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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:
- Robert Putnam: The Man Who Counted What America Lost
- W. Bradford Wilcox: The Sociologist Who Tells America to Get Married
- Peter Moskos: The Cop Who Talks to People
- Julius Krein
- Ryan Burge: The Numbers Man in the Empty Church
- Emily Oster: The Economist in the Delivery Room
- The Most Ridiculous Story Ever Told
- Tanner Greer
- Economist Tyler Cowen
- Richard Reeves: A Life in Institutions
- Jake Adelstein: The Reporter Who Became His Story
- Jim Goad (1961-2026)
- Moira Greyland
- Robert Oscar Lopez: The Inconvenient Witness
- Two Ledgers: Decoding the Gurus and the Price of Talk
- The Pervert’s Progress: Costin Vlad Alamariu and the Making of Bronze Age Pervert
- Curtis Yarvin: A Life Against Democracy
- Mark Helprin: Against the Current
- Mark Brandt: The Man Who Asked Who Else Is Prejudiced
- John T. Jost: The Psychologist of Acquiescence
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)
Category Archives: Chabad
LAT: Jewish dead lie forgotten in East L.A. graves
From the Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2013: “A search at Mount Zion for the tomb of a prominent Yiddish author reveals a dystopian landscape of toppled tombstones that no one seems to own.” In 1974, the Jewish Federation of … Continue reading
Posted in Chabad, Jewish Federation
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My Journey Into Orthodox Judaism
I first walked into an Orthodox shul (Knesset Israel Torah Center) in Sacramento in early 1993 on a Sunday morning to take a conversion to Judaism class with friends. The rabbi looked at me walking in with a yarmulke on … Continue reading
An Open Letter To R. Manis Friedman
JewishJournal.com reports: Rabbi Manis Friedman, a prominent rabbi from the Hasidic Chabad Lubavitch movement who appeared in a video recently posted on YouTube minimizing the harm caused by sexual molestation, has apologized for what he called his “completely inappropriate use … Continue reading
Yisroel Pensack: New York City Board of Health Vote Scheduled Today on Requiring Informed Consent for Direct Oral-Genital Suction During Infant Circumcision
The New York Times reports: …part of the circumcision ritual, known in Hebrew as metzitzah b’peh [direct oral-genital suction], … is still commonplace in parts of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community but is rare in other branches of Judaism. The city estimates … Continue reading
Posted in Chabad, Circumcision, Conservative Judaism, Germany, Health, Modern Orthodox, New York, New York Times, Yisroel Pensack
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Chabad Vs Aish Ha Torah
I notice that Aish HaTorah people seem to be very sensitive about any criticism of Aish and to personally hold it against you if you criticize the company. On the other hand, Lubavitchers are about the most selfless people around … Continue reading
Posted in Aish HaTorah, Chabad, Haredi
Tagged Aish HaTorah, ashkenazi, garden gnome, Haredi, kate frost, somebody at home
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Rubashkin Revenge: Ethical Certificates at Center of Dispute
The Jewish Journal reports: About eight months ago, when Katsuji Tanabe agreed to display the Tav HaYosher certificate in the window of his one-year-old restaurant on Pico Boulevard, the head chef and owner of Mexikosher knew that the “ethical seal,” … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, Chabad, R. Shmuly Yanklowitz
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Marc B. Shapiro: The Worst Thing Chabad Did
According to Wikipedia: “[Yosef Yitzchok (Joseph Isaac), the sixth Lubavitcher rebbe] Schneersohn argued against his Hasidim leaving Russia[in the 1920s, 1930s], even if they were able do. He explicitly forbade his followers from leaving, describing those who did as “deserters”.” … Continue reading
Posted in Chabad, Marc B. Shapiro
Tagged getting involved in politics, Hasidim, joseph isaac schneersohn, Marc B. Shapiro, rebbes, torah in motion
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LAT: Chabad of North Hollywood’s building-in-progress is too big for the neighborhood?
LAT: For two decades, Dee Tuntkavep has enjoyed a view of pine-shrouded Chandler Boulevard from the upstairs reading room of her Sherman Oaks home. Now all she sees are concrete walls two stories high — the still-in-progress expansion of an … Continue reading
Posted in Chabad
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Do Lubavitchers Want You To Become Lubavitch?
I’ve spent a lot of time in Chabad shuls and I never remember any pressure to become Chabad. The Chabadniks I know want Jews to study Torah and to do mitzvahs but I’m not aware of them exerting much effort … Continue reading
Posted in Chabad
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Lubavitchers Not Intimidated By The Internet
Chabadniks were among the first groups of Jews to make widespread use of the internet to spread their values. Lubavitchers are that rare type of Orthodox Jew who believes in interacting with the world. More: Brooklyn, NY – In an … Continue reading
Posted in Chabad
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