Crossing Another Line

Woman married to another woman ordained as a Maharat (screenshot)

I hate to keep bringing this up. I don’t want to be considered homophobic or obsessed with gay issues. But since I find myself compelled to address this issue so often, I fear that some of my friends on the left - especially those who are also observant Jews -  already see me that way. That’s painful. But I cannot let it silence me.

This issue speaks directly to how we are meant to live as God’s chosen people. The Torah - our divine instruction manual - lays out the blueprint for our lives. And when those who identify as observant Jews clearly distort its message, I feel obligated to speak out.

Let me be clear: I have no personal obsession with gay or transgender individuals. Nor is it my intent to cause them harm. On the contrary, I have consistently expressed sympathy for the struggles they face.

But here is where I part ways with them. Many do not view their same-sex attractions as a struggle at all. They see them as a normal part of their sexual identity. No different than heterosexual desire. And believe those attractions should be expressed freely and without guilt.

When it comes to gender dysphoria, the prevailing societal attitude is that it’s easily ‘correctable’. That if a man believes he is a woman or vice versa, then that identity should be affirmed and accommodated, with or without medical intervention. What matters, they say, is that such individuals can live happy, productive, and fulfilling lives - and that society should fully embrace and support their choices.

But this is not my personal obsession. It’s the cultural obsession of our time. If there is a defining divide between religious and secular worldviews today, it is over the source of moral authority. Religious people recognize a Power greater than ourselves (God) as the source of morality. We acknowledge our own limitations in determining right and wrong.

Secular individuals, by contrast, believe that morality is entirely subjective - defined by human reason, culture, or emotion. They reject ‘ancient instruction books’ as irrelevant, or deny that such texts were Divinely authored. Even those who claim to believe in God and His Torah may reinterpret or distort its teachings to fit contemporary values.

It’s this last category that I find most troubling: left-leaning Jews who identify as Orthodox, observe the ‘big three’ Mitzvos — Shabbos, Kashrus, and Taharas Hamishpacha. And claim to fully adhere to Halacha, while at the same time embracing the LGBTQ agenda as fully compatible with Torah Judaism.

A recent example (see video below) underscores this trend. At Yeshivat Maharat’s ordination ceremony - a school created to train women as rabbis - one of the graduates was a gay woman ‘married’ to another woman. In her address to the audience, she praised the institution for its inclusivity and cited the Mishnah in Avos: “It is not upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” The ‘work’ in this context was clearly framed as the advancement and full legitimization of LGBTQ identity and relationships. A cause that stands in clear contradiction to Torah values.

It’s troubling enough that Yeshivat Maharat exists in defiance of longstanding halachic consensus against women entering the rabbinate - a discussion for another time. But at least those advocating for that change attempt to offer a halachic argument. I disagree with them, as do the vast majority of rabbis across the Orthodox spectrum - aside from those on the far left.

But to ordain a woman whose personal lifestyle represents an open rejection of Torah prohibitions - and then give her the authority to rule on matters of Halacha - defies credulity. Yet this is precisely what has happened. This graduate studied the Shulchan Aruch, passed her exams, and is now regarded as an Orthodox authority on Jewish law.

She would likely argue that her lifestyle does not violate Halacha. That the Torah’s prohibition of homosexual relations doesn’t apply to those who were ‘born this way’. It is true that female homosexual acts are not classified as severely as male ones. Still, the behavior remains prohibited. To rationalize such behavior as permitted is, at best, self-deception.

What’s most disturbing is not that secular society has embraced values so far removed from biblical tradition. That’s regrettable, but not surprising. What’s disturbing is that someone now claiming to represent Orthodox Halacha - with a formal credential to prove it - is using that position to promote an agenda that is fundamentally at odds with the Torah’s values.

This must be unequivocally rejected by all who consider themselves part of the community of observant Jewry. Yeshivat Maharat’s actions in this regard are a betrayal of both Halacha and Jewish tradition.

Israel's Pending Civil War

Charedi protestors near Bnei Brak (Times of Israel)

The war in Gaza seems to be winding down. And yet, even in its weakest moment, Hamas continues to hold hostages over Israel’s head — making demands that Israel cannot possibly accept. It’s unclear how all of this will end. Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Trump later today to try and figure it out. Hopefully, something positive will emerge from that meeting. I won’t be holding my breath. But one can hope.

