▪ Men Protest Panels Excluding Women
▪ Did Moses Have a Speech Impediment?
▪ ‘Torah archaeology’ sheds light on ancient Talmudic dispute
▪ Cadets dismissed over woman’s song
▪ Honoring Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook
▪ Jewish Educators Unite at Groundbreaking Youth Conference
▪ The Shomrim: Gotham’s Crusaders
▪ Clergy told to take on the ‘new atheists’
▪ SALT Friday
▪ Mea She’arim ‘mafia’ harasses, vandalizes businesses
▪ Throwing blows in Beit Shemesh
▪ ‘Harry Potter rabbi’ teaches the magical thread linking boy wizard to Judaism
▪ R Meir Soloveichik: Mysteries of the Menorah
▪ Rabbi Druckman Shocked at Dismissal of Cadets
▪ Empower Your Jewish Life by Creating Rituals
▪ Italian Marranos hold historic seminar
▪ New Volume of Igros Moshe – An Overview
▪ Senator Lieberman Talks Sex, Palin and Sabbath
▪ Kosher Bookworm: The 9/11 Legacy Ten Years Later
▪ “Terrorism” in Bet Shemesh
▪ After Sixty Years: Thoughts on Jewish Education
▪ Agunot, DNA Evidence, And Shooting Down Hijacked Planes: An Interview
▪ SALT Thursday
▪ Soloveichik Retracts re SheAsani Yisrael
▪ R. Broyde: Jewish law is more paternalistic than U.S. law
▪ September 7 Declared ‘Gilad Shalit Day’ in NYC
▪ Mossad and Morality on Film
▪ Can There Be Judaism Without Belief in God?
▪ Israel Becomes an Issue for Jewish Democrat
▪ U.S. threatens to send rabbi back to jail if he doesn’t testify
▪ Church voting site nixed after Orthodox concerns
▪ Beit Shemesh: Haredi-religious war escalates
▪ Cadets walk out as female soldier sings
▪ Writing new chapter in kid safety: Spotlight on molesters in new book geared for Orthodox Jews
▪ Central Park: Social Networking On Shabbat
▪ Rav Lichtenstein on 9/11
▪ SALT Wednesday
▪ Going holy hog: Hasidic bikers spread word
▪ Rachmastrivke Rebbe’s Gabbai Stabbed by Petitioner Who Wished to See the Rebbe
▪ Security Breach Bares U.S. Efforts to Spy on Israel
▪ Petah Tikva schools in chaos over struggle to absorb Ethiopian children
▪ The ultra-Orthodox can’t all study all the time
▪ Hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrate for social justice
▪ Israel as a crucible
▪ Haredim disrupt girls’ school activities
▪ SALT Tuesday
▪ More Israelis Choose Religious Schools
▪ Top 10 Non-Jews Positively Influencing Jewish Future
▪ Poles march in protest of anti-Semitism
▪ Greek Jews’ citizenship reinstated
▪ Watching over the 9/11 dead with shmira
▪ Ultimate Frisbee and the next generation of Jewish men
▪ SALT Monday
▪ Last week’s news & links
Rules: link
““Look at what they’ve done to our people,” he said, his voice shaking. “I know you’re men of faith, but I want vengeance.””
What a Christian thing to say. Why can’t men of faith take vengeance. at least on this level?
Re more Israelis choose religious schools-perhaps real story is that numbers in Arab school system and chareidi schools approach if not pass in number those in Zionist school systems-secual and dati leumi
“-perhaps real story is that numbers in Arab school system and chareidi schools approach if not pass in number those in Zionist school systems-secual and dati leumi”
I read an article last night that apparently the numbers of hareid and Arab students have not passed the numbers of those in Zionist school systems-of course in areas like Jerusalem that tipping point has long since passed where Arabs and Chareidi outnumber other Jews.
