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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
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- 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
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- Dominic Cummings: A Biography
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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 jews
What are the ten stupidest things that Orthodox Jews, particularly rabbis, believe?
I want to make a list (while staying within the daled amot aka orthodox Judaism): * That the Chofetz Chaim embodies Judaism’s teachings about proper speech (he used mussar, frequently extreme, and aggadata and turned it into halacha). If you … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy
Tagged chofetz chaim, conversion classes, orthodox jews, orthodox judaism, proper speech, responsa literature
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My Conversion To Judaism Story
This guy in shul was told my story, and so he asked me for chizuk, for strengthening. He was Orthodox from birth but he struggled with some typical guy stuff. He knew I had chosen Torah. He wanted to know … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Personal
Tagged conversion to judaism, davening, orthodox jew, orthodox jews, reform jews, shuls
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Liberal Contempt For Orthodox Jews
Jonathan S. Tobin writes: Last week’s release of a new demographic study of Jewish life in Greater New York created an understandable stir, as it revealed that the Orthodox are forming an increasingly large percentage of the population. Assimilation, intermarriage … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy
Tagged haredim, liberal jews, negative population growth, orthodox jews, secular jews, undeserving poor
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Marvin The Orthodox Menace
My friend Cathy Seipp died five years ago today. Cathy’s daughter Maia Lazar writes: Marvin could not concentrate on the Rashi script. The cantor was not good that day, and the lighting was very dim. Plus, the woman next to … Continue reading
Posted in Cathy Seipp, Maia Lazar, Orthodoxy, Personal
Tagged bums, hispanic neighborhoods, life goals, masseuse, orthodox jews, rashi script
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Jews, Non-Jews And Bribes
I better tiptoe around the roses here. When I grew up, I never knew any Seventh-Day Adventist who took a bribe or gave a bribe. I’m sure it happened. It just wasn’t discussed. Sex and money were generally not matters … Continue reading
Posted in Adventist, Jews, Personal
Tagged airy fairy, orthodox jews, penthouse magazine, seventh day adventist, seventh day adventists, shabbat table
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This Week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-30:10)
I discuss the weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7:00 pm PST on my cam and on YouTube. Facebook Fan Page. This week we study Parashat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-30:10). * Is the Jewish soul different from the non-Jewish soul? … Continue reading
Posted in Torah
Tagged converts to judaism, orthodox jews, orthodox judaism, orthodox shul, reform temples, weekly torah portion
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Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Vs Canadian TV Host Michael Coren
Rabbi Boteach is taking a lot of offense of late. At LimmudLA, he stormed out of one of his sessions (on his book Kosher Jesus) after 10 minutes because he was asked by a volunteer to keep the noise level … Continue reading
Posted in Hollywood, Shmuley Boteach
Tagged christian motivation, elders of zion, Jewish Journal, michael coran, michael coren, orthodox jews, protocols of the elders of zion, rabbi boteach, rabbi shmuley boteach, workship
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San Francisco Orthodox Jews Are Unique
How do I count the ways? Even for many identifying Orthodox Jews in the Bay Area, being a leftist is more important than being Jewish. Heshy Fried elaborates: * The Gender Neutral Bencher * Kosher weddings with treife wine * … Continue reading
Posted in Orthodoxy, San Francisco
Tagged being jewish, compost, heshy, kosher weddings, orthodox jews
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Jews Accused Of Taking Up Too Much Space On Sidewalks
So I was waiting in line with this woman who grew up in London but has split her past decade between the U.S. and Israel. “It’s easy to be Jewish in Israel,” she said. “But life is much harder than … Continue reading
Posted in Anti-Semitism
Tagged Anti-Semitism, british jews, clumps, goys, jewish neighbors, old neighborhood, orthodox jews, professional accomplishment, waiting in line
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I’m Thinking About Moving To Taiwan
This thriving country of 23 million has no Alexander Technique teachers. I should clean up! Email me if you’d like an Alexander lesson in Taiwan for US$100. Maybe I’ll pay a visit. On the down side, there are only about … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged alexander technique teachers, dense population, kosher restaurants, nature of the beast, orthodox jews, shooting match
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