Be that as it may, there is another war going on — one that may ultimately do more harm to Israel than Hamas or even Iran has. The war between Charedim and the rest of Israeli society. A war centered around the Charedi refusal to share in the burden of defending the nation they live in, by refusing to enlist or be drafted into the IDF.

Another point of contention is the Charedi lifestyle, which often does not include entering the workforce until much later in life. Many Charedim are poorly equipped to contribute meaningfully to the economy due to a lack of sufficient secular education. And while they are learning full time (before they enter the workforce) they rely on working wives, government stipends, and other sources of income not related to employment — such as support from parents or in-laws, free loan funds, maxed-out credit cards, and charity.

Ever since the war with Hamas broke out, the draft issue has taken center stage. Without belaboring the point, much Jewish blood has been spilled by soldiers who have either enlisted or been drafted. Meanwhile, Charedim have avoided all of it, continuing with their lives as if there were no war. The public resentment that has resulted from this cannot be overstated. And who can blame them?

The IDF has had to rely on prolonged periods of service, with soldiers being away from their families for inordinate amounts of time — in some cases losing their jobs, businesses, or even their lives. All while Charedim go about their daily lives almost oblivious to the sacrifices others are making.

The IDF has attempted to rectify this grossly unfair arrangement by urging the government to legislate mandatory military service for all — including Charedim. No more blanket exemptions for an entire segment of society. Charedim have fought back hard. But yesterday, Arutz Sheva reported the following:

Israeli security forces are preparing to implement an unprecedented enforcement plan against members of the Haredi public who refuse to enlist.
As part of the new plan, which will be launched next month, checkpoints will be set up at entry points to major Haredi cities, aiming to identify and arrest youths avoiding military service.

The plan follows the decision to send 54,000 draft orders to Haredi youths in the coming year… 

The new checkpoints will be positioned at several strategic locations: entrances to major Haredi cities such as Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, and Beit Shemesh; main traffic routes used by the Haredi population; and border crossings, including Ben Gurion Airport and checkpoints in Judea and Samaria.

In addition to the permanent checkpoints, mobile enforcement actions and targeted raids on religious institutions and residential areas will be carried out.

This sounds like a declaration of war. Charedi politicians have already threatened to bring down the government — and have promised it again if this version of a draft law is implemented.

That was yesterday. Today, the Times of Israel reports the following:

Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, presented a Haredi representative with a copy of a watered-down compromise bill regulating the conscription of yeshiva students…

According to national broadcaster Kan, the legislation will call for conscripting only some 4,800 Haredim in the first year. The report said that while the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties will oppose the new legislation, they are not willing “to blow everything up” over the issue.

4,800 inductees is a drastic reduction from the 54,000 the IDF had announced just yesterday.

To say that opposition politicians are upset would be an understatement. I’m sure the same can be said for the rest of the Israeli public — those who have sacrificed so much for their country which of course includes Charedim.

I do not see this watered-down bill as a compromise that will ultimately be accepted — not by Charedim, who continue to insist on full exemptions for all yeshiva students, and not by the rest of Israeli society, who have given up so much while the Charedim have given up nothing .as far as they are concerned

I see only an increase in animosity between both sides. While I understand that Charedim believe they contribute to the welfare of the nation through their diligence in Torah study, they have failed to make that case to the broader public — which sees only a self-serving, entitled group of Jews getting away with what they view as “murder.”

This is not to say that Torah study has no bearing on the welfare of the Jewish people. It is to say that the Charedim appear oblivious to the life altering sacrifices everyone else is making — sacrifices that benefit them, too.

This problem is not going away. However in my view, it would be the easiest of Israel’s major issues to solve in a way that would be acceptable to all. A true compromise — one that recognizes the value of Torah study and ends blanket exemptions from IDF service. Quotas could be established to satisfy IDF needs and strictly followed. Once those quotas are filled, the remaining Charedim could then continue learning with the blessing and support of the government.

Why this hasn’t happened is due to the intransigence of Charedi leadership. Which means this war — unlike the one with Hamas — will only get worse. Scenes like the one in the photo will become more frequent. And Israel may yet face a real civil war in the not-too-distant future.

