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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: Judaism
Dennis Prager Feels Little Desire To Gossip
I guess it all depends on how you define gossip. Dennis Prager’s number one source for items for his show is the Drudge Report, the number one news and gossip website in the world. On his radio show today, Dennis … Continue reading
Posted in Dennis Prager, Gossip, Judaism, R. Joseph Telushkin
Tagged Dennis Prager, drudge report, Gossip, radio show, scandals
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Bored In Shul?
Erica Brown writes for The Jewish Week: Bored in synagogue? Bored in Hebrew school? Bored of the same old brisket?” The High Holy Days are fast approaching, and for many people the thought of spending meaningless, marathon hours in a … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Personal, Prayer
Tagged erica brown, Gary Rosenblatt, high holy days, jewish rituals, jewish survival, poet dylan thomas
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In the Footsteps of the Kuzari
From Hirhurim: Dr. Yoel Finkelman discusses Jewish Thought education with Prof. Shalom Rosenberg, author of In the Footsteps of the Kuzari (two volumes: I, II), at ATID’s annual conference of our Fellows and graduates, June 15, 2009: link (MP3, in … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
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Did The Rambam Abandon His Principles As Quickly As I Abandoned My Morals?
The Rambam produced his 13 essential principles of the Jewish faith when he was a young man. And then he never mentioned them again. That’s why Rabbi Shlomo Goren held that the Rambam abandoned his 13 essential principles. If he … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
Tagged compromises, Dennis Prager, morals, principles of the jewish faith, rabbi shlomo, rambam
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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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What Is The Scientific Study Of Judaism?
Academic study of Judaism aka critical study aka scientific study all mean something simple — following the facts wherever they lead. The major Ashkenazi denominations of Judaism (Reform, Conservative and Orthodox) developed in Germany in the 19th Century. A founder … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Marc B. Shapiro, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy
Tagged critical notes, critical study, julius wellhausen, Marc B. Shapiro, samson raphael hirsch, semitic languages, steinsaltz, talmud study, torah in motion
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Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal by Reform Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan
We talk by phone Tuesday, June 2. (Previous interviews with Rabbi Kaplan here.) Luke: "You have a note in the beginning that some of your language in this book is a bit sharp." Dana: "I’m trying to make certain points. … Continue reading
Posted in Author Interviews, Judaism, Rabbis
Tagged american judaism, dana evan kaplan, rabbi kaplan, reform rabbi, transformation
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Equality Is A Goyisha Value
Rabbi Gil Student writes: Jewish law has Jews treat other Jews in a somewhat more favorable fashion, e.g. forbidding a Jew to charge interest on a loan to another Jew but permitting him to do it on a loan to … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
Tagged aliyot, Dennis Prager, different fashion, gentile, gil student, jewish law, keith obermann, preferential treatment, relevant standards, worst person in the world
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‘For Me, The Essence Of Judaism is…’
That’s my least favorite phrase particularly when it is followed by "asking questions." Danielle Berrin writes about the creator of the Showtime show Weeds: For her own part, Jenji Kohan’s refusal to limit herself in her show’s creative content has … Continue reading
Posted in Hollywood, Judaism
Tagged berrin, creative content, favorite phrase, kohan, moral ambiguity, rsquo
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Live Feed Of Mikvah Inauguration
This is not the live feed I want from the mikvah.
Posted in Judaism
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