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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: Conversion
Becoming Jewish Three Times
I used to go to Ohr HaTorah with this guy. We reconnected at the first LimmudLA in February 2008. He lives in Jerusalem and looks chareidi. He’s the most genial guy, funny, and easy to talk to. Yes, most Orthodox … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged christopher campbell, conversion to judaism, orthodox jews, punch lines, Reform Judaism, suburban philadelphia
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How The RCA Gave Away The Game To R. Shlomo Amar
Israel’s chief rabbis have traditionally divided up their duties — one would handle Beit Din (Jewish law court handling conversions, divorces, business disputes etc) stuff and the other would handle everything else including kashrut (Jewish dietary laws). Then, every five … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Israel, Rabbis
Tagged basil herring, chief rabbi shlomo amar, chief rabbis, conversion controversy, orthodox rabbi, rabbi elyashiv, rabbi schwartz, rabbi shlomo amar
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Yisroel Pensack: Britain’s Top Court Grapples with “Who Is A Jew?” and “Who Decides?”
The New York Times reports: On the surface, the court was considering a straightforward challenge to the admissions policy of a Jewish high school in London. But the case, in which arguments concluded Oct. 30, has potential repercussions for thousands … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, England, Judaism, New York Times, Orthodoxy, Religion, Yisroel Pensack
Tagged Britain's Supreme Court, british commonwealth, chief rabbi jonathan sacks, Jews' Free School, JFS, london, progressive synagogue, religious schools, who is a jew
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Feeling Like An Outsider In Orthodox Judaism
I have a several close female friends who’ve flirted with Orthodox Judaism but not finished conversions to it. They look obviously goyish. They feel like conspicuous outsiders to the Jewish community, and they fear that they will always be viewed … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged conversion programs, conversion to judaism, female friends, orthodox conversion, orthodox jews, orthodox judaism
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Pat Dollard’s Conversion To Judaism Didn’t Take
According to Wikipedia: "Patrick Dollard is an American documentary filmmaker. In the 1990s he was a Hollywood talent agent, manager, and producer most known for guiding the career of Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. Dollard became known as a Hollywood conservative … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Judaism
Tagged conversion to judaism, director steven soderbergh, documentary filmmaker, pat dollard, patrick dollard, steven soderbergh
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First Black Female Rabbi Ordained
Bob emails: There goes the neighborhood. Khunrum emails: "There’s one shul that might let Luke attend." Fred emails: "I wonder if they’d make him sit in the back of the shul." Bob emails: "Even they would probably question our hapless … Continue reading
‘A Sincere Question’
Rabbi Yehuda (YY) Rubinstein emails me June 5: Dear Mr Ford, I honestly want to pose you a question if I may. I watched the video of you sitting in the car the other day [LF: this video or this?] … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Personal, R. YY Rubinstein, Rabbis
Tagged conversion status, dear mr, honest question, jewish law, rabbi yehuda, rubinstein, sensitive nature
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‘Transforming Identity: The Ritual Transition From Gentile To Jew – Structure and Meaning’
From Hirhurim: In the latest issue of Tradition (link), hot off the presses and available online, R. Michael J. Broyde publishes a review of Avi Sagi and Zvi Zohar’s book about conversion, Transforming Identity: The Ritual Transition from Gentile to … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Hirhurim, Marc B. Shapiro, Orthodoxy, R. Michael J. Broyde
Tagged avi sagi, conversion controversy, Hirhurim, jewish legal system, mainstream approach, Marc B. Shapiro, michael j broyde, professor shapiro, rabbinic tradition, talmudic sources
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Rabbis, Converts & Jewish Law
I got into a discussion via email with Orthodox rabbi Yehuda Yonah Rubinstein who wanted me to remove from my website a claim that he was a convert to Judaism. I decided to publish our private email exchange after he … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Gossip, Judaism, R. YY Rubinstein, Rabbis
Tagged converst, converts to judaism, jewish law, journalistic criteria, medical practices, orthodox rabbi, orthodox rabbis, rubinstein
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Looking For An Orthodox Shul Friendly To Converts?
I get this email: “I was looking at your site and saw that you are a convert to Judaism. I am looking to convert to Judaism. Can you recommend a friendly Orthodox Shul for me to try and get into … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Synagogue
Tagged converts, downey ca, Judaism, judea, orthodox shul
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