- https://PayPal.Me/lukeisback
"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 rabbi
Mordecai Tendler Lawsuit Rejected
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s top court on Wednesday rejected a woman’s claim that her rabbi seduced her and so breached their special fiduciary, or trust, relationship. The Court of Appeals concluded Adina Marmelstein failed to establish the "essential … Continue reading
Posted in Mordecai Tendler
Tagged fiduciary obligation, fiduciary relationship, kehillat new hempstead, new york city woman, orthodox rabbi, rabbi mordechai tendler
Comments Off on Mordecai Tendler Lawsuit Rejected
Yay, Another Jewish Journal Cover Story On Gay Marriage
It feels like months since the last one. Julie Fax writes this week: While the advent of legal marriage for same-sex couples in California seems heaven-sent for some, for others it is yet another signal that earth is moving further away … Continue reading
Posted in Homosexuality, Jewish Journal
Tagged conservative radio host, definition of homicide, Dennis Prager, orthodox rabbi, orthodox rabbis, rabbi daniel
Comments Off on Yay, Another Jewish Journal Cover Story On Gay Marriage
A Rabbi For Pat Buchanan
Nachum Shifren has written a couple of compelling books, The Surfing Rabbi and Kill Your Teacher. He writes: As you know from reading my horrific expose of racism and corruption in L.A public schools, I was forcibly removed after 18 … Continue reading
Posted in Nachum Shifren
Tagged last vestige, multi culturalism, Nachum Shifren, orthodox rabbi, pat buchanan, surfing rabbi
Comments Off on A Rabbi For Pat Buchanan
The Role Of Midrash In Orthodox Jewish Education
I heard a talk decrying the use of midrash as a literature co-extensive with the Bible. Midrash is not so much scriptural interpretation as homiletics (inspiring stories), said the Orthodox rabbi, citing Maimonides. When we treat midrash as equal to … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Midrash, Orthodoxy
Tagged abraham isaac, dvar torah, holy writ, moral sensibilities, orthodox rabbi, picking up sticks, torah scholarship
Comments Off on The Role Of Midrash In Orthodox Jewish Education
Complete Interview With David S. Gruber – The Orthodox Rabbi Who Became A Secular Humanist
Read the whole thing here. Here’s an excerpt: Luke: "Let me stop you there. How did your wife feel about this journey of yours?" David: "I’ve been pontificating for a while, right? You can take the rabbi out of the shul … Continue reading
Posted in Articles
Tagged David S. Gruber, male chauvinist, orthodox rabbi, quot, secular humanist, shul, square peg
Comments Off on Complete Interview With David S. Gruber – The Orthodox Rabbi Who Became A Secular Humanist
David S. Gruber – From Orthodox Rabbi To Secular Humanist
I call David in Texas Thursday morning. David: "I was born in Evanston, Illinois. My family made aliyah when I was eight. We were back in the Chicago area for my dad’s sabbatical year when I was 13. Aside from … Continue reading
Posted in R. David S. Gruber
Tagged archeology, ben gurion university, conservative rabbi, evanston illinois, international bible contest, orthodox rabbi, religious zionist, sabbatical year, secular humanist
Comments Off on David S. Gruber – From Orthodox Rabbi To Secular Humanist
Rabbi Elior Chen Arrested In South America
From Haaretz: SAO PAULO – Local police yesterday arrested an ultra-Orthodox rabbi suspected of seriously abusing Jerusalem children, one of whom is in a vegetative state. Police officers nabbed Rabbi Elior Chen on a street corner in the Bom Retiro … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, Elior Chen
Tagged brazilian police, elior, jewish neighborhood, orthodox jewish community, orthodox rabbi, state police officers
Comments Off on Rabbi Elior Chen Arrested In South America
Seduced By A Rabbi
From Newsday: ALBANY, N.Y. – New York‘s top court is considering whether a 1935 state law that prohibits suing seducers for monetary damages applies to members of the clergy. Adina Marmelstein wants the Court of Appeals to reinstate her claim … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse
Tagged breach of fiduciary duty, kehillat new hempstead, new york city woman, orthodox rabbi, rabbi mordechai tendler, richard bliss
Comments Off on Seduced By A Rabbi
From Orthodox Rabbi To Secular Humanist
Rabbi David S. Gruber writes: Having grown up an Orthodox Jew since the age of eight, having gone to prominent Israeli high school and post high school yeshivas, having been ordained by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, having served as … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy
Tagged chief rabbis, orthodox jew, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbi, rabbi david, square pegs
Comments Off on From Orthodox Rabbi To Secular Humanist