I fell of the chair laughing that Julie Burchill was listed as one of the “10 non-Jews positively influencing Jewish future”. Almost as funny as her better columns back in the day…
For those not familiar, her current gig is: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/julie-burchill/
An interesting snippet from a review of Prof. Schiffman’s new book:
“Schiffman does not believe that the Qumran scrolls merely reflect the views of an isolated sect on the shores of the Dead Sea. He sees the Qumran scrolls as reflective of the wider debates in Judaism at that time and uses them accordingly.”
If accurate, this appears to put a dent in the hand-waving that dismisses the DSS as not relevant to normative Judaism (or to quote Gil: “no one denies that there were plenty of deviants in the Second Temple era”).
Follow the review links at the in: http://menachemmendel.net/blog/2011/08/28/lawrence-schiffman-qumran-and-jerusalem/
IH: I can’t comment on the new book but his previous book on the DSS was an excellent defense of my claims.
According to the haredim, instead of solving the crisis over the building’s location – the national-religious insisted on solving every single dispute between the sectors and bringing about “comprehensive peace”, which led to an inevitable failure.
=====================
can someone translate this into english?
KT
>can someone translate this into english?
roughly translated: “How dare they stand up to bullies and thugs in black hats? They should sit down and just be thankful we don’t lynch them for wearing knited kippas and jeans skirts.”
Gil
I just re-read Schiffman’s account of the sects in “Reclaiming the DSS” it is fairly conservative position, but it hardly lines up with you version of the state of judaism in bayit sheni.
joel r and chardal — translation is that even if you agree (which they wont; other “factions” wont agree), it just delays the inevitable continuous non agreement.
spying on israeli spying — failure to “spy” per the article would be negligence. i.e., — evaluating political atmosphere (note — rep ellison is an avowed muslim; as opposed to rep issa, who at least does not publicise his muslim religion. both are strongly anti israel, from diff ends of the political spectrum.)
and the nature of the “spying” is political evaluation. how does this rise to criminal matter, or is this just mislabeling of info as high security? (and his having a lousy lawyer.)
“spying on israeli spying — failure to “spy” per the article would be negligence”
I agree.
“rep ellison is an avowed muslim; as opposed to rep issa, who at least does not publicise his muslim religion”
Issa is an Arab-American Christian. He is indeed anti-Israel, although nothing like Ron Paul. (There really isn’t anything else like Ron Paul in American politics today.)
““rep ellison is an avowed muslim; as opposed to rep issa, who at least does not publicise his muslim religion”
Issa is an Arab-American Christian. He is indeed anti-Israel,”
Arab Christians have led major terrorist groups against Israel.
Catching up on reading on a segregated bus to Yerushalayim — I sat in the ezrat nashim — I was struck by some comments from Prof. Shapiro’s latest Rav Kook post on the Seforim blog relevant to several recent discussions here:
“Let me also return to the issue of the Jewish masses’ natural morality vs. the rabbinically tuned morality of the scholars, and how according to R. Kook the former is superior to that of the latter. [...] While the natural impulse of the masses was that abusers must be immediately removed from any contact with children, many of the learned rabbis were able to come up with all sorts of reasons why this was not necessary, and why the police should not be called. Over time the view of the rabbinic class has evolved and many of them now advocate a strong response to sexual abuse. However, what took them a long time to get to was immediately understood by the Jewish masses, and they understood it intuitively. [...] Here I think is a good example where talmudic learning led scholars לטהר את השרץ בק”ן טעמים, while the Jewish masses, with their intuitive natural morality, saw that evil must be exposed and they emerged victorious. [...]
[...] What was particularly surprising was how the speakers, all learned talmudically, have fallen into what I would call the textualist trap of Centrism. What this means is that the written word has become so sanctified that they feel it is their obligation to resurrect every halakhah recorded in the standard codes in order improve the masses’ behavior.
Yet for all their learning, these rabbis don’t appreciate that there are some halakhot that simply fell out of practice. This happened in pre-modern times, before there were Reform and Conservative movements. In other words, it happened at a time when communities had the status of kehillah kedoshah. Because of this, historically the poskim generally tried to be melamed zekhut on the actions of the people, on the assumption that kol hamon ke-kol sha-dai, which is in line with how R. Kook understood the pious Jewish masses.”
