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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)
Tag Archives: orthodox judaism
Will My Beard Hurt My Job Prospects?
Most of the people close to me hate my beard. They say it will hurt my job prospects. That people don’t like beards. I know there are jobs that require a person to be clean-shaven, but I am not so … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy, Personal
Tagged ethics of judaism, fair dinkum, jewish practices, normative judaism, orthodox judaism, rusty razor, traditional judaism, transcendent values, tzitzit, Yarmulke
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The Ordination Of Women As Orthodox Rabbis
I’m told: There are many aspects to this and I do not believe that any one or two people can change things on their own. Orthodox Judaism is a religion of consensus. Sometimes ideas are discussed for decades before they … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy
Tagged avi weiss, ordination of women, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbis, rav, sephardic world
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Post-Orthodoxy & The Ordination Of Women As Orthodox Rabbis
I don’t know much about Torah but I instinctively find the notion of an ordained female Orthodox rabbi to be post-Orthodox aka outside of Orthodox Judaism. The Orthodox Judaism I thought I knew prescribes very separate roles for men and … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy, R. Yosef Kanefsky, Rabbis
Tagged fellow jews, gender line, intents and purposes, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbi, orthodox rabbis, rabbi yosef, religious leadership, religious principle
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Yoga Vs Orthodox Judaism Vs Alexander Technique
I tried to be helpful when I entered yoga and helpfully I ran my keytag past the scanner without assistance. “You just checked yourself into the pregnancy class,” said the woman behind the desk. Oy. A lot of people ask … Continue reading
Posted in Alexander Technique, Personal, Yoga
Tagged Alexander Technique, anxiety, color humor, jewish mysticism, keytag, orthodox judaism, pregnancy class, ripe field, scanner
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Blogging As Self-Defense
I’ve created this elaborate blogging empire because I can’t stand feeling vulnerable. I remember as a kid not getting invited to birthday parties. I remember the big kids dunking me under water and holding my head there for about ten … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged birthday parties, eighth grade, loneliness, orthodox judaism, self defense, ten seconds
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The Return
Over the past 18 months, I spent less time in synagogue than at any point since I started going to shul regularly in the fall of 1993. Until September 14, I was going through my Orthodox conversion to Judaism and … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Synagogue
Tagged alexander technique teacher, conversion program, conversion to judaism, harmonious relationship, orthodox conversion, orthodox judaism
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Further Transcribing Of My Orit Arfa Interview
[Here’s part one. I really tried to keep the conversation holy, but… Luke: What do you think of the beard? What does it say to you? Orit: It says I need to be accepted as an Orthodox Jew. Please accept … Continue reading
Posted in Orit Arfa
Tagged jewish thing, moral leader, nice eyes, orthodox jew, orthodox judaism, weird habits
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My Orit Arfa Interview II
Here’s part one. I really tried to keep the conversation holy, but… Luke: What do you think of the beard? What does it say to you? Orit: It says I need to be accepted as an Orthodox Jew. Please accept … Continue reading
Posted in Dating, Orit Arfa
Tagged interview ii, jewish thing, moral leader, orthodox jew, orthodox judaism, weird habits
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Shannon Orand Worked For Tovia Singer Before Leib Tropper
Rabbi Tovia Singer has lived on the edge for decades. He speaks from the heart, confesses his foibles, turns hundreds of people on to Judaism, and makes some powerful enemies in the process. He is one Orthodox rabbi who’s not … Continue reading
Posted in R. Leib Tropper, R. Tovia Singer, Shannon Orand
Tagged christian youth groups, ejf, FailedMessiah, intimate bonds, intimate connections, israel national news, orand, orthodox judaism, outreach work, rabbi tovia singer, rabbi yosef, social relationship, tovia singer, tropper, tuvia, virus html
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