Thank You

I just received a generous contribution to my blog through my Paypal portal on the right.

It doesn't happen that often but when it does, I do appreciate it. It tells me that the appreciation I often hear from readers I meet along the way in life - is more than mere words. 

So I want to thank this reader publicly without mentioning his name since I don't want to embarrass him and in any case I have no permission to do so. 

At the same time, I do not want it to go unnoticed so... Thank you to this reader and to all the other readers in the past that have done the same. 

Hating a Great Leader

There is surely much to criticize. I don’t know anyone who is fully satisfied with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership over his long tenure as the leader of the Jewish state. Depending on one’s politics, religious demographic, sense of ethics, perception of personal hubris, or simply mentchlichkeit, one could probably fill a book with complaints about him. Some more serious than others, but in most cases, quite true.

And yet, in my view, Netanyahu has been one of the most consequential leaders the State of Israel has ever had. In my opinion, he deserves another term in office, if he so chooses. I don’t know what the polls currently show, and I’m sure there are plenty of Israeli voters from all walks of life—whether on the political left or right, Charedi, Dati, or secular - who would strongly disagree. Not the least among them are some of his former political allies, including members of his own Likud party.

Why do I think so? I believe it’s fair to explain my perspective.

On the domestic front, Netanyahu, while still Finance Minister under Ariel Sharon, began to turn Israel’s economy away from its socialist origins and steer it toward a free-market economy. That transformation led to remarkable prosperity and encouraged a wave of foreign investment. The fact that Israel came to be known as the “Start-Up Nation” is largely due to Netanyahu’s economic policies, which favored unfettered innovation in the tech sector.

As important as that is, what he has accomplished since the October 7^th, 2023, Hamas attack is nothing short of extraordinary. At that point, Israel was at a low point. Its vaunted military intelligence apparatus had experienced a catastrophic and unprecedented failure. Many pundits believed Israel would never recover, and that its intelligence services had lost all credibility.

But Netanyahu did not let that stop him. He became laser-focused on eliminating the evil in Israel’s midst and launched a war against Hamas that they surely never expected. Today, Hamas is a shadow of its former self. Its leadership has been decimated, and its Iranian patrons and suppliers have themselves suffered devastating setbacks.

To Israel’s north, Hezbollah met a similar fate. Israel’s brilliant military intelligence strategy led to operations that literally exploded in their faces, killing their top echelon of leadership. Including long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah and his successors. They, too, are now a shadow of what they once were. With that victory, Netanyahu restored global respect for Israel’s intelligence services. Long before October 7^th, Netanyahu had approved a plan to deceive Hezbollah’s second-tier leaders into buying booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies, which Israel later detonated at will. Precisely when they needed to do it.

As a result of the now-neutered Hezbollah, Syria’s pro-Iran, pro-Hezbollah dictator Bashar al-Assad lost his protector and was soon overthrown, along with the Iran-backed militias stationed there.

And then came Netanyahu’s bold and fateful decision to attack Iran directly. A move many pundits called suicidal. Iran had the most powerful military in the Middle East: the IRGC, a highly motivated and ideologically driven force dedicated to Israel’s destruction. Its political leadership had long been waiting for an excuse to unleash their massive arsenal of ballistic missiles.

That fear was quickly dispelled. After twelve days of war and deep infiltration into Iran’s military and political infrastructure, Israel succeeded in assassinating several top military leaders and nuclear scientists - many of them while they slept - and bombing key nuclear facilities with pinpoint accuracy, guided by reliable intelligence.

With Iran significantly weakened, the United States seized the opportunity to finish the job and demolish its most vital nuclear facility at Fordow without suffering a single casualty or facing any resistance.

‘They said it couldn’t be done.’ But with determination and clarity of vision, Netanyahu did it. Even against the advice of some of his closest advisors.

The Abraham Accords have never been more significant than they are now. The potential for Syria to join the accords - possibly even ceding the Golan Heights to Israel - was unthinkable before the chain of events initiated by Netanyahu. Today, it is within the realm of possibility. Israel’s relationship with the U.S. has never been closer than it is now under Netanyahu.

I don’t see how anyone can deny that this is the most impressive display of Israeli leadership since at least the Six-Day War of 1967.

What about all the negatives? In my view, they pale in comparison. Let us look at some of them.

