An Empty Threat or a Foolish One.

MK Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism (Matzav)

The IDF has just called up tens of thousands of reservists for at least a three-and-a-half-month period, as part of its goal of returning to a ground war in Gaza. The purpose is to reoccupy it indefinitely. I’m not here to debate the wisdom of this initiative, other than to say that I support Israel’s ultimate goals of freeing the hostages and ending Hamas’s ability to harm another Jew. If reoccupying Gaza is the way to achieve that, I support it.

But my concern here is the toll this is taking on the citizen soldiers who have already sacrificed so much blood and toil fighting Israel’s mortal enemies over the last year and a half. And I’m not even talking about the death and permanent injuries so many of them have suffered.

I’m talking about the mental damage being done to them — the rise in PTSD cases, the loss of businesses, careers, and jobs due to long absences and neglect. I’m talking about the daily worry of their families — not knowing whether their husbands, fathers, and sons will come back alive, or in one piece. I can’t begin to imagine the psychological toll this war has taken on the majority of Israeli citizens.

Yesterday, I heard one knowledgeable Israeli pundit say that there is currently a 25% no-show rate among reservists who have been recalled. It’s hard to blame any of them, given how much they’ve already sacrificed in the ways I just mentioned.

None of this is new. But I mention it again in light of the Charedi intransigence when it comes to military service. Yes, there has been a trickle of Charedim with a conscience who have enlisted since the war began. But it is minuscule compared to the number that should be serving. Their service could alleviate the burden on reservists who have already done more than their share and are now at the end of their psychological rope. Many simply cannot handle another three and a half months of this.

Meanwhile, the Charedi world seems almost oblivious to what’s going on. Life continues as though nothing is happening. One wouldn’t know there was a war going on by walking through Charedi towns. Yeshivos are full. Stores are open. People are going to malls, shopping, taking picnics — enjoying life, seemingly unaware of the carnage their brothers and sisters face daily, which will only intensify in the coming weeks.

The contrast between the Charedim and the rest of Israeli society could not be more stark. The injustice of this arrangement should be obvious to anyone with a conscience. Yet the Charedi world is taught to believe that this is the most just way for them to live — that serving in the IDF is wrong for two reasons: one, because it endangers their spirituality, and two, because it interrupts their Torah study.

That there are religious students — like those in Hesder Yeshivos — who serve in the IDF and refute both contentions is lost on them. Their leaders insist that a stint in the army will damage their halachic observance and remove them from the Beis HaMedrash.

Charedi politicians now carry significant weight as part of Israel’s governing coalition, which is likely why they continue to secure this unholy exemption for their students. But this morning, I saw the following on Matzav:

“In a strong statement, MK Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism (UTJ), who also serves as Chairman of the Knesset’s Interior Committee, issued a clear ultimatum: If the Israeli government fails to pass the new draft law regulating the status of yeshiva students by the middle of the upcoming summer Knesset session, his party will face a serious dilemma about continuing in the coalition.

'If this law doesn’t pass in this session, by the middle of the summer term, we will have a very serious problem remaining in such a government, period,’ MK Asher said. ‘This is not just my personal view. It goes beyond that. We cannot be part of a government that criminalizes bnei Torah and fails to properly regulate their status.'”

I ‘love’ how MK Asher phrased that. He claims that Israel’s effort to draft Charedim — including sanctions for those who fail to register — is criminalizing Bnei Torah. That’s not what is happening. The government is criminalizing breaking the law. That’s what happens when a citizen fails to follow the law requiring all Israelis to register for the draft.

But that’s almost beside the point. What’s amazing to me is how empty his threat is — unless he’s a bigger fool than I thought. If this government falls because the religious parties bolt - and new elections are held, it’s likely the Charedi parties won’t be needed to form the next coalition. With a war raging and Charedim refusing to serve, they are increasingly unpopular with the broader Israeli public.

They risk losing the political leverage they currently hold. Any hope of securing permanent exemptions could be completely dashed. They might also lose any government funding and privileges they currently enjoy. By continuing to shirk the burden, they are increasingly being viewed as the burden.

If his threat is not empty, and they follow through, that very scenario will likely unfold — and whatever power they now have will vanish.

To be clear: I don’t want to see Charedim harmed. They are a valuable asset to the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people. Torah study is central to our identity, and very few communities do it with as much dedication. What I want to see is a new leadership — one that is sensitive to Israel’s needs, aware of the sacrifices being made by the majority of its people, and willing - not only to allow but to encourage IDF service for some of their youth. It has been estimated that there are enough Charedim who do not actually study in yeshiva (though on paper they are listed as such) who could easily serve and help fill the needs of a battle-fatigued IDF.

The current leadership is intransigent. I am not one to disparage rabbinic elders whose Torah knowledge is vast. They are certainly entitled to their opinions, and the reverence the Charedi world holds for them means their views on these matters are final. But I am also convinced that as knowledgeable and wise as they may be, they are still human — and they can be wrong. Many rabbinic leaders in the Religious Zionist movement would say the same.

My hope is that new Charedi leadership will arise — leaders who understand what is at stake, who can see beyond narrow dogma, and who can help bridge the divide between Torah study and national responsibility.

Do Rav Schachter and Rav Twersky Disagree about Hareni?

There have been few issues that divide the Jewish community more than LGBTQ issues. (Although Israel’s war in Gaza may have become divisive too these days — that is not the issue I want to discuss now. The LGBTQ is no less divisive.)