Hikind said there were large crosses on the interior and exterior of the Catholic church.
“Who knows how many Orthodox Jewish or other voters would have been disenfranchised by the Board of Elections’ decision to move these voters to a church?” Hikind said in a statement.
==============================
disenfranchised? forced to use absentee ballot perhaps? Does NY have any voting places in shuls?
KT
IH,
This is news?
http://zeek.forward.com/articles/117374/
“Conservative Money and Jewish Studies: Investigating the Tikvah Fund”
For the record, I think it’s overblown and unfair.
Ah. So liberal institutes and studies praising liberal positions, that’s fine. But conservative institutes praisin conservative positions? We can’t have that.
Kind of reminds me of the apoplexy that strikes liberals regarding the Shalem Center, IZS or IM Tirtzu, even though liberals have the much better funded IDI, Van Leer Institute and all the NGOs supported by the New Israel Fund.
What’s the matter guys? Afraid of real competition and debate?
A critique of the street festival organised in honor of the return of the drug-smuggling bochurim:
http://www.bhol.co.il/Article.aspx?id=31858
J-Were not the bachurim acquitted?
I’ve already commissioned (so to speak) a guest post about Tikvah. I’m on their side on this issue. I think the appropriate reaction to this critique is to encourage people to subscribe to the Jewish Review of Books http://www.jewishreviewofbooks.com
Aiwac-Yasher Koach on an important post-Liberals/leftist in Israel, especially the media , academic and cultural elements that are dominated by the Ashkenazi secular elite have zero tolerance for anyone expressing a differing view.
Steve: I thought two were convicted and one was acquitted.
Aiwac,
Nonrhetorical question. What liberal funds paly a similar role within academia that the Tikva fund plays
Ford Foundation?
MDJ: Is academia so lacking in liberalism that it requires a liberal fund?
I didn’t know anyone denied that they smuggled drugs – whether they were duped in doing so or otherwise morally inculpable was the subject of the trial.
MDJ,
I already mentioned Van Leer and IDI, both of whom provide generous research grants. That includes Machon Shalom Hartman as well. To say nothing, again, of the NIF.
In America? Really? Liberal and Conservative think tanks and endowments abound. The EU funds many liberal bodies and academic institutes, especially in Israel.
Also, the overwhelming majority of professors in humanities and social sciences tend to vote Democratic and not Republican. I’d say all the Tikva Fund is doing is providing some balance.
“J-Were not the bachurim acquitted?”
Is that what you said after Lemrick Nelson was acquitted?
the problem is that some of these “amutot” ( = israeli equivalent of 501c3) were involved in outright campaigning against netanyahu in the ’90s, and were never investigated (despite israeli laws forbidding foergn source money in election campaigns; similar laws in the us, and prob everywhere else in the world. it subsequently turned out the amutot were fronts for us (and cureently european) intelligence agencies. (disclaimer — there was a very minor amuta funneling #$ to netanyahu in one campaign, but it, of course, was not a front for foreign intelligence activity.)
the question of who really funds these amutot is relevant, since the EU outright claims it is doing such activities, but not detailing which amutot / specific projects, etc.
2. can i fulfill my sherut leumi requirement by going to this street fair? or is it equivalent to going to a daf yomi shiur? maybe i can skip slichot that day? heaven forbid the RY’s shiur!
I’m surprised no one commented on the IDF punishing religious soldiers for walking out when a female soloist started singing. For years they say they want Charedim to join but they still won’t accommodate basic religious requests. This is kefiyah chilonit.
I only read the excerpt of Prof. Braiterman’s article posted on Kavvanah, but I was unconvinced by his insistence that the Tikvah Fund ”insinuate[s] conservative ideas about Jewish religion and culture into a more liberal American Jewish milieu” particularly in regard to religion.
As an example, see the people involved in http://www.nyutikvah.org/index.html.
R Gil-I stand corrected re the bachurim in Japan.
R Gil-I stand corrected re the bachurim in Japan.
Richard Kahn-having read the post re Tikvah, one would think that noone would ever mention traditional Jewish values and approaches in polite conversation. The article is a classical case of liberal overreaction.