There are still hostages in Hamas captivity - an area where Netanyahu has not yet been fully successful. But allowing Hamas to survive in order to negotiate the release of those hostages would have allowed them to regroup, rearm, and attack again—likely with even more terrorists released from Israeli prisons. That was not a realistic option. And in any case, it may have prevented many of the successes Netanyahu has achieved.

(A hostage deal recently proposed by the U.S. has been accepted by Israel but rejected by Hamas, who added an unacceptable condition. Netanyahu will be visiting the White House this week. That’s where things stand now.)

That the political left hates Netanyahu is nothing new. That many hostage families have joined mass protest demonstrations against him during the war is also not new. They are largely the same people who protested Netanyahu before the war. Not all hostage families share their views, but the media mostly ignores those who don’t.

Much of the secular and Dati opposition stems from Netanyahu’s political alliance with the Charedi parties, who demand continued exemptions from military service. I am as upset by that as anyone and have expressed my displeasure with these exemptions. Many times. But Netanyahu’s ability to promise them everything and deliver nothing has kept the status quo. They haven’t gotten their way, even if many voters are upset that he didn’t pass a law ending their draft exemptions. Netanyahu is a master politician with few peers, unafraid to make enemies - even among his biggest supporters - if it helps him stay in power.

Then there are the corruption charges for which he is currently being tried in court. I’m sure the charges have legal merit. But there is little doubt in my mind that they were brought by political enemies. (if I understand correctly, the prosecution’s case is now falling apart.)

Accusations of accepting Cuban cigars and expensive champagne as gifts - while technically illegal - pale in comparison to the historic accomplishments Netanyahu has achieved. As reported during Israel’s bombing campaign in Iran:

Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday endorsed Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, saying it was doing essential work for Germany and others.

“This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us,” Merz told the ZDF broadcaster during an interview on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada.

You can despise him all you want. And even have good reasons for doing so. But you must give credit where credit is due. If you’re being honest and not trying to ‘explain away’ his achievements, as no achievement at all - it becomes impossible to deny their scope and importance.

Yes, Israel has suffered a PR disaster due to how the legacy media is covering Gaza - relying heavily on Hamas-run sources, biased Palestinian reporters, and longstanding anti-Israel UN officials and NGOs. Medical staff often cited are also Palestinian expatriate volunteers in Gaza with longstanding grievances. To rely on such sources for a balanced view of Israel’s actions is like trusting the International Red Cross’s glowing reports on Theresienstadt, the Nazi “model” concentration camp.

Sadly, the media’s mantra of ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ ensures that the bloodiest images dominate coverage - images that, while not representative, shape public perception.

In reality, no one truly knows what’s happening on the ground in Gaza. But the imagery and narratives being broadcast shape public opinion in ways that may be wildly disconnected from the truth.

If one looks at the totality of what has transpired in the Middle East since October 7^th and understands that the legacy media cannot be trusted to provide unbiased reporting, then it becomes undeniable: under Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel has achieved unprecedented victories and made the world a far safer place - for everyone. And for that he deserves another term.

God Bless America

Thank you, America! (OU)

I often talk about how proud I am to be an American. How great America has been to the Jewish people. That has never been more true than right now. So on this Independence Day, July 4th, 2025, I want to express my profound gratitude to a nation that has given the Jewish people the unfettered opportunity to succeed in any endeavor they choose, and has granted us unprecedented religious freedom.

Never has that last point been more evident than it is today. Religious Jews, whose education demands intensive classroom instruction - and therefore by its nature requires a parochial school education - have now been given the means to better afford it. It is no longer the case that only a public school education is federally funded.

Yesterday, Congress passed a bill that includes a provision for school choice. This mandates that all parents - regardless of the type of school their children attend - be eligible for federal educational support. Parents who wish to give their children a more intensive religious education will no longer be penalized for that choice. They will now stand on equal footing with public school parents. The President is scheduled to sign that bill into law later today. And I can’t think of a more appropriate day to do so than Independence Day.