I think it is safe to say that division on this issue can be defined largely along denominational lines. The more observant a denomination is, the more likely it is to oppose the LGBTQ agenda, particularly the normalization of LGBTQ identities and behaviors. Conversely, the further left one travels down the denominational road, the more acceptable that normalization becomes.

Rabbis of the heterodox movements tend to enthusiastically support gay sex as morally equivalent to heterosexual sex.

The Orthodox view of LGBTQ issues is more nuanced. We fully embrace the Torah’s prohibitions and its repercussions for people who act in forbidden ways on their desires. However, we do not reject those who struggle with these issues. We respect their humanity and empathize with their struggles.

What we do not do is legitimize behavior that the Torah forbids. LGBTQ individuals who engage in Mishkav Zachar (gay sex), cross-dressing, or surgical gender transition are, according to halacha, violating serious prohibitions.

None of this is new. I’ve said it many times before — most recently in the context of Yeshiva University’s compromise with the Pride Alliance who filed a lawsuit demanding they allow the formation of an LGBTQ club on the YU campus.

As noted in a previous post, a compromise was reached. A ‘gay’ club would be formed that would strive to follow Halacha. My understanding was that the purpose of this club was to allow LGBTQ students to share their struggles with each other - and seek to overcome them.

Hareni was formed, operating under these conditions. It was accepted by the Pride Alliance and apparently approved by YU’s most senior Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Hershel Schachter. I thought this was a fair compromise — one that would allow YU to maintain its non-sectarian status while remaining true to its religious principles. I was happy to see the lawsuit resolved and both sides reach this agreement.

There are some rabbis who completely reject this compromise and view any club that identifies as gay — regardless of its halachic structure — as a Chillul Hashem.

That rabbis on the right might feel this way doesn’t surprise me. But when Rav Mayer Twersky, a Rosh Yeshiva at YU and someone I greatly admire and respect, expressed that view, I was taken aback.

Apparently, the compromise that was publicly presented is not the one that Hareni ultimately adopted. As Rabbi Twersky recently noted:

"The belated (April 3, 2025) publication of the Hareni Club Protocols (“Exhibit B”) has allowed us to clarify and, perhaps for the first time, accurately contextualize elements of the Hareni Club agreement... 

The recent agreement contractually commits to, sanctions, and institutionalizes not only the LGBTQ nomenclature but its agenda as well... 

The Pride Alliance embarked upon a heretical campaign 'to change Yeshiva’s Torah-based understanding of LGBTQ issues' and to make 'cultural changes.' They formulated a strategic plan to 'frame Jewish practices and religious events through an LGBTQ lens.' 

Y.U., in the Hareni Club agreement, mind-bogglingly approved that insidious plan.
Effectively, Y.U. approved not only a social, professional gay club but one for kefirah (heresy)."

These are pretty strong words. I find it difficult to believe that Rav Schachter would have approved of something like this. And yet, if media reports are accurate, it appears that he did.

Rabbi Twersky’s primary objection seems to be the fact that people who struggle with these issues want to turn that struggle into a source of pride — not pride in who they love, but pride in how they love. And that is entirely unacceptable to someone who believes in the Torah. And anathema to any institution that calls itself Orthodox.

I have to wonder, though, what Rav Schachter’s response to Rabbi Twersky will be.

High Time for the Doubters to Come Aboard

Palestinian terrorist in training (Mishpacha)

This one was too close for comfort. The Jerusalem Post reported a deeply disturbing incident that occurred this morning:

"Three people were mildly wounded on Sunday as a result of a Houthi missile that crashed in the area of Ben-Gurion Airport's Terminal 3, Israel's emergency service Magen David Adom said.

MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to a 50-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman who were lightly wounded due to the blast, and a 32-year-old woman who was wounded on the way to the shelter… 

The access road to Terminal 3 suffered damage as a result of the crash…

Army Radio noted that the missile was not intercepted, though several attempts were made to do so."

This attack was dangerously close and a sobering reminder of the threats we continue to face. The Houthi rebels, like many other radical groups, share the same genocidal ideology that animates much of Palestinian extremism. Their goal regarding the Jewish people aligns disturbingly with that of Nazi Germany: they want us dead. They view Jews as evil and believe exterminating us would serve the world.

Thankfully, Israel currently enjoys U.S. support from a president willing to employ military force against groups like the Houthis if they attempt to intimidate the world into abandoning Israel. I expect Prime Minister Netanyahu to respond decisively, ideally in a way that will degrade their capability to strike again - at least in the short term. But true resolution will only come when Iran, the main supplier of arms and support to these groups, is stopped.

As I have said numerous times, I no longer harbor any illusions about the possibility of making peace with the Palestinian leadership. Any faction of it. I say this again now, in light of Jonathan Rosenblum’s recent Mishpacha column. He outlines, with precision, why I believe peace is not attainable under the current conditions. The core issue is this: Palestinians (all of them - not just the ones in Gaza), the majority of whom are devout Muslims, are indoctrinated from a young age to see killing Jews as a religious obligation. Groups like Hamas are not fringe extremists in their eyes; they are widely regarded as legitimate agents of Divine will.

Anyone who follows Palestinian education and media - even at a basic level - can no longer dismiss this as right-wing paranoia. The indoctrination is real, and it starts early. It is rooted in both the religious and political culture. This has been the case since the first Zionist Jew set foot in the Holy Land.

