruth Day to remember the home run slugger's exploits on the baseball diamond. Jewish New Yorkers, however, this year marked the day by remembering another side of Ruth - his little-known efforts to aid African-Americans and other minorities, including Jews in Europe during the Holocaust.

Nineteenth-Century Sabbath Observance

Posted on: June 1st, 2011

The previous two columns discussed kashrus and bris milah observance in America during the 19th century. The trend was that until about 1860 most Jews were careful to observe these mitzvos. However, in the latter part of the century many Jews abandoned keeping kosher both at home and in public. Bris milah, though, was generally observed throughout the entire century.

Jumping In With Open Eyes

Posted on: May 25th, 2011

Thousands of young frum men and women in their late teens and early 20s will soon be returning from a year (or two or three) in Israeli yeshivas and seminaries, full of youthful exuberance and idealism. Many who had planned on going to college have changed their minds (often to the dismay of their parents) insisting that secular studies or employment are not for them. They want to be full time learners or the wife of one.

Recollections Of Rabbi Dr. Aaron Levine

Posted on: May 25th, 2011

Rabbi Dr. Aaron Levine, z"l, passed away on the first day of Pesach, one day before his 65th birthday. He was an erudite scholar who had received semicha from the Rabbi Jacob Joseph Theological Seminary and a PhD in economics from New York University. He was equally at home in the world of Torah and in the secular world, and thus a unique combination of Torah and chochmah, something that is increasingly rare today. Furthermore, this intellectual prowess was clothed in a mantel of extreme humility.

Matchmaker – Matchmaker: Don’t Make Me a Match (Conclusion)

Posted on: May 11th, 2011

In my last column, I wrote about the head-scratching phenomenon of fine young men and women in their late 20's and early 30's who were as marriageable as their friends and siblings, but were still single. I wrote the article because it seemed that over Pesach, every person I met - whether a local or a visitor - representing the full spectrum of Orthodoxy, wondered if I "knew someone" for a single son or daughter, a niece of nephew or a family friend who was still in the parsha despite the fact they were so eligible and "normal."

Nineteenth-Century Bris Milah Observance

Posted on: May 4th, 2011

Last month's column dealt with the observance of kashrus by Jews in America during the 19th century. Up until about 1870 German Jewish immigrants went to considerable effort to make sure they could eat kosher meat and poultry. Almost every Jewish community of more than 15 families employed a professional shochet. Smaller communities were served by volunteer shochtim. However, with the spread of the Reform movement in the latter half of the century, Jews began to abandon kashrus.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker – Don’t Make Me A Match! (Part I)

Posted on: April 28th, 2011

Out of all the Jewish holidays, Pesach is the one that brings far-flung family and friends together. You go to shul, for a walk, shopping or to an amusement park during chol hamoed, and to your delight you bump into friends and acquaintances you haven't seen for ages. You sit down and you shmooze and you catch up with each other's lives and share information about people you both knew from "the old days."

Moshe Rabbeinu Lego: A Hong Kong Pesach Special

Posted on: April 21st, 2011

In Hong Kong, there are certainly some inconveniences involved in finding every last product necessary to recreate the Pesach we had in New York. But, we have found it is merely a matter of mastering logistics and advance planning. Sometimes it involves finding shlepers coming in from the States willing to take a few bulky boxes of tasteless Crispy O’s and Streits Brownie Mix in an extra suitcase. This is all part of the Hong Kong festival ritual.

A Pleasant Yom Tov? It’s All In The Details

Posted on: April 13th, 2011

Were you to play a game of word association, Pesach would immediately be connected with "cleaning "and "company" (and possibly, potatoes.) Pesach is the one holiday that magnet-like, pulls families together.

‘Getting’ Purim This Year

Posted on: March 30th, 2011

Although most of us are now focused on Pesach and rolling up our sleeves - both physically and mentally - we need to keep close to our hearts a wrenching message that was brought to the fore this particular Purim. For me and many other Jews, Purim was not "business as usual" in terms of having great fun, merrymaking and partying. Our joy was deeply tempered by the haunting images of the murdered Fogel family - a young mother, father, and three of their six children, including a three-month old infant girl - who were ruthlessly slaughtered as they slept, by Palestinian descendants of Amalek.

News And Views From Abroad

Posted on: March 30th, 2011

Originally published in The Jewish Press, January 29, 1960

Nineteenth-Century Kashrus Observance

Posted on: March 30th, 2011

During the latter part of 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, many European Jews viewed America as a treife medina (a non-kosher land) from the perspective of traditional Jewish religious observance. It was felt that it was virtually impossible to remain observant in America, and many Jews proved this was indeed the case, as they or their children abandoned much of their religious practices once they arrived in this country.