America’s unprecedented response to rising antisemitism is another area worth highlighting. One of the most troubling arenas where antisemitism has flourished is on college campuses. Anti-Israel sentiment has too often translated into naked antisemitic behavior, particularly by leftist professors - many of whom are either Palestinian or extoll extremist Palestinian ideology. These educators have been indoctrinating students with blatant lies about Israel: labeling it a colonialist, apartheid, racist, and even genocidal state. Long before the October 7^th massacre of Jews by Hamas that precipitated the war in Gaza

Student governments, often governed by those indoctrinated students, have pushed for and led protests demanding that their schools adopt the antisemitic BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) platform. Biased media coverage of the war in Gaza has only fueled this trend and contributed to the rise in antisemitism across the country. The media often highlights these misguided individuals as if they alone reflect the moral core of our culture. Sadly, this kind of thinking has begun to seep into public consciousness.

As a result, harassment of Jewish students on campuses has spiked nationwide.

And here, once again, the government shines. They have tackled antisemitism on campus like no administration before them. Previous administrations either ignored it or dismissed it as free speech.

Not this one. Heads have rolled. Ivy League university officials who turned a blind eye - or even expressed support for pro-Palestinian protests that included threats of violence against Jewish students have been forced to resign in disgrace. That happened because this administration finally gave these issues the attention they deserve.

And last, but certainly not least, is America’s relationship with Israel - now stronger than ever. The coordination between the U.S. and Israel in neutralizing Iran’s nuclear program is one of the most significant achievements of the 21^st century thus far. After extensive analysis by experts on Iran’s nuclear capabilities – it is now believed with a high degree of confidence that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been set back by at least two years.

Even Iran’s foreign minister publicly admitted that the country’s nuclear program was severely damaged. When asked by an American reporter whether Iran would retaliate with more than the feeble response seen after the U.S. bombing of Fordow, he said they would not. When asked whether they would restart their nuclear program, he affirmed their ‘right’ to do so, but appeared far more concerned about what the U.S. might do if they tried. And therefore said they are now more focused on  restoring their country.

Israel and its neighbors are now safer than they were just weeks ago. Syria has even indicated a willingness to join the Abraham Accords and has reportedly offered to concede the Golan Heights to Israel - provided Israel vacates the buffer zone it currently maintains between the Golan Heights and the rest of Syria. Not a word was mentioned about a Palestinian state.

A 6-month ceasefire with Hamas also seems to be on the immediate horizon, one that would include the release of all hostages. Israel has already agreed to it. Hamas has not. Their sticking point appears to be a refusal to lay down their arms. But their primary patron, Qatar, has now told them to do exactly that. One thing is clear: Hamas is a shadow of its former self. Iran is no longer in any position to help them. And Qatar, who once funded and backed them, appears to be done with them too. Everyone wants peace now. It seems even their own backers are sick of Hamas.

The President also expressed his displeasure with the ongoing corruption trial of Israel’s Prime Minister. Calling it a witch hunt! He said that all charges should be dropped. Those who thought President Trump had turned sour on Netanyahu - well, think again.

And then there's the cultural battle taking place in this country. A war between values rooted in biblical morality and those rooted in ever-shifting secular ideologies. Many of the values under attack today are the same values upon which this country was founded, many of which come from the ‘Old Testament’ - our Tanach or more precisely, our Torah.

Those who love to emphasize the theological differences between Judaism and Christianity - or point out that Christian interpretations of certain portions of the Torah differ vastly from ours - are missing the larger point. Which is that the core values that underlie this country are values that Jews and Christians share. That’s why it’s not uncommon to see groups like Agudath Israel and the Catholic Church filing amicus briefs together before the Supreme Court. A national voucher program is one such example.

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that parents may remove their children from classes that discuss LGBTQ issues, or decline to use textbooks that promote their values if it contradicts their religious values.

So yes, this is a great time to be a Jew – especially a religious Jew - in America.  So on this day, July 4th, 2025, I proudly join the Orthodox Union in expressing my profound gratitude to this great country for bringing us to this historic moment.

God Bless America, land that I love.

Sean Combs and Chaim Rotter

Sean “Diddy” Combs (ABC)

It’s hard to fathom the depths of depravity in which Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs had engaged. I watched with horror as the media reported the chilling testimonies of his victims during his trial. Yesterday, he was found guilty of two lesser counts among the five charges of criminal sexual activity. He now faces up to 20 years in prison.

