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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:
- 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
- Eric Kaufmann: The Man Who Made the Majority Visible
- Dominic Cummings: A Biography
- Steve Lopez: The Last City Columnist
- California Historian Kevin Starr
- Stephen Kotkin: A Life in Power
- William T. Vollmann: An American Life in Excess
- Rod Dreher: A Life in Exile
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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)
* 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)
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Tag Archives: Orthodox Union
Rabbi Gershon Bess
I got a copy of City Spirit (a glossy bimonthly) thrown in with my groceries at Glatt Mart yesterday. Leafing through the articles, I paid particular attention to how the writers described themselves. Here’s Rabbi Gershon Bess‘s description — I … Continue reading
Posted in Eliyahu Safran, R. Gershon Bess, R. YY Rubinstein, RCC
Tagged city spirit, halachic authority, Kollel, Orthodox Union, rabbi eliyahu safran, rabbinical council of california
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Does The Orthodox Union Certify Any Foods That Need Certification?
Have you noticed that everything that the Orthodox Union certifies does not really need a kosher certification? They certify bottled water but bottled water does not need a kosher certification. Sure, it makes the companies more money that sell the … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodox Union, Orthodoxy
Tagged bottled water, kosher certification, Orthodox Union, toilet bowl, Torah
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Orthodox Union Press Hires Rabbi/Blogger Gil Student
From Hirhurim: Link: OU Press Hires Rabbi Gil Student to be Managing Editor May 26, 2009 He’s a student of the publishing industry with hands-on experience running his own book company; he’s a knowledgeable businessman with years of experience in … Continue reading
Posted in Hirhurim, Orthodox Union
Tagged gil student, orthodox rabbi, Orthodox Union, probability and statistics, rabbi joseph, seder night
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Los Angeles Jewish Day School Crunch
The Los Angeles Times reports: At Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy in Beverly Hills, increasing numbers of cash-strapped families are asking for financial assistance or more time to pay tuition. Trustees at Yeshivat Yavneh in Hancock Park are setting aside additional … Continue reading
Posted in Education
Tagged Hancock Park, hebrew academy, Los Angeles Times, Orthodox Union, schools in southern california, tuition trustees
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Paying For Jewish Day Schools
From Hirhurim: OU Plans to Foster Major Savings in Non-Academic Yeshiva Expenses (link): With the encouragement and participation of a growing number of yeshivot and day schools across North America, the Orthodox Union is quickly moving ahead with a two-pronged … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Orthodox Union, Orthodoxy
Tagged academic areas, insurance savings, jewish day schools, jewish education, orthodox community, Orthodox Union, parosh, plan health insurance, prong approach, revenue enhancement, school tuition, yeshivot
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Rabbi Weil Organizes An OU Retreat For Elite Rabbis
Did you hear that Rabbi Weil convened a special OU meeting/retreat last weekend in Los Angeles with six of the top rabbis in the country? What went on there? A source says: "It was a rabbinic training event for nearly … Continue reading
Posted in Beth Jacob, Orthodox Union, R. Steven Weil
Tagged Beth Jacob, boca raton, energy drive, guest presenter, Orthodox Union, shul
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Oy, The Shame!
I get a van Sunday afternoon to help a friend pick up a refrigerator and move it into his new apartment. As I start the van, it barely turns over. Oy, the shame! We drive to Western and Venice to … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Pico/Robertson
Tagged church of christ in god, frig, kalinsky, new apartment, Orthodox Union, shiksas
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No Split At Beth Jacob Over Search For A New Rabbi
Steven Weil moves to New York in January to run the Orthodox Union. Unlike Shaarey Zedek in the Valley which split into moderns vs. traditionalists in its rabbi search, Beth Jacob has no controversy raging. The shul agreed Sunday night … Continue reading
Posted in Beth Jacob
Tagged Beth Jacob, new york in january, Orthodox Union, rabbi search, search beth
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So What Will Rabbi Weil Do With The OU?
And what will Rabbi Weil do once he’s done with the Orthodox Union? Take Malcolm Hoenlein‘s job (as CEO of the Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations)? Run for political office? That to him might be a sell-out. I’m betting his … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodox Union, Pico/Robertson, R. Steven Weil
Tagged alpha male, good game, jewish organizations, Malcolm Hoenlein, Orthodox Union, profound thinker
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David Suissa: ‘I Heart Shuvuot’
I got a sneak peak at excerpts of David Suissa’s column in next week’s Jewish Journal: In most suburban congregations, other than the occasional blintz offering, no one really talks about Shavout, but last week I had lunch with an … Continue reading
Posted in David Suissa, Satire
Tagged azure magazine, bagel factory, blintz, israel consulate, Jewish Journal, kosher restaurant, moroccan woman, Orthodox Union, shuvuot, vexing issues, yiddishkeit
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