Don’t just take my word for it. I want to quote extensively from Rosenblum’s column, which draws on hard facts and testimonies:

“Grim Lessons from Phase One of the Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal,” the Hoover Institute’s Peter Berkowitz discusses a new book by Eyal Tsir-Cohen, a former member of Israel’s negotiating team with Hamas: The Untold Story: How We Lost in the Negotiations Despite the Military Victory in Gaza. Among the key mistakes made by Israeli planners, according to Tsir-Cohen, was the assumption that as the fighting intensified, a rift would develop between Hamas and the general Gazan population.

That never happened to any great degree, and for one simple reason: Israeli planners and negotiators failed “to appreciate how thoroughly Hamas’s jihadi spirit is woven into the fabric of Palestinian society and how tightly bound it is to Gazans’ identity.” Referring to Hamas’s ability to recruit new young Gazans to replace fighters killed by Israel, Tsir-Cohen concluded, “There is truly no bottom to the barrel of terrorism.”

This realization should shock no one. Consider this chilling exchange, recorded by Palestinian Media Watch, between a terrorist and his family during the October 7 attacks:

Terrorist son: "Hi, Dad. I’m talking to you from [Kibbutz] Mefalsim. Open my WhatsApp and see all the people I killed. Look how many I killed with my own hands! Your son killed Jews!"
Father: "Allahu Akbar! May Allah protect you."
Terrorist: "Dad, I killed her and her husband. With my own hands—I killed ten!"
Mother: "I wish I was with you."
Terrorist: "Mom, your son is a hero. Kill, kill, kill! Kill them!"
Brother: "You killed ten?"
Terrorist: "Yes. I killed ten. By Allah."

Anyone who believes this is an isolated case should read the rest of Rosenblum’s column. He presents irrefutable evidence that this type of conversation is not an outlier. It’s representative of a widespread culture of martyrdom, jihad, and Jew-hatred.

It is indeed impossible to destroy Hamas if the broader Palestinian culture continues to view them as heroes and religious warriors. The ideology of Hamas is not separate from the Palestinian populace. It is embedded within it. The difference between Hamas fighters and ‘innocent’ civilians is not one of belief, but merely of role. Many who are not currently fighting still support the ideology and even glorify the deaths of their own children when it serves the cause of jihad.

To be absolutely clear, I am not calling for the extermination of Palestinian civilians. But I also do not mourn for those who die while pursuing what they believe is a religious mandate to kill Jews. This is their declared purpose. Why should I feel sorry for someone who raises their children to see murdering Jews as the highest form of religious service?

Would anyone feel pity for a Nazi sympathizer who died in a bombing raid during World War II? Sympathy must have limits, especially when it is extended to those who, whether actively or passively, support genocidal ideologies.

Jonathan Rosenblum ends his column with a stark truth:

“The constant reiteration of these messages in every class from first grade through high school hardly sounds like a ‘peace curriculum,’ nor does it augur well for the prospects of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, in this generation or the coming one.”

Need I say more?

The Absolute Power of Charedi Gedolim

Charedi Gedolim

I had been gratified by what seemed like a mini-revolution in the Charedi world. But I now believe that I underestimated the power of the Charedi Gedolim.

Much ink has been spilled by moderate Charedi writers suggesting that many Charedim are now more willing than ever to join the workforce, and in some cases, even serve in the IDF. Especially if their Charedi needs are met. The IDF, for its part, has tried to accommodate Charedi needs by creating special units that cater to them.

In the immediate aftermath of the October 7th massacre, there was a mini-surge in Charedi enlistments in the IDF. There have also been some Charedi Rabonim who have suggested that not all Charedim need to spend their entire lives learning Torah 24/7/365. That one can, in fact, be a fully committed Charedi and still join the workforce. And even train in the professions. Schools have been created to support Charedim in this regard. There has even been an increase in Charedi yeshiva high schools that offer a secular curriculum in the afternoon—similar to many Charedi yeshiva high schools in the United States.

Their Hashkafos are decidedly Charedi. Their morning programs extend into the early afternoon with rigorous Torah study, while the afternoons are filled with a decent secular studies curriculum in most cases.

I looked at all this and thought—finally! A breakthrough toward common sense. Finally, the Charedi community can become integrated into the rest of society without having to sacrifice a single Charedi principle or custom.

But my bubble has been burst - by perhaps the single most important feature of the Charedi world that did not accompany this new breed of Charedi: listening to the Gedolim. (Otherwise known as Daas Torah.)

The Gedolim to whom the Charedi world looks are opposed to all of this. They do not accept Yeshiva high schools with secular studies as valid Charedi Yeshivos. Nor do they accept the idea that one can choose to work instead of learning full-time. This is not to say they don’t acknowledge the existence of working Charedim. They do. But only if they first spend as much time as possible in kollel.

This new breed of Charedim rejects what these Gedolim say is required of them. And therefore, they are not fully accepted as part of the Charedi world. They are seen as ‘Charedi-lite.’

The Charedi world acknowledges that this new breed has not gone OTD. They even acknowledge that they maintain nearly all Charedi Minhagim - from wearing velvet Kippot and black hats, to consuming only Chalav Yisrael dairy, to eating only food with the most Mehadrin Hechsherim, to the manner in which they Daven.

Their wives all fully cover their  hair and dress in the same modest fashion the rest of the Charedi world does. They accord honor to the Gedolim, respecting their vast Torah knowledge and leadership.

But they do not agree that learning full-time is necessarily the best way for all of them to serve Hashem. They will serve in the army and then joining the workforce honorably. They even have Rabonim who support those views.

Other than that, there is no practical or discernible difference between the lifestyles of this new breed of Charedi and the old guard.