Whether or not he was technically guilty of all five federal crimes is almost beside the point. What he is guilty of is some of the most disgusting behavior imaginable. Behavior that no religious Jew would be capable of, let alone commit.

Except that the last sentence is not true.

It appears that even the most devout-looking Jews among us can be just as guilty of such crimes as Combs - if not worse.

To say that someone who commits such atrocities cannot truly be considered Charedi is to fall into the ‘No True Scotsman’ fallacy. The latest Jew accused of such crimes is Charedi.

There have been so many instances of outwardly devout Jews committing sexual crimes that it could fill a book. Some may argue that these individuals are anomalies. Exceptions that prove the rule. Perhaps. But the same can be said about Combs. Most non-Jews don't behave like him either.

Just because the general rule is that Charedim don’t usually commit such crimes doesn’t explain why so many of them have been caught doing exactly that.

Chaim Rotter - Right  (Jerusalem Post)

The latest such criminal is Chaim Rotter, head of Shomrim in Bnei Brak - arguably the most Charedi city in Israel, if not the world.

Shomrim is a civilian watch group meant to protect citizens from attack. In practice, however, they often go much further. Acting as vigilantes who beat up those they suspect of harming a fellow Jew. They’ve essentially appointed themselves judge, jury, and executioner. And shockingly, Shomrim is supported by the city government and, more importantly, enjoys the apparent blessing of its rabbinic leadership.

But that blessing now seems horrifically premature. By orders of magnitude.

Because what Rotter is accused of makes Combs’ crimes seem almost mild by comparison. According to the Jerusalem Post:

At the hearing on Wednesday, Rotter was silent when asked if he wished to respond to the allegations. One of his alleged victims, “Meir” (an alias), called out, “He raped me. You are evil, you are cursed. I am sick. He almost cut off my penis. He raped the mother of my child.”

Worse still, Rotter allegedly turned the tables on his victims—using his authority to accuse them of being the perpetrators, subjecting them to the full force of Shomrim’s vigilante brutality.

Meir, 39, from Tel Aviv, further told Walla:

“There is no comfort for what he did… I am hopeful that justice will be carried out. In early 2013, he fell in love with my wife, now my ex-wife, and made my life hell. He desecrated her and did horrors to her in front of our eight-month-old daughter, stole my belongings, and barred me from entry.”

“It happened several times. Once, he told me to come over to either pick up my tefillin or see my daughter. He said, ‘Now we’re going to beat him up.’ I told him I missed my daughter… I found myself on the floor, pinned to the stairs, as he hit me in the face.”

“He told me, ‘I’ll tear off your [genitals], I’ll castrate you.’ They beat me until I was dehydrated and fainted, and no one helped me… They tortured me.”

That’s the ‘beauty’ of being the Charedi head of a community policing group. You can rape and torture whoever you want and then accuse the victim or their loved ones of being the criminals.

Who are you going to believe? The trusted head of Shomrim, protector of Bnei Brak? Or some guy accused of abusing his wife - who ‘deserved what he got’?

In my view, there is no question that this group must be disbanded. They are a disgrace to the very idea of protecting the public. Even if they’ve done some good, the cost of unfettered vigilantism and the harm to innocent people is far too great. If anything, it is the police who should be strengthened and their presence expanded. Not replaced by unaccountable thugs in religious clothing.

But the real tragedy is that evil on this scale can be perpetrated even by someone who grew up immersed in the most stringent standards of sexual modesty. Remember Chaim Walder?

In communities like Bnei Brak, men and women are strictly separated. Women often wear long, loose-fitting dresses and fully cover their hair. Ads featuring women are banned. These communities enforce the strictest codes of Tznius (modesty).

And yet, how often have we seen those raised in such environments accused of the very crimes those standards are meant to prevent?

Far too many times to count.

Maybe it’s time for the Charedi world to consider whether their standards might be too much of a good thing. Is there such a thing as too much focus on Tznius?

That may sound almost blasphemous. But perhaps when you separate the sexes to such extremes, it takes far less to trigger dangerous desires. While sexual crimes are more about violence than desire, unfulfilled or repressed desire often plays a role in precipitating such violence.

This is not to say we should abandon modesty altogether. That would likely make things worse. But perhaps there is a middle ground – a happy medium. One that religious leaders in cities like Bnei Brak should seriously consider. But probably never will.

