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- Robert Putnam: The Man Who Counted What America Lost
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- Emily Oster: The Economist in the Delivery Room
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- Jim Goad (1961-2026)
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- The Pervert’s Progress: Costin Vlad Alamariu and the Making of Bronze Age Pervert
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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)
* Social Cliques in San Francisco, 2026 (5-25-26)
* The Rival Courts of Washington (5-25-26)
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Category Archives: Judaism
I’m Putting The Talmud On Trial For Hate Speech
Over Passover, I went to a lecture entitled "Principles of Oppression: Egyptian Policies in the Thought of ChaZal." It was an endless listing of horrible things that the rabbis of the Talmud invented about the Egyptians 3200 years ago (at … Continue reading
Jewish Pride Is Inversely Proportionate To Jewish Learning
I know that whenever I meet someone who says he’s proud to be Jewish or that he has "Jewish values," I know I’m dealing with a Judaic ignoramus. Judaism is a prosaic religion of endless daily demands rather than showy … Continue reading
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Journalist Marc Ballon Leaves Jewish Journal & Journalism
He’s now a publicist in Orange County.
Posted in Journalism, Judaism, Los Angeles
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How Did The Cult Of Lashon Hara Laws Strangle Open Discussion In Orthodox Life?
For the first 3000 years of its history, judging by its sacred texts, the Jews had open discussion of individuals. The Bible and the Talmud were never shy about describing people in detail, even negative detail. Then a thicket of … Continue reading
BBI and UJ join up to forge a home for pluralistic Judaism in landmark merger
Contrary to the claims in this Jewish Journal article, this is not a merger of BBI with the UJ but a takeover of BBI by the UJ. After all, this new entity will be presided over by the UJ’s two … Continue reading
Orthodoxy Vs. Modernity
I chat with a Conservative Jewish scholar. LF: The answer to your essay is that O has no answer. Orthodoxy and modernity are not compatible, there can only be compromises. That is a good and bad things. There is much … Continue reading
Which Orthodox Shul Has Valet Parking On Shabbos?
Walking out of the Beit Midrash after mincha-ma’ariv Sunday, I passed five valet attendants. “We should have that on Shabbos,” I joked. Then I learned that there is an Orthodox shul with valet parking on Shabbos (Orthodox Judaism rules that … Continue reading
University Of Judaism Buys Brandeis-Bardin Institute
Expect an announcement this week. BBI was the largest landholder among Jewish organizations outside of Israel, but the place has been consistently mismanaged for more than 20 years, and it has been selling off bits of land to try to … Continue reading
Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy
Steven I. Weiss writes about Samuel Heilman’s new book: Orthodoxy is set to become the dominant element in American Jewry in the next two decades, if it hasn‚Äôt already. Boasting vastly higher rates for all the significant matrices of Jewish … Continue reading
Real Estate Magnate Aron Abecassis Leaving Etz Jacob
I hear Nancy Fields, former head of secular education at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, is going with him. Abecasis is the president of the board. He received a glowing portrait in the June 9, 2006 Jewish Journal: A go-getter who … Continue reading