Category Archives: Orthodoxy

Shalom Auslander’s Mother Is Yeshiva University Chancellor Norman Lamm’s Sister

Shalom Auslander (website, my interview) writes in his forthcoming memoir Foreskin’s Lament: My mother’s brother was a famous rabbi. His name was Uncle Nathan [Norman Lamm, former president of Yeshiva University]. Her other brother was also a famous rabbi. His … Continue reading

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Modern Orthodoxy’s ‘Cultic’ Influence

From The Jewish Week: Rabbi Marc Angel of Manhattan is going out with a bang. As he prepares to retire from the pulpit this fall, the prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi and former president of the Rabbinical Council of America, has … Continue reading

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Back Story Behind The L.A. Eruv

Here’s the inside story that the Jewish Journal did not tell you. Initially Rabbi Bess (the leading authority on Jewish law in Los Angeles) was anti-eruv and rabbis in the Fairfax area did not want to get on his bad … Continue reading

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A Scene From Shul

"Is that the rabbi?" "Where’s his tie?" Rabbi: "There are some people beyond all hope. Beyond redemption. Beyond salvation. They’re incorrigible…" "Hey, how does he know my family so well?" "Where’s the air conditioning?" "That’s extra. We checked coffee instead."

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Feeding Drugs To Kids

I caught this in a Pico-Robertson shul bulletin on Shabbos: Last week, two men posing as DWP workers committed several robberies… We also received an alert from Jewish Family Service Aleinu Family Resource Center that a man who goes by … Continue reading

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Her Mother Loves Torah

Eva writes: My mother is an extremely spiritual person. As such, she has a need to attend as many chassidus shiurim as possible on a daily basis. I’ve attended a few with her, and for me the real inspiration was … Continue reading

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Sociologist Steven M. Cohen Visits Los Angeles

Dr. Cohen says he comes from a non-observant Orthodox home (their Sabbath ended around noon). Though somewhat observant of Jewish law, he is no longer Orthodox. But he was the scholar in residence at a local Orthodox shul this past … Continue reading

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Bush Appoints Orthodox Jew To HHS

Jennifer Siegel writes for the Forward: Yesterday saw the announcement that Tevi David Troy, an Orthodox Jew who currently serves as the Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, will be nominated as the Deputy Secretary of Health and … Continue reading

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Hitchens Glaring Error

Mark Oppenheimer writes: On p. 54, Hitchens writes, "Orthodox Jews conduct Congress by means of a hole in the sheet…" This is, as even most idiots know, a total fabrication. As a lie, it’s not as bad as the blood … Continue reading

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Praise God On Your Own Time, Buster!

I sometimes go to an Ashkenaz minyan in the evening where this Sephardi guy always insists on yelling out, "Barchu et Adonai Hamvorak!" at the end of Ma’ariv (and by reflex the rest of us respond, "Baruch Adonai Hamvorak l’olam … Continue reading

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