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"Luke Ford reports all of the 'juicy' quotes, and has been doing it for years." (Marc B. Shapiro)
"This guy knows all the gossip, the ins and outs, the lashon hara of the Orthodox world. He’s an [expert] in... all the inner workings of the Orthodox world." (Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff) LATEST POSTS:
- Jean Raspail: The Consul of Lost Causes
- Michel Houellebecq: A Life
- Anthony Lane: A Life
- Author Philip Gourevitch
- Joseph Telushkin: The Accountant’s Son Who Taught America Judaism
- Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph (2012)
- WP: As Christians are attacked in Israel, government shows little concern
- Life as a Haredi Jew
- Moral Philosopher Derek Parfit
- The Life of George Gilder
- Richard Posner’s Legal Pragmatism
- The MLA: A History
- The Great Delusions in History Theory
- Allan Bloom: The Teacher Who Wanted Your Soul
- The Great Delusions in Literary Theory
- William K. Wimsatt Jr.: The Judge of Evidence
- Larissa MacFarquhar: The Woman Who Slows Judgment Down
- Stanley Fish: A Biography
- Hortense Spillers: The Grammar Lesson
- Paul Gilroy: A Biography
BEST POSTS:
- * The Enlightenment Wasn’t Enlightened (6-23-26)
* Mr. Burge Draws The Line (6-23-26)
* 'Improving on Democracy' (6-17-26)
* People Leak To People Who Are Fun (6-11-26)
* Why Does Australia Produce So Many Great Journalists? (6-11-26)
* Steve Wynn and the Press: Power, Litigation, and the Contest Over Las Vegas (6-3-26)
* Sheldon Adelson and the Journalists (6-3-26)
* The Vigilant Animal: Thinkers Who Reject the Myth of Human Gullibility (6-2-26)
* The Cost of Refusing the Misunderstanding Myth (6-2-26)
* Show Me How It Travels (6-2-26)
* The Norm Explainers (6-2-26)
* Centering Marginalized Voices (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Washington Post put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Financial Times put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for the Los Angeles Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for The New York Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* Why Wembanyama Lives on the Perimeter (5-31-26)
* The Emotional Palettes Of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Sacramento (5-27-26)
* The Administrative Capital: Sacramento Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* San Diego - The Quiet Republic (5-27-26)
* The Quiet Bar: San Diego Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* SF v LA Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* Why Talent Travels Poorly Between San Francisco and Los Angeles (5-27-26)
* San Francisco and Los Angeles as Rival Models of Urban Access (5-27-26)
* Social Cliques in New York, 2026 (5-25-26)
* Social Cliques in San Francisco, 2026 (5-25-26)
* The Rival Courts of Washington (5-25-26)
* The City of Private Rooms (5-25-26)
Author Archives: Luke Ford
I’m Not A Huge Fan Of Showoffs
I hated this essay. It’s just unbearably pretentious and performative. Why does it grind my gears so? I guess it reminds me of my dad. Let’s talk about me! Every time, I think I’m gonna wake up in the AI. … Continue reading
Posted in AI
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Decoding The ‘Timeless Wisdom’ Of ‘Institutional Intellectual’ Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman
This “Rabbi Dr.” thing. Is it a bit much? Inquiring minds want to know. Then there is his self-description: “A global faith leader and distinguished scholar, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman is shaping the future of higher education by restoring the … Continue reading
Posted in Yeshiva University
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Decoding The ‘Philosophical Apologist’ Rabbi Dr. David Shatz
Written with AI: Rabbi Dr. David Shatz is best understood as a high-status internal rationalizer and risk manager whose function is to preserve Modern Orthodoxy’s intellectual legitimacy without exposing the alliance to destabilizing evidence. He is not an innovator of … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Orthodox
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Decoding The ‘Halakhic Scientist’ Rabbi Dr. Moses Tendler
Written with AI: Rabbi Dr. Moses Tendler represented a unique intersection of high-level biology and high-level Halakha. He claimed total rigor in both fields, yet his career was defined by fierce “boundary-marking” conflicts. He famously used his scientific credentials to … Continue reading
Posted in R. Moshe Tendler
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Decoding Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
Written with AI: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was the most successful “prestige mediator” in modern Jewish history. He used the language of sociobiology, game theory, and moral philosophy to defend traditionalist structures. While he claimed a high degree of rigor—often … Continue reading
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Decoding The Rigor Claims Of Modern Orthodox Rabbis
Written with AI: In the social marketplace of Modern Orthodoxy, “rigor” functions as a luxury good. It signals that the speaker possesses the cognitive surplus to navigate both the dense legalism of the Talmud and the sophisticated frameworks of the … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Orthodox
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Decoding The Jewish Center (Manhattan)
Located on the Upper West Side, The Jewish Center serves as a flagship for Modern Orthodoxy, known for its intellectual rigor and its role in shaping the religious and social lives of Manhattan’s Orthodox professionals. Written with AI: The Jewish … Continue reading
Posted in Alliance Theory
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Decoding The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA)
The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is the leading professional organization for Modern Orthodox rabbis. It sets standards for conversions and communal policy, often serving as a bridge between the religious leadership and the professional world. Written with AI: The … Continue reading
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Decoding Agudath Israel of America
Headquartered in Manhattan, Agudath Israel of America acts as the primary political and legal advocate for the Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) community. It focuses heavily on protecting religious liberties, securing government funding for yeshivas, and representing the interests of the various Hasidic … Continue reading
Posted in Agudath Israel
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Decoding Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum
Written with AI: Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum (the Zalmanis) represents the “Urban-Traditionalist” faction of the Satmar alliance. In David Pinsof’s framework, the split between Zalman and his brother Aaron is not a theological divergence but a “succession war” that forced the … Continue reading
Posted in Satmar
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