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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:
- 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: A Life Against the Current
- Mark Brandt: The Man Who Asked Who Else Is Prejudiced
- John T. Jost: The Psychologist of Acquiescence
- Strange Bedfellows in the Academy: Alliance Theory and the Straussian Schism
- Tournier on Desmond Ford
- The Fence and the Blessing: How Jews Have Thought About Gentiles
- Tournier on Luke Ford
- Tournier on The Nostradamus Kid
- An Alliance Theory of Antisemitism
- Tournier on Cinema Paradiso and Desmond Ford
- The Self-Hating Jew
- The Alliance Theory in the Academy
- The Borrowed Robe: How Antisemitism Dresses in Each Age’s Virtue
- A Place For You
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: Young Israel
The Rav Forbade Congregational Singing
In his part two lecture on Rabbi Esriel Hildesheimer for Torah in Motion, Dr. Marc B. Shapiro says: “Congregational singing wasn’t even done in Germany. It was choir singing. It’s an American thing. It might be a development of the … Continue reading
Posted in Marc B. Shapiro, Orthodoxy, R. J. B. Soloveitchik
Tagged israel movement, Marc B. Shapiro, torah in motion, yeshivish, Young Israel
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Whatever Happened To The Kosher Status Of Brooklyn Water Bagel?
The short answer I thought was that the kosher supervisor for Brooklyn Water Bagel is EarthKosher, which is not recognized as a valid kosher supervisor by observant Jews. I was wrong. Keep reading. There’s an Italian pizza place on Pico … Continue reading
Posted in Kashrut
Tagged brooklyn pizza, italian pizza, kosher supervision, observant jews, orthodox jews, water bagels, Young Israel
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Are There Higher Ethical Standards In Modern Orthodoxy?
In my experience, Modern Orthodox Jews have more concern about ethics than other types of Orthodox Jews. They are more concerned about appearances. They are more concerned about the goyim. I’m not arguing that Modern Orthodox Jews are better Jews … Continue reading
Posted in Haredi, Modern Orthodox
Tagged doctors and lawyers, ethical demands, orthodox jew, orthodox jews, orthodox shuls, Young Israel
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Luke The Jackal – The Frightening Kinship I Feel With Carlos The Terrorist
I just watched a miniseries on the terrorist Carlos the Jackal and felt a strange connection with the man. I remember when I was booted from Young Israel of Century City in June 2001, some members of the shul called … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging, Personal
Tagged carlos the jackal, Dennis Prager, early adulthood, southern hemisphere, strange kinship, Young Israel
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Rita Pauker Whoops With Delight Over OU Decision To Disinvite Steve Friedman
I call Rita Monday afternoon. Luke: “What’s your reaction to the OU decision?” Rita yells “Yahoo! I was hysterically happy. Ohmigod, justice has been served. I was thrilled.” Luke: “Were you surprised?” Rita: “Semi-surprised.” Luke: “Where did the four Torah … Continue reading
Posted in R. Samuel Ohana, Steven Friedman
Tagged brilliant speaker, kitchen duty, orthodox rabbi, pauker, steve friedman, whoops, wonderful guy, Young Israel
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Jewish News
From TorahMusings: ▪ Former FBI lawyer opposes Pollard release ▪ Results of Jewish non-profit copmensation survey ▪ New ‘liberal halachic’ rabbinical school taking shape in Toronto ▪ The ‘Real Jew’ Debate ▪ The truth about the wig couple ▪ SALT … Continue reading
Posted in Jews
Tagged american jewry, chief rabbi, child molestation, josh berman, moses mendelssohn, Young Israel
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Dennis Prager Delivers The 7th Annual Ariel Avrech Memorial Lecture
Who was Ariel Avrech? 10 a.m. Young Israel of Century City (YICC). I walk in clutching a copy of the new novel — By Fire, By Water — written by Mitchell James Kaplan. I flip to the first page, which … Continue reading
Posted in Dennis Prager, Personal, Robert J. Avrech
Tagged Dennis Prager, james kaplan, nathaniel hawthorne, new novel, shul, Young Israel
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‘I Saw Your God’
A friend emails me from the Republican Jewish Coalition dinner last night in Beverly Hills: “I saw your god. Should I ask Prager about pedophile rabbis?” Robert J. Avrech blogs: The food was strictly kosher and I was heartened to … Continue reading
Posted in Dennis Prager, Robert J. Avrech
Tagged easy conversation, friend emails, jewish coalition, orthodox jews, two couples, Young Israel
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The Blind Side
I love this movie. I identify with its big black protagonist. Like him, I’ve often felt lost. I often walk through the cold without a coat. I remember running up to Young Israel of Century City one Shabbos afternoon. It … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged blind side, glint, napa valley, Neil Strauss, sabbath morning, softball field, Young Israel
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Bombing At Shul
Growing up a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian, I got used to speakers being introduced with a little prayer. You can see some of that action here at Loma Linda last Sabbath. Christians will often say a word of prayer along the … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged Beth Jacob, conversion to judaism, David Klinghoffer, Dennis Prager, distinctive personality, pre marital sex, sephardic educational center, YICC, Young Israel
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