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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:
- Dennis Prager v Cedars-Sinai Lawsuit
- Dennis Prager Through Randall Collins: Interaction Ritual Chains
- What is a ‘Received Idea’?
- Jordan Bardella: The Manufacture of Normality
- Everyone Became Television: Bourdieu’s Warning and the 2026 Iran War
- Marine Le Pen
- The Coalition-Proximity Rule
- Nigel Farage
- Bernard Haykel: A Life Between the Text and the Gun
- Walker Connor (1926-2017)
- Benedict Anderson and the Nation as Imagination
- Anthony D. Smith: The Student Who Kept the Question and Rejected the Answer
- Ernest Gellner
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- Dominic Cummings: A Biography
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- Stephen Kotkin: A Life in Power
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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)
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* 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)
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* 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: Bnai David-Judea
Platform, Pulpit, Archive: Three Models of MO Rabbinic Self-Presentation in Los Angeles
While surfing Rabbi Pini Dunner’s website, I learned: Mavericks, Mystics and False Messiahs NOW AVAILABLE! “A thoroughly engaging introduction to some of the most colorful episodes in Jewish history. A wonderfully enjoyable read.” – Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks “Rabbi Pini … Continue reading
Posted in Alliance Theory, Beth Jacob, Bnai David-Judea, Los Angeles, Modern Orthodox, R. Elazar Muskin, R. Jonathan Sacks, R. Kalman Topp, R. Meir Soloveichik, R. Pini Dunner, R. Yitzchak Etshalom, R. Yosef Kanefsky
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How do the members of Young Israel of Century City, Beth Jacob and Bnai David-Judea view each other?
Per Alliance Theory: Young Israel of Century City Self-view Centrist Modern Orthodox. Serious but not extreme. We are normal, professional, American Orthodoxy done right. Law, medicine, business, observance without theatrics. How they view Beth Jacob Impressive, intense, a little intimidating. … Continue reading
Posted in Beth Jacob, Bnai David-Judea, Pico/Robertson, YICC
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Decoding Bnai David-Judea
ChatGPT says: Through Alliance Theory, Bnai David functions as a thick-boundary consolidation hub whose purpose is to stabilize Orthodox Jewish life in a neighborhood defined by constant ideological, social, and status cross-pressure. The 90035 corridor is unusually dense. Multiple Orthodox … Continue reading
Posted in Bnai David-Judea
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Bnai David-Judea Shul Struggles With The Election Result
I would estimate that 80-90% of the members of the modern orthodox synagogue Bnai David are on the Left. There must have been a sense of mourning there following the election. On Shabbat, its rabbi, Yosef Kanefsky, said from the … Continue reading
Posted in Bnai David-Judea
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Black, Brown, and Beyond: Exploring Issues of Race and Color within our LA Community
Rav Yosef Kanefsky (the most left-wing Orthodox rabbi on the West Coast) emails his list: Dear friends, Race relations has been a particularly painful theme in our country’s narrative, and continues to be so right up to today. From Ferguson … Continue reading
Posted in Blacks, Bnai David-Judea, R. Yosef Kanefsky
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Need help finding an Orthodox Synagogue!
Jane emails: “I’m a prospective Jewish convert. I’ve spent the past 4 months or so studying at a Conservative Temple here in Los Angeles. Although I really enjoyed my experience, I want to experience and learn more, however this time … Continue reading
Posted in Bnai David-Judea, Orthodoxy
Tagged Google, orthodox shuls, orthodox synagogue, orthodox synagogues, orthodox world
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The Mexican Cleaning Women Confused Me For A Rabbi
Watch the whole show.
Posted in Bnai David-Judea, Personal
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The Force Field
He walked past Bnai David Thursday afternoon and saw a trash can with the sign, “Sponsored by Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky.” He stopped and stared. “What the hell?” he thought. “A trash can sponsored by a rabbi? Where’s the kavod of … Continue reading
Posted in Bnai David-Judea, Personal, R. Elazar Muskin, R. Yosef Kanefsky, YICC
Tagged Dennis Prager, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbi, rabbi yosef, radical egalitarianism, trash cans
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Will Bnai David-Judea Follow Suit?
Bnai David is the most liberal Orthodox shul on the West Coast. I wonder if it will copy these developments in New York? My yetzer hara says: “Do you remember Lamelle from when she was at Bnai David? She has … Continue reading
Posted in Bnai David-Judea, Modern Orthodox
Tagged hebrew institute of riverdale, kabbalat shabbat, mail letter, orthodox shul, orthodox synagogues, rabbi avi weiss
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Environmentally Sensitive Less Likely To Be Ethically Sensitive
From The Guardian: When Al Gore was caught running up huge energy bills at home at the same time as lecturing on the need to save electricity, it turns out that he was only reverting to “green” type. According to … Continue reading
Posted in Bnai David-Judea, Dennis Prager, Ethics, Green, R. Yosef Kanefsky
Tagged canadian psychologists, Dennis Prager, green consumers, honour system, organic baby food, virtuous acts
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