But the new breed is considered to be Chutz La’machaneh - outside the camp of the Charedi world - even while acknowledging that they are Charedi in every other way. By not listening to the Gedolim, they have forfeited the right to be considered authentic Charedim. They are instead labeled ‘Charedi-lite’ and looked down upon as rebels.

They are still a relatively small minority within the Charedi world. Most of whom would never dare go against the will of the Gedolim, who - as is well known - completely reject army service and any kind of secular education in their schools, even though it means losing financial support from the government.

This view is endorsed by the rabbinic leaders in the US who have facilitated massive fundraising campaigns to replace those lost government funds. A view they continue shouting from the rooftops. This is demonstrated as recently as today by a feature story touted on the cover of a Charedi magazine about a certain rabbinic leader that is fighting against the Israeli draft.

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. I had hoped this new breed of Charedi was the wave of the future. That eventually, a grassroots groundswell of support would emerge. One whose numbers would rise to the point that the next generation of Gedolim would adopt a different view than the current ones.

But sadly, I just don’t see that happening.

What this portends for the future of Judaism in the State of Israel—on this, the day before Yom Ha’atzmaut (Heh Iyar is tomorrow) - I cannot predict. But the intransigence of the Charedi world is easy to predict. The power of Daas Torah cannot be understated!

Will Religious Schools Finally be Given a Fair Shake?

Conservative Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh

There is no way of knowing how the Supreme Court will rule in a case that could have a major impact on Jewish education. But I am hopeful. As noted in a JTA article:

At issue in the case is whether to allow the Catholic Church in Oklahoma to establish the nation’s first religious public charter school. If the court backs the Catholic school, it could pave the way for publicly funding Jewish schools across the country.

It is well known by now that Jewish education is facing an unprecedented financial crisis. Without belaboring the point, let me briefly state that the cost of a quality Jewish education has skyrocketed, making it an increasingly insurmountable task for many families. The majority of religious parents with four or more children cannot afford to pay the tuition that reflects the actual cost per child. This is true even for families with incomes well into six figures.

If the government were to fund these schools at any meaningful level, it could change the trajectory for countless American Jews who are gradually losing touch with their heritage. Jewish education would become more affordable and accessible for parents who want to instill in their children even a basic understanding of their Jewish identity. The public school system doesn't—and shouldn't—offer this. And parents who themselves had little Jewish education often have very little to pass on.

The challenge, of course, is the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from establishing or endorsing any particular religion.

This clause has often been interpreted to mean that any government-funded school must avoid teaching religious precepts, as doing so would be seen as a form of endorsement.

Even accepting that interpretation, it does not mean that the government cannot fund subjects that are clearly secular - like science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), or any of the other core curriculum subjects taught in both public and parochial schools.

On the contrary, Justice Brett Kavanaugh has argued that excluding a school from state funding simply because of its religious affiliation constitutes ‘rank discrimination against religion’ Emphasizing that such schools are merely seeking equal treatment - not special privileges.

I have long argued the same. Parents who want their children to receive a rigorous religious education alongside a quality secular education are being denied that right - simply for exercising their religious freedoms. There is no justification for denying government funding for the secular portion of the curriculum taught in religious schools. As Justice Kavanaugh correctly notes, this is indeed discrimination against religious individuals.

Liberal Supreme Court Justice, Elena Kagan

The idea that religious teachings might somehow ‘filter into’ secular subjects is a red herring. Especially given that Christian symbolism is rampant during the Christmas season. and a significant part of American public school culture. Should Jewish children be denied their own religious perspectives?

I’m not surprised by liberal Justice Elena Kagan’s opposition to the idea of publicly funding religious schools. However, I was a bit surprised by the argument she raised:

Kagan asked whether religious charter schools should be allowed to exempt themselves from curriculum requirements based on their doctrines. “Let’s say we’re up in New York, and there’s a Hasidic community that has a yeshiva, and it’s a very serious yeshiva, and what that means is that almost all the instruction has to do with studying Talmud and other religious texts,” she said. “Very little of it has to do with secular subjects. Almost none of the instruction is in English. Almost all of it is in Yiddish or in various ancient Hebrew-Aramaic languages.

“Does New York have to say ‘yes’ even though that curriculum is super different from the curriculum that we provide in our regular public schools?” Kagan asked McGinley.

That’s an easy one. The answer is: No. Obviously, the government should never fund the religious portion of the education. That would violate the Establishment Clause. If a school refuses to teach the core curriculum subjects, it should not receive any public funding.

As noted in the JTA article:

New York recently closed multiple yeshivas that were not complying with a state law requiring all schools - public and private - to adequately teach basic secular subjects. The state’s crackdown is focused on Hasidic schools that critics describe in much the same terms used by Kagan in her example.

In other words, not only would religious schools that fail to teach core curricula be excluded from receiving government funding, but some are already being shut down before receiving a dime. This should not be an impediment to funding schools that do offer a proper secular education. The money could easily be allocated for the secular portion only.

What about the concerns raised by progressives and teachers’ unions that funding private schools will drain resources from the public system - particularly for inner-city kids?

Well, why should one segment of the population be disadvantaged because another is being helped? Besides, with all the money already being poured into public schools, they are still failing many inner-city children. It seems to me that adding more money without reform is just pouring it into a black hole. Perhaps we should focus on improving how those children are educated before spending another nickel. But I digress.

Although conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett has recused herself from this case - probably due to her prior connection with the school in question, I am still confident that the conservative majority that remains on the Court - will be more inclined to defend First Amendment rights than previous liberal-majority Courts, which often prioritized civil rights over religious rights.

