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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
What Can We Learn From Christians?
I’m not sure. Judaism is a very different religion. Orthodox Judaism in particular is a highly demanding way of life. Sure, groups such as the Happy Minyan and Aish HaTorah can make the medicine of fundamental Jewish life go down … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Jews
Tagged Aish HaTorah, gil student, orthodox jews, orthodox judaism, pagan religions, welcome newcomers
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The Secrets Of Making Converts To Orthodox Judaism
Rabbi Gil student writes: Urim Publications recently published A Circle in the Square, a book that is a combination of a biography of R. Shlomo Riskin until his aliyah in 1983 and the story of the innovation that is Lincoln … Continue reading
Posted in Hirhurim
Tagged gil student, lincoln square synagogue, orthodox judaism, shlomo riskin, torah giants, torah portion
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Aish HaTorah’s ‘Obsession’
The following project is by the same people who produced and promoted "Obsession": The following are updates from the United American Committee regarding our ongoing efforts against Islamic jihad. A 30 minute preview of the fantastic film "The Third Jihad" … Continue reading
Posted in Aish HaTorah
Tagged Aish HaTorah, christians united for israel, israeli palestinian conflict, orthodox judaism, sarah posner, sen john mccain
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I Return To Therapy
I left therapy because of financial issues in late 2001. I went back tonight. All the drama surrounding my latest shul expulsion has been dragging me down. I feel like the world is coming down on my head. I’m only … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy, Personal
Tagged Amy Klein, Hancock Park, male therapist, orthodox community, orthodox judaism, shul
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Wholesome Fun For The Whole Family On Obama’s Website
Joe emails: I just entered the name Osama Ladin and listed al qaeda as my employer and donated $5 to Obama via my discover card. I was not asked to give the 3 digit code on the back of the … Continue reading
Posted in Homosexuality
Tagged baby boomers, gay marriage, homosexual sex, norman oklahoma, orthodox judaism, seat at the table
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Reforming Orthodox Judaism
Joe emails: 1. No second day of Yom Tov. 2. Davening should be shortened to just the shema, the shemonah esreh and the psalm of the day. The rest of the time alloted should be for communal and interactive torah … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy
Tagged forensic justification, orthodox judaism, shabbat prayers, study talmud, talmud study, yom tov
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I’m Entering A Blogger Treatment Center
Only now can the full story be told. Just before Rosh Hashanah, I drank too much manishevitz and outed some 18-year old seminarian blogger. Then I went to the Crowne Plaza on Pico and Beverwil and got into a fight … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Satire
Tagged damn book, good listener, manishevitz, negative publicity, orthodox judaism, seminarian
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‘The Last Wave’ (1977)
I never got tribal stuff until I got into Orthodox Judaism. Living in the frum world, I understand what it means to belong to a counter-culture, to a group with an unpopular way of looking at important matters such as … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Personal
Tagged david burton, groot island, jewish angle, orthodox judaism, peter weir, peter weir film
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Can You Convert Yourself To Orthodox Judaism?
Professor Marc B. Shapiro blogs: :I refer to the Meiri’s position that be-diavad one can convert without a beit din. That is, following circumcision one can then accept the Torah and immerse all by oneself, and ex post facto it … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion
Tagged circumcision, Marc B. Shapiro, orthodox judaism, professor marc, Torah
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The Lenient Approach To Conversion To Orthodox Judaism
Professor Marc B. Shapiro blogs: In fact, throughout most of Jewish history a lenient approach to conversion was the mainstream approach. Now it is true that R. Herzog famously states that in earlier times one could be more lenient than … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Marc B. Shapiro
Tagged inner conviction, israel peres, mainstream position, Marc B. Shapiro, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbi
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