It Ain’t Over – Till It’s Over

Orthodox Jewish day school children

Mark Twain once said in response to a newspaper report of his death, “Reports of my demise are grossly exaggerated.”

I don’t want to overstate my renewed hope regarding the reversal of a troubling trend. But I do have some hope that we can reverse the trend of the growing number of American Jews abandoning their Jewish future. This trend is reflected in rising rates of intermarriage and a widespread ignorance of Jewish heritage - leaving many with little or no ability to pass it on to their children, who in turn have no interest in learning about it.

Of course, this is not true across the board. There are many American Jews — not necessarily fully observant or observant at all — who do care about their Judaism and do make efforts to pass it on. Some are successful, and some are not. But the sad reality is that, unless something changes, the great mass of American Jewry may soon become a thing of the past.

And yet, there are two recent developments that give me a sense of hope — developments that might change this trajectory to a far greater extent than I ever thought possible. But before addressing them, it’s worth revisiting how we got here. It all boils down to one thing: the lack of a significant Jewish education. There are a variety of reasons for this, among them:

• The “melting pot” culture of pre-Holocaust America that encouraged assimilation and discouraged distinct religious or ethnic identities.
• The desire of children of earlier Jewish immigrants to distance themselves from their parents’ “Old World” ways in pursuit of the American dream.
• The near absence of an organized Jewish educational system prior to the Holocaust.
• And more recently, the skyrocketing cost of Jewish education. Which has become prohibitive even for middle-class families with decent incomes, and continues to grow less affordable every year.

By the time we entered the 21^st century, this combination of factors  - especially the cost - made Jewish day school education an unlikely choice for most families, except the most highly motivated. In most cases, that has meant Orthodox Jews.

As a result, we now have a strong and growing Orthodox community. But one whose size pales in comparison to the vast number of Jews who never had access to such an education.

Encouragingly, it appears that the non-Orthodox Jewish community - at least those who care deeply about the future of American Jewry - are waking up to the fact that Jewish education is what’s missing most. And that only education has a real chance of reversing the current trend.

This was a key point made by Jewish activist, Shira Goodman, former CEO of Staples, in an eJewish Philanthropy article:

“I’ve learned that real, lasting growth doesn’t come from sticking to the old playbook — it demands shaking things up, thinking differently, and sometimes even inviting entirely new players into the game.”

Barry Finestone, in an earlier article, proposed a shift in communal strategy from a defensive focus on antisemitism to a proactive focus on Jewish joy. He passionately urged:

“Let’s pour more resources into camps, day schools, trips to Israel, youth groups and other experiences proven to deliver strong outcomes. We know these things work.”

Goodman says this vision fuels her work on a new project called the Lauder Impact Initiative (LII) — a bold experiment aimed at transforming the narrative and trajectory of Jewish day school enrollment.

The long and short of it is this: increasing enrollment in Jewish day schools requires inspiring prospective families to reshape their sense of Jewish identity -  and helping them see themselves as ‘day school families’. This can be done by encouraging interaction between current day school families and those considering enrollment.

It also requires disabusing them of common misperceptions, such as:

• Overestimating the cost of attendance due to limited awareness of available financial aid.
• Concerns about a perceived lack of socioeconomic diversity.
• Assumptions about rigid religious expectations, often based on outdated impressions of what Jewish day schools are like.

It also means doubling down on early childhood education, building strong secular studies programs, and offering rich extracurricular activities. All designed to meet the expectations of parents accustomed to the educational experiences provided by top public and private schools.

This is precisely the kind of ambitious, visionary thinking we need from lay leaders like Shira Goodman if we’re going to reverse the trajectory so many American Jews have taken. One leading out of Judaism entirely.

But perhaps the greatest boost to this noble goal comes from something that just happened in the U.S. Senate.

As reported by VIN, the Senate recently passed a bill that includes the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). The most important aspect of which is the following:

Families earning up to 300% of their area’s median income can apply for scholarships through certified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). These scholarships can be used for yeshiva tuition, Jewish studies materials, Hebrew language tutoring, and other educational expenses that support Torah learning…

The program’s generous income limits mean that many working Orthodox families will qualify. In communities like Lakewood, NJ, or Brooklyn, NY, even families earning well into six figures may still be eligible for assistance — a recognition of the high cost of living in areas with established Jewish communities.