I am therefore hopeful that the Court will rule in favor of allowing the establishment of a Catholic charter school. Such a ruling would almost certainly open the door to Jewish charter schools as well. And that could spell long-awaited financial relief for hundreds of thousands of Jewish parents - and provide access to Jewish education for families who had once believed it was financially out of reach.

Making Jewish education in this country a brand new ball game.

Time for the Left to Abandon the 2-State Solution

Mahmoud Abbas - an unrepentant antisemite (JNS)

I fear that the world will never catch up to reality. The insistence by so many on a two-state solution for peace in the Middle East remains a sacred cow in European circles. France, for example, recently announced that it is ready to recognize a Palestinian state immediately. There are a few progressive supporters of Israel still believe that this is the only viable solution to the conflict - a view commonly heard among Democrats, even Jewish ones.

My own congressional representative, Jan Schakowsky (who is Jewish), is a strong supporter of J-Street, an organization that actively advocates for a two-state solution. One might surmise that the more left-wing someone is, the more likely they are to support the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. That is certainly true outside of Israel. But it is no longer true within Israel.

As Rabbi Natan Slifkin noted in a recent post about Ben-Gvir:

“The vast majority of Israelis are under no illusions about the Palestinians. There is no ‘Left’ left—it collapsed after the Second Intifada. Pretty much everyone realizes that giving the Palestinians a state would very likely result in disaster. Most Palestinians don’t want to create a peaceful state alongside Israel; they want to fight the ‘injustice’ of 1948 and everything that followed, and get rid of the Jews whom they believe stole their land. In this part of the world, concessions often demonstrate weakness and invite a violent response. There’s nothing Ben-Gvir ‘gets’ about the Palestinians that other Israelis don’t.”

Israelis get it. They know the truth because they live it every day. For those who didn’t quite realize it before October 7th, they certainly realize it now.

Yet there are still as few Israelis with good intentions, who believe that not only is a two-state solution possible, but actively promote it. Some Palestinians have even joined them - claiming they would support a sovereign Jewish state if Israel would in turn support a sovereign Palestinian state next to it. An event promoting this idea recently took place in a Reform synagogue in the Tel Aviv suburb of Raanana, where the following occurred:

Right-wing activists rioted outside a Reform synagogue that was screening a joint Israeli-Palestinian ceremony on Israel’s Memorial Day, mobbing and harassing one woman as others exited under police protection.

This is not OK. As naïve and counterproductive as I believe the participants of that event were, attacking them only serves to make them look righteous and the activists look like a gang of criminals.

Besides, as I’ve said many times, I too once believed in a 2-state solution. And that while they may have believed all of Palestine belonged to them, most Palestinians were simply tired of all the suffering and would ultimately settle for peace and prosperity in their own state alongside Israel.

I’ve long since abandoned that belief - reinforced recently by the words of Gaza Palestinians now enduring the unbearable pain of war - the destruction of their homes and the loss of thousands of lives. A common theme among those refugees is that they would rather die in Palestine, their homeland, than live anywhere else, no matter how much better it might be for them.

This attitude is not just a product of Hamas’s influence. With very few exceptions this is what most Palestinians believe.

I’ve been saying for years what was just reported by JNS:

April 22, 2025, may be remembered as a turning point in the history of Israeli public diplomacy—and rightly so. On that day, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs harnessed the power of social media to expose the Palestinian Authority as the enemy it is.

From the official @Israel account on X, a powerful statement was posted: “The Palestinian Authority isn’t educating children, it’s indoctrinating them. Maps without Israel. Teachers praising martyrdom. Textbooks that glorify terror. As long as they teach hate, there’s no hope for peace. Stop ignoring it. Stop funding education that leads to terror.”

By directly attributing responsibility for the deeply rooted antisemitism in PA-controlled areas to Mahmoud Abbas and his co-conspirators, Israel took a vital step toward challenging the dangerous myth that a Palestinian state would bring peace.

I do not doubt that progressives promoting a two-state solution have the best intentions in mind for Israel. But how much longer will it take for these well-meaning people to realize what most Israelis even on the left have come to accept? That a two-state solution is a prescription for the eventual destruction of the Jewish state. If not immediately, then sooner rather than later.

It’s gratifying to know that many American supporters—mostly on the political right—understand this sad reality.

I have no illusions about Europe, where feelings toward Israel remain tainted by centuries of antisemitism. They will never be convinced out of blaming Israel (read: the Jews) for the world’s problems. They are firmly convinced that the Palestinians want peace, and that it’s the Jews who are standing in the way with their so-called ‘apartheid’ policies.

But when will left-wing American supporters of Israel who are not antisemitic finally come to their senses? When will they listen to their Israeli counterparts who have abandoned the two-state solution?

That needs to happen if we are ever going to make genuine progress toward a legitimate peace. One where Palestinian Arabs can enjoy the same peace and prosperity as Israeli Jews. Just as Israeli Arabs already do. That can only happen if Palestinians completely overhaul what they teach their children now and instead reinforce non hateful peaceful values from cradle to grave.

How that can be done is beyond my pay grade. Honestly, it seems like an impossible task. But that is the only path forward. And it will take a generation or two to get there.

Until then, the status quo must prevail.

Heterodox Liberalism - Orthodox Liberalism

Illinois Governor J.B. Prtitzker (JTA)

Yet another illustration of the tragedy that has befallen the American Jewish community was demonstrated by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker when he addressed a meeting of fellow Democrats in New Hampshire.

