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"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
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- Emily Oster: The Economist in the Delivery Room
- The Most Ridiculous Story Ever Told
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- Jim Goad (1961-2026)
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- Mark Helprin: Against the Current
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- John T. Jost: The Psychologist of Acquiescence
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- * 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)
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Category Archives: Conversion
Advice To Potential Converts To Orthodox Judaism
I find myself talking a lot to people interested in converting to Orthodox Judaism. Here’s some advice: * There are more than five Orthodox Jewish law courts (Batei Din) in Los Angeles that do conversions — including the RCC (the … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged aa degree, converts to judaism, jewish converts, orthodox jews, orthodox judaism, orthodox synagogue
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Educating Converts To Orthodox Judaism
Rabbi Gil Student writes: They have to understand that a community that strives for closeness and closed-ness, a tight-knit society that builds a wall to the secular world (of varying heights, depending on each community), will present obstacles to joining. … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged alei teshuvah, foreign accents, gil student, jewish geography, orthodox judaism, rude questions
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Converting To Orthodox Judaism Is Hard
How come a lot of people — maybe most people — don’t find converting to Orthodox Judaism more difficult than getting an AA degree from a community college? I think it depends a lot on a person’s temperament. You can … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged aa degree, cheeseburger, kicker, orthodox judaism, shabbos
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A Convert’s Sad Story
Anonymous writes: I am a convert. There can be no question that I am halakhically Jewish, at least if you trust the Lubavitchers to know halakha. I am writing to protest the downright shameful treatment of converts by the Orthodox … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Haredi
Tagged conservative rabbi, converting to judaism, first five books, orthodox jews, orthodox rabbi, shameful treatment
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What Converts Can Teach Us About Judaism
Oy, if only some lofty journalist would write such sentiments about me! Adam Dickter writes in The Jewish Week: But what struck me most was one line from Yoseph himself that he posted on his website bio, that he chose … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged conversion status, difficult childhood, jewish teachings, orthodox jews, orthodox judaism, relationship with god
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A Convert Laments
I’m tired of all this Jewish lamenting over the latest conversion bill. I’m a convert to Orthodox Judaism and a well respected one at that! Like Jewish philosopher Jacob Stein, you’d be hard-pressed to find any Orthodox Jew who has … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Haredi, Orthodoxy
Tagged american jews, conversion program, jewish identity, Jewish Journal, orthodox conversion, orthodox judaism, panties in a knot, second intifada, statue of jesus
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Marrying A Convert
It does not make sense to me why somebody Orthodox from birth would want to marry a convert or a baal teshuva (penitent). I figure the more you have in common, the better. There tends to be a naive wide-eyed … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged baal teshuva, heshy, jews in america, orthodox conversion, orthodox jew, orthodox judaism, yom tov
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A Dominican-American Convert To Orthodox Judaism
From The Jewish Press: Why did you start blogging? I started the conversion process; I was 25 years old. Every Shabbat meal, someone would ask me, “Why are you in the conversion process?” One of my friends, Drew Kaplan, was … Continue reading
Posted in Aliza Hausman, Conversion, Orthodoxy, Race
Tagged jewish press, orthodox judaism, public sphere, rabbinical student, shabbat meal, speaking engagements
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Converting The Mentally Ill
Orthodox Jews don’t look for converts among non-Jews. They typically turn away three times Gentiles seeking conversion and then only convert them after they have proved themselves. Now what happens if the convert is sincere but mentally ill? Different Batei … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Personal, R. Avrohom Union, R. David Rue
Tagged chronic fatigue syndrome, conversion applications, head rabbi, jewish conversion, masters degree in psychology, orthodox jewish community, rabbi abner weiss, rabbi david, rabbinical council of california
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Finding An Orthodox Wife
A young man converting to Judaism tells me: “The problem I have is that most orthodox women (90% +???) won’t recognize a ger (a convert to Judaism) unless he has an RCA-approved conversion.” I don’t think that’s true. Unless you … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Marriage, Orthodoxy, R. David Rue, R. Michael Melchior
Tagged conversion status, conversion to judaism, converting to judaism, orthodox conversion, orthodox women, rabbi michael
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