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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
Marrying A Convert
It does not make sense to me why somebody Orthodox from birth would want to marry a convert or a baal teshuva (penitent). I figure the more you have in common, the better. There tends to be a naive wide-eyed … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Orthodoxy
Tagged baal teshuva, heshy, jews in america, orthodox conversion, orthodox jew, orthodox judaism, yom tov
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Why I’m Jewish
I talk the other day to a non-Jewish pal. Pal: “I know you’ve had serious issues being accepted in Orthodox Judaism. Is it because you’re a convert?” Luke: “No. It’s because I’ve been obnoxious. I’m an outlaw. I used to … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged alarm bells, concentration camp, evangelical christianity, freedom of expression, orthodox jews, orthodox judaism, rebellious attitude
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She’s Off The Derech
I interviewed a cute girl this afternoon about why she left Orthodox Judaism. Nataly Mor writes an essay on Heshy Fried’s blog FrumSatire about why she left Orthodox Judaism: Living in Brooklyn, especially in Boro Park, and being off the … Continue reading
Posted in Heshy Fried, Nataly Mor, Orthodoxy
Tagged frumsatire, heshy, life choices, living in brooklyn, orthodox judaism, uncomfortable subject
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Judaism & Yoga
Alon emails: Hi Luke, Via google, I came across a piece you wrote last year comparing Kundalini Yoga to Orthodox Judaism. As an orthodox Jew who is considering yoga as a means toward greater spirituality, I was curious to know … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy, Yoga
Tagged Alexander Technique, orthodox jew, orthodox judaism, self realization, strange fire, torah perspective
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Amalek Declares Luke A Jew
Bob emails: “Why is Luke Ford not profiled here? His omission here is more hurtful than his absence from hotornot.com.” Khunrum emails: “Let’s face it lads. No one takes this Luke/Jew thing seriously including Luke. He’s about as Jewish as … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged age appearance, luke ford, orthodox jew, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbinate, proper conversion
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Seen and Heard At A Shabbos Table
* The Orthodox couple are in their thirties. They’re having guests who are new to Orthodox Judaism. The host wife keeps using the word “shvartze” and then apologizing for it. Her rabbi says Jews shouldn’t use that word. The husband … Continue reading
Posted in Blacks, Orthodoxy
Tagged abject apology, honey don, Ohr Hatorah, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbi, shabbos table
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Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream
This is the best book written on the Seventh-Day Adventist church. A much darker glance at Adventism is provided in We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda. It tells the … Continue reading
Posted in Adventist, Personal
Tagged Dennis Prager, destructive tendencies, favorite music group, orthodox judaism, seventh day adventism, those lonely nights
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Spirituality In Orthodox Judaism
Joe emails: The basic problem is that there is no way for spirituality to keep up with technology. Technology is anti-spiritual in a real way. Yes, it is pretty cool that you can go to a site on your iphone … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy
Tagged lonely path, man of faith, mission technology, orthodox judaism, virtual beit midrash, yeshivat har etzion
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The Time Of Trouble
I’ve found that I get the most exciting stories from the people with the least going on in their lives. You talk to homeless people and they’ll tell you about government satellites beaming subliminal messages into their brains. By contrast, … Continue reading
Posted in Adventist, Personal
Tagged divine truth, government satellites, orthodox judaism, sam kinison, seventh day adventism, seventh day adventists
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‘Because She Wasn’t Jewish’
“I need to understand,” she said. “Why did you write that?” “Well,” he said, “I always have to balance multiple concerns. I am not going to lose a good friend over a blog post, but almost everything else in my … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging, Dating, Orthodoxy, Personal
Tagged blondes, closest to my heart, good friend, orthodox judaism
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