“When you destroy social justice, you are disparaging the very foundation of Judaism…”

This comment was made in the context of rallying political support - calling for mass protest against President Trump and his agenda. He referred to Trump’s policies, including those fighting antisemitism, as nothing more than ‘a power grab and a tearing down of the Constitution’.

Governor Pritzker is a self-described liberal who is Jewish. So I would not expect him to say anything different about the President. I’m not here to dispute or endorse that political sentiment. What I am here to do, once again, is point out that when it comes to Jews who lack any semblance of a Jewish education, their idea of Judaism devolves into equating it almost entirely with social justice.

Liberalism is not limited to heterodox Jews. Sadly, there are many well-meaning Orthodox Jews who lean liberal too. In fact I have liberal leanings on certain issues, myself. But when liberalism begins to influence how one interprets the Torah’s directives, one has veered off course - however well-intentioned they may be.

Rabbi Dov Linzer (JTA)

I believe Rabbi Dov Linzer, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, is one such individual. As far as I’m concerned, Rabbi Linzer’s Orthodox credentials are not in question. But his ultra-liberal views have taken him far afield from some of the traditional values of Orthodox Judaism. They have caused him to interpret certain directives of the Torah in ways that, in my view and in the view of most Orthodox rabbis, run contrary to their intent.

He recently reiterated some of those views in an article promoting his own political slate in the WZO elections. Ironically, what he argues against in his article is in fact refuted by what he promotes as Jewish policy. He characterizes it as aligned with the Torah, when it appears to be quite unaligned with the Torah.

Rabbi Linzer begins by referencing the Torah’s narrative about Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s sons, who were so religiously moved during the dedication of the Tabernacle that they brought their own incense offering. They were immediately killed by God for doing so.

His explanation for why God punished them is, in my opinion, accurate:

“They brought ‘a foreign fire, one that God had not commanded them’ (Leviticus 10:1). They acted on fervor without reflection or assessing propriety. When people follow unbridled religious passions, they often believe their actions are self-justifying: ‘If this is how my religious passion propels me to act, then it is a religious act; it gets me closer to God; it is good.’ This ‘ends justify the means’ attitude contradicts classical Jewish thought.”

If there was ever an argument against innovations motivated by personal spiritual fulfillment - when such innovations were never part of Jewish tradition - this is it.

I’ve often been told by defenders of the Women of the Wall who pray at the Kotel every Rosh Chodesh that they do so for spiritual reasons. Not for feminist reasons. But God did not ask them to do this. As with Nadav and Avihu, religious passion may convince them that their actions are self-justifying… that it is a religious act that brings them closer to God. But those ends do not necessarily justify the means.

Creating radical innovations, even with the best of intentions, does not necessarily mean this is what God wants. All it really means is that this is what they want - much like Aaron’s sons, whose good intentions ended in tragedy.

As Rabbi Linzer himself notes:

“The key is to begin with boundaries, with concern for the other, with ‘what is right and good in the eyes of God.”

This is not to say that today’s well-intended but radical innovations are as unwanted by God as were the offerings of Nadav and Avihu. We cannot know that in our era of Hester Panim -when God’s ‘Face’ is hidden from us.

But radical innovation is precisely what Rabbi Linzer promotes when he supports a platform in which compassion (the ends) justifies the means. What  ‘means’ does he support? These:

“It supports women’s empowerment and equality; it protects LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination and defends their right to build families of their choosing. It does not tell many of its citizens, ‘Go to Cyprus if you want to get married.’ An Israel for all—rooted firmly in this world.”

I, of course, have no issue with women’s empowerment in the realm of economics, job equity, education, and social equality. I’ve always supported gender equality in those areas. What I oppose is the push for absolute equality in religious matters. Judaism ascribes different roles to men and women, and we would do well to respect and fulfill those roles rather than innovate for personal spiritual reasons that, while perhaps technically permitted, fall outside the spirit of Halacha.

And I am the first to say that people who experience same-sex attraction or identify as a different gender than their biological sex should be treated with understanding and compassion. They are human beings, created in the image of God, and are no less deserving of dignity.

However, Rabbi Linzer goes too far when he asserts their right to build families of their choosing. Promoting gay marriage - and thereby promoting a lifestyle that almost inevitably involves prohibited forbidden sexual acts - cannot possibly be what God intended when He imposed the most severe consequences for such behavior in the Torah.

Please do not misunderstand. In no way do I, God forbid, endorse harming or killing anyone for being gay. That would be murder, plain and simple. But the fact that the Torah prescribes capital punishment for certain acts should at least inform us that promoting a lifestyle where those acts are common - as a form of Jewish values is deeply problematic.

As with many situations driven by good intentions, sometimes the path taken leads us far afield from where we intended to go.

Canada

If the statistic quoted at Matzav is true, Canada appears to be a cesspool of antisemitic garbage. There has been a 970% increase in antisemitism in Canada. That's more than 3 times as much as France! I never thought I would say that about a neighboring country so culturally similar to the U.S. Including a shared English language spoken with a Midwestern American accent. 

To most people, Canada is as American as apple pie. The two cultures are virtually indistinguishable from each other. Toronto and Chicago are culturally almost identical. If that's the case, why has antisemitism exploded in our neighbor to the north?

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I blame Canada's liberal political philosophy. Canada has always set itself up as morally superior to the United States in a variety of ways. I first noticed that during the Vietnam War. One of the ways that some young Americans dodged the draft was by fleeing to Canada, which was more than happy to host them. 