Gil: I agree with you re the Haredi soldiers. The army officers involved are acting like intolerant idiots.
I was unconvinced by Zach Braiterman’s article. Even granted the neo-Conservative slant of JROB and JID, they are blogs and journals and have a right to their viewpoints. The real issue is whether the Tikvah centers at universities are ideologically oriented. Braiterman brings no proof of this. Indeed, the opposite is easily provable. The co-director, who is the primary figure in charge of the academic program of the Tikvah Center at NYU (Full disclosure: I am a Fellow there this year), is Moshe Halbertal, who as is well known, is about as far from being a neo-Conservative as one can imagine. Enough said.
“lawrence kaplan on September 7, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Gil: I agree with you re the Haredi soldiers. The army officers involved are acting like intolerant idiots”
Tend to agree but
“The IDF Spokesperson’s Office said in response, “In this incident cadets deviated from the army’s orders. The entire matter is being looked into and conclusions will be made in the coming days by the Ground Forces and training base commanders. The performance of all members of military bands is an inseparable part of the IDF milieu.”
The issue of women’s singing is one of the most difficult bones of contention between the IDF and religious soldiers. This isn’t the first time troops leave military ceremonies for this reason, and they have been punished for it in the past.
According to the General Staff orders, a religious soldier is entitled not to take part in recreational activity which contradicts his lifestyle and faith, but the orders do not apply to non-recreational military events”
An Army Officer can’t make his own rules-he follows orders-the problem appears to be what the Army requires as a peoples Army vs minority rights-a problem for the politicians and general Staff not forthe local officer.
Gil: You linked the retraction but not the original article on shelo asani yisrael?
I didn’t link to it originally because I never believed that it was true.
MDJ,
Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, George Soros’ Open Society fund, etc. Absolutely DWARFS Tikvah.
Prof Kaplan: no, see, Halbertal is just there to provide a veneer of non-partisanship so that people will take the neo-con ideas seriously!
Talk about unfalsifiability.
I also was really bothered that, in his analysis of JRB, Braiterman referred to every writer as “the reviewer,” rather than specifying their names, likely because many of “the reviewers” are not neo-cons nor are they opposed to liberal/secular Judaism.
On the armies efforts to accommodate chareidim see the remarkably pro-tzahal piece on cross-currents (scroll down) “A Second Look at the IDF”
I would add that the issue of providing only male officers to chareidi soldiers is a complex one. as the number of charedim in the army grows, opportunites for female officers will shrink. I dont know of a simple solution to this.
” would add that the issue of providing only male officers to chareidi soldiers is a complex one. as the number of charedim in the army grows, opportunites for female officers will shrink. I dont know of a simple solution to this”
agreed
What is the problem with having less, or no, female officers in the army?
Anonymous: The problem is allowing female officers but restricting their opportunities in comparison to their male colleagues. It’s kind of like allowing female rabbis but not letting them serve in many synagogues.
Jerry, Aiwac, Gil, etc.
Do any of these liberal organizations have institutes or programs set up _within_ an independent academic institutions. Is there a MacArthur foundation institute for the study of democracy at Harvard, say? This is the crux of the complaint, not the support of academics by a right leaning institutions.
In Israel? Hell yes. Just do a quick search on research institutes there and notice their orientation.
I’m not too familiar with the situation in America, but like I said before – the overwhelming majority of humanities and social sciences professors vote Democrat. Even if there was not a single liberal grant given them (and I’m sure there are many), they have power simply based on that “domination of (university) resources”. They most certainly are not in danger, and can stand a little competition.
MDJ: I have no idea but I’m not sure why it is relevant. Is that the only way to influence academia?
“The eighth one deals with various topics such as guarding cemeteries in Poland, forced draft of women, Sheirut Leumi and the obligation to vote in Israel.”
what was/is rav moshe’s status in israel?
GIL:
” It’s kind of like allowing female rabbis but not letting them serve in many synagogues.”
you can be a rabbi without serving in a synagogue. can’t be an officer without serving in the army.