As I walk into shul Friday night, I see Michael Medved.
"You’re our star!" I say. "I loved your autobiography."
He smiles.
I stay in shul after davening and read a book for an hour while everyone else goes downstairs to eat dinner.
Then I attend a forum with Michael Medved, Dr. Karen Bacon (from Stern College) and Rabbi Danielle… The OU’s Rabbi Daniel Korobkin moderates. The topic? "Are we too integrated [with the gentile world]?"
Says an observer about the Spinka Hasidim scandal: "Blame the Hasidic attitude that we can’t assimmilate with the goyim, therefore we don’t have to observe their laws."
I have to sit through a couple of long midrashim that everybody in the room must’ve heard a hundred times already.
Michael Medved says it is a wonderful thing for Jews, including Orthodox Jews, to join the American military.
It’s easy to get kosher food in the American armed forces.
The panel agree that shuls should not host super bowl parties and casino nights.
I heard one Orthodox rabbi said that he used to have super bowl parties and that he would give shiurim (Torah lectures) during half-time and time-outs.
Michael Medved says Jews should integrate with Gentiles who share their values. How do observant Jews integrate with Gentiles? It’s impossible. Jewish law makes it difficult to socialize with Gentiles.
(Michael brought his father, wife, 15yo son and brother Harry.)
I heard Orthodox Union CEO Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Weinreb speak Friday night and Saturday morning. In the morning, he cites Conservative Judaism scholar Elliot Dorff in his description of the differences between Judaism and Christianity. Rabbi Weinreb talks about the many considerations and consultations the OU must take before they speak out. They got President Bush’s permission to speak out with criticism of his stem cell research program. The rabbi concludes Shabbos morning with a poem from Robert Frost.
Rabbi Weinreb looks to be about 60. He doesn’t exude energy. He doesn’t try to be anything he’s not. He moves and speaks with deliberation. He’s a rock.
Joe emails:
I would say on the whole the speech Saturday morning by Rabbi Weinreb was the highlight of the whole conference. Here was a prominent orthodox figure quoting from a conservative Jew with total nonchalance. Eliot Dorff is brilliant whether you agree or disagree with him. I thought R. Weinreb’s mixture of quotes from a range of sources and his clear ideas were great. Sunday had one interesting class on Orthodox Judaism in the future. The class was on how the modern world developed, which was interesting. It didn’t speak at all about the future. So, you were probably better off not going.
There were no women to pick up. If you didn’t know better, the convention looked more like a AARP convention. But the conference organizers were sure happy with their mediocre achievement.