Canada was against the war - easy for a country to say that relies on its neighbor’s military strength to protect them. They didn’t have to worry about drafting their young men because the U.S. drafted their own young men to in essence fight for both countries. So, Canada could protest the war without a single Canadian being drafted to fight. This made them believe they were morally superior - expressing their sense of moral outrage. Not out of fear of losing a Canadian son in battle.

At the time the U.S. believed it was protecting itself and its neighbors to the North from the spread of communism. Whether that danger was real or not - Canada benefited from that protection without losing a drop of blood. The point is that Canada got to be morally superior to the U.S. without it costing them anything.

The latest policy they have embraced is condemning Israel at the United Nations and announcing that they would arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu if he set foot in their country. Canadians apparently agree with their recent prime minister and have demonstrated that agreement with a 970% increase in antisemitism.

It used to be the right. But I think it’s time to recognize that the rise in antisemitism is now almost exclusively generated by the left. Much as the right did in the past, the more extreme elements on the left blames the Jews for all the troubles in the world. They see Israel (or as they like to call it – the Zionist entity) as a colonialist state that oppresses its indigenous peoples via a harsh military occupation. And by ‘definition’ all Jews are Zionists. They therefore believe Israel deserves to be destroyed so Palestinians can ‘reclaim’ their land.

According to the more extreme element, European Jews stole the land, with the ultimate goal of dominating the world. Which they have already begun doing by ‘controlling the banks, the media, and Hollywood.’

I believe much of that 970% increase in antisemitism in Canada stems from a core of far leftists who think this way.

This is not to let other countries off the hook, including the United States, where there has been a 200% increase in antisemitism. But 970% is a horse of an entirely different color.

All that being said, one might think that I have changed my mind about the status of Jews in the U.S., and that we are indeed reliving  pre-Holocasust1930s Germany all over again in the US.

I haven’t.  I still believe that Jews are, by and large, respected by the majority of the American people - on both sides of the political aisle. Recent efforts to combat antisemitism by Trump and virtually all Republicans surely demonstrate that. And even among Democrats, I do not believe there is widespread animus toward the Jewish people. Consider the number of Jewish members of the House of Representatives, most of whom are liberal Democrats elected largely by non-Jewish constituencies.

What about the 200% increase in antisemitism in the U.S.? I believe it comes mostly from the far left, which hates the Zionist entity and, by extension, the Jewish people - all of whom they see as Zionists. Their numbers may have grown, fueled by the war in Gaza and the way the mainstream media has reported civilian casualties. But I still believe the majority of Americans are not antisemitic, and that most criticisms of Israel are not based on antisemitic feelings, but rather on perceptions shaped by media coverage.

I also believe that the vast majority of Americans who consider themselves politically conservative continue to strongly support Israel and reject the left’s distorted take on the conflict.

As for Canada, a 970% increase seems to suggest that many more people there have become antisemitic - perhaps even a majority.

Canada needs to learn that antisemitism is immoral. Until they do, they can sink into the ground as far as I am concerned. They deserve no better

Antisemitism: A Reflection of Society’s Moral Decay

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, center, musicians and singers from Mishkan Chicago 

Antisemitism isn’t a historical accident. It’s woven into the very fabric of the human story. Though it often cloaks itself in cultural, economic, or ethnic explanations, its roots run much deeper. We, the Jewish people, were summoned to call humanity to a life of godliness and moral spirit. Those who resist that calling, recoiling from the demand for higher moral fitness, naturally despise the people who bear that mission.

Since antisemitism is rooted in hatred of our moral mission, its eruptions expose deep flaws within the societies that harbor it. When antisemitism flares, it unveils the moral fractures that have long remained hidden beneath the surface. Each manifestation of Jew-hatred is not only a window into the warped minds of our enemies — it is a keyhole through which we glimpse the cultural dysfunction of the world that enabled it.

These are not my words; they are the words of Rabbi Moshe Taragin, a Yeshiva University-trained rabbi, author, and RAM (Rosh Mesivta) at Yeshivat Har Etzion - a Hesder Yeshiva in Israel. But they do express my sentiments quite succinctly.

A recent article in JTA reported the following:

Antisemitic incidents in the United States increased once again in 2024, the Anti-Defamation League reported, reaching a new all-time high and providing the latest indicator of a continued surge in antisemitism following October 7, 2023.

Although the rise in campus antisemitism has been attributed to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, Rabbi Taragin’s observation has bearing on this statistic. The promiscuous culture that pervades college campuses today is not only tolerated but facilitated by universities like Yale, which require first-year students to reside in co-ed dorms. The idea of pre marital sex is as accepted as drinking coffee for breakfast - a behavior religious people consider immoral.

Thus, students who have been committing antisemitic acts - ostensibly in protest of Israel’s war against Hamas and the excessive ‘civilian’ casualties suffered by Palestinians - already harbor negative attitudes toward the morality that Jews have historically championed through the bible. Having rejected biblical concepts of morality in favor of a hedonistic mantra (“if it feels good, do it” — a refrain born from the Baby Boomer generation of the 1960s), it becomes all too easy to increase their animus toward the people who brought a moral rulebook into the world. A rulebook they wish to ignore.

Be that as it may, campus antisemitism is increasing. There is no doubt about that. If anyone can accurately measure the level of antisemitism occurring anywhere in this country, it is the Anti-Defamation League, an organization created for precisely that purpose.

If you are a Jew living in this country - especially if you have children attending college - you should be more than a bit concerned about this. If it were me, I would be screaming bloody murder at the government if they were doing nothing about it. Or if they only paid lip service by condemning it, setting up commissions to study it, and politely asking universities to do better in protecting Jewish students. I would be livid at that kind of ‘ho-hum’ attitude.

But that is almost exactly how the last administration handled it. They seemed to back the tepid responses of university presidents, who kept insisting they were protecting ‘free speech’ by allowing pro-Hamas campus protesters to call for the genocide of the Jewish people in Israel.

Along came a group of legislators in both the House and Senate who saw what was happening and would not stand for it. The House held hearings and called out the antisemitism on campuses. Their efforts cost three university presidents their jobs. But other than that, little changed. Campus antisemitism has only worsened since then.

Now, along comes a new administration, finally putting some teeth into that demand. One would think that Jews of all religious denominations would cheer such actions. But, as we all know by now, the true religion of many in the heterodox Jewish world is not Judaism. It is a combination of progressivism and anti-Trumpism.

Thus, they have condemned the common-sense actions of deporting antisemitic instigators calling for Jewish genocide in Israel. Calling it a violation of their civil rights. Last week, I reported about an open letter signed by a group of heterodox rabbis doing exactly that. They have now been joined by another group of heterodox rabbis and cantors from Chicago. As reported by the JTA:

Over 100 rabbis and cantors in the Chicago area have signed a letter denouncing the Trump administration’s recent series of funding cuts and arrests on college campuses…

“Many of these actions have been presented as in defense of the Jewish community. Yet in truth, Jewish fear is being used as a fig leaf for an anti-democratic agenda of mass deportations, civil rights rollbacks, and attacks on higher education,” read the letter, which was published as an advertisement in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday.

The best way to describe these people is as useful idiots. By protesting these sensible government measures to decrease campus antisemitism they are aiding and abetting its increase.

The true religion of these Chicago rabbis and cantors is progressivism and its guiding principles are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The fundamentals of Torah, Avodah (prayer), and Gemilas Chasodim (acts of kindness to fellow Jews) is practically nonexistent. To the extent that they do practice acts of kindness - it does not seem to apply to Jewish college students.

They are willing to sacrifice Jewish students on the altar of DEI. And care little about the continued descent into the abyss of immorality that has become so common on college campuses today. Unless one is raised with the religious values of the Bible and absorbs them deeply into their moral compass, it is all too easy to fall prey to the prevailing value system on campus of ‘if it feels good, do it.’

Where premarital sex was once considered taboo, today - 90% of Americans have had premarital sex before marriage. I would not be surprised if some (most?) of these heterodox Chicago rabbis and cantors fall into that category themselves. In fact, I recall one such young heterodox rabbi praising her ability to get an abortion after getting pregnant by her boyfriend at an inconvenient time.

Anyone who looks to these people for moral guidance ought to think about that.

The Passing of Sheldon Kirshner, a True Iconoclast

Sheldon Kirshner, ZL

Once again, as with my late bother, Barry, several years ago, I have been shocked by the sudden passing of a loved one on Pesach -  my Mechutan, the father of my son in law Neil (Rabbi Menachem) Kirshner.  

Having just returned from Israel - visiting my son and his family for Pesach, the last thing I did before returning to Chicago was attend his massively attended funeral there. I think I can say without fear of contradiction that the ‘standing room only’ crowd was one of the largest ever to attend a funeral in Israel of someone who lived in the US. And that was after the funeral he had the day before in Chicago. Which was surely as large if not larger! There is a reason for that.

Sheldon Kirshner was larger than life. That was the phrase I heard most by those who spoke a bit about him on that day. It was the first thing that came to mind after the initial shock of hearing of his death. He loved everybody. And everybody that knew him loved him back.

I don’t think he had an enemy in the world, even though he had a penchant for telling it like it is. When Sheldon spoke people believed him They trusted his sincerity even if they disagreed with him. Sheldon was an iconoclast. I envied his determination to be who he was without caring about what other people thought or did.

Sheldon was an ardent religious Zionist and yet he had tremendous repsct for the Satmar Rebbe. Refusing to criticize his anti-Israel views even though he strongly disagreed with him.

His knowledge of the Malbim had few peers. And Sheldon quoted him often when giving a D’var Torah. Which were often unique and original. Truly a brilliant mind that never acted in any way that flaunted it. A humble human being, to say the least. That alone would give him a ‘Lichtige Gan Edan’.

But his true essence was in how he raised his children. He was all about family. How he loved them.  And how they loved him back. When I say ‘family’ I mean those who considered themselves part of his family that were not at all related to him. People that came from difficult circumstances that he treated like his own 7 children. Often to the point of training them via his chosen profession as an electrical engineer, and helping them start a career. 

To this day they consider themselves to be members of the Kirshner family. He taught his children the true meaning of ‘Kol Yisroel Areivim Zeh BaZeh’. If he saw a fellow Jew in trouble, he did not hesitate to help them. That attitude rubbed off on all of his children.

And yet he never hid his emotions, crying at every family simcha. When reciting  a Bracha under the Chupah for one of his children or grandchildren he could barely make it through the Bracha without crying.

His Hashkafos were similar to mine. As was his approach to raising children, letting each child be who ever they chose to be (within the boundaries of Halacha, of course). As adults they have chosen the path that suits each one of them best from.  From modern Orthodox to Charedi. All are deeply devoted to Torah, its study, and Mitzvos.

They are different and yet they are as close as any family can ever be. Role models for the Jewish people.

There is so much more to Sheldon Kirshner I could say.  But the one thing I want to convey is how much I truly loved that man and how lucky I am to have become part of his loving family.

Baruch Dayan HaEmes