This truly is game-changing. Not only for Orthodox parents struggling to meet tuition obligations or schools struggling with budgets. It is game-changing because it removes one of the main barriers preventing non Orthodox Jewish parents from enrolling their children in day schools in the first place: cost.

When combined with the shifting attitude about the importance of Jewish education to Jewish survival in America, this new national voucher program gives me real hope. Hope that we can turn things around to a far greater extent than anyone might have imagined just a few short years ago.

Uniforms, Uniformity, and Truth

As I began my daily 20-mile bike ride last Friday*, I passed by the local Charedi boys’ day school (as I do every day) and noticed that the children (about 6 or 7 years old) coming out of the building were all dressed in uniforms. Only these were not the kind of uniforms one usually associates with schoolchildren. They were all wearing white shirts and black pants. The standard uniform of the Charedi world. I have been informed that young students are required to dress up for Rosh Chodesh which occurred last week on Thursday and Friday.

On the one hand, I thought they looked kind of cute dressed like that. But the fact is, the insistence on this mode of dress is about far more than cuteness. It reflects the necessity of conforming to the ideology that this dress code has come to represent.

This is not to say that the Charedi world doesn’t have the right to dictate the culture in which their adherents live - including the way they dress. Of course, they do. What troubles me is that this school is by far the largest day school in the city, with over 1,500 children enrolled. While the parent body may be comparable to that of other mainstream Orthodox day schools here in Chicago, the number of children per family is significantly higher. And that too is okay.

But what this unfortunately means is that the Hashkafa (ideological worldview) that defines them is likely to become the dominant Hashkafa of Orthodox Judaism. And in my view, what they accuse my Hashkafa of being -  is precisely what I accuse theirs of being: Krum.

Krum is the Yiddish word for “crooked.” In the context in which both Charedim and Modern Orthodox (or more specifically, Centrist) Jews use it, it does not imply illegality or a violation of Halacha. Rather, each side claims that the other's path to fulfilling the will of God is not the most ideal, and should not be prioritized.

Charedim believe that the highest priority for every Jewish male is full-time Torah study, and that anything else - no matter how important - should be sacrificed toward that goal.

Centrists believe that Torah study should also be a priority, but not to the exclusion of all else - except for certain extraordinary individuals whose clear mission in life aligns with that path.

Centrists believe that Torah is not the only thing that should be studied by the vast majority of the Jewish people, and that God is best served by utilizing the unique, God-given talents of each individual. So if a Jew has a particular aptitude for a profession or field that benefits Torah or humanity, they have an obligation to pursue that path rather than force themselves into a mold of full-time Torah study. THAT - without elaborating any further - is the essential difference between us.

As much as I believe that the Centrist Hashkafa more accurately reflects the will of God, it is increasingly becoming a minority opinion. While Orthodox Jews in both the Charedi and Centrist worlds tend to have larger families than the rest of the modern world, it is no secret that the Charedi world outpaces us - probably by orders of magnitude in each generation.

Now, of course, I have no problem with having large families. Kein Yirbu! But when that comes along with the kind of rigid indoctrination represented by the sight of those young Charedi schoolchildren in their uniforms - it troubles me deeply. Not just because it prioritizes Torah study to the exclusion of all else, but because it also instills in its adherents the belief that their rabbinic leaders are nearly infallible.

So when these leaders make public pronouncements on matters of public concern, their statements are accepted uncritically as the ideal Torah standard by which they should all live.

In some cases, that deeply disturbs me. Especially these days when it comes to matters concerning the State of Israel. The latest example came from one of their leaders at a time when a sense of solidarity with the state would have been appropriate. Instead, he offered the standard condemnation of Israeli leaders for congratulating themselves on their victory over Iran: ‘Koḥi V’otzem Yadi’ – ‘my strength and the power of my hand’ brought this victory.”

He then followed with the usual line that the real credit for any victory against Iran goes to those who dedicate their lives to full-time Torah study with true Mesiras Nefesh - the intense self-sacrifice they put in towards that end.

But in doing so, he completely ignored what the Prime Minister actually said. He asked God for help in achieving victory before the attack and thanked God for helping the IDF achieving it afterwards.

It is sad that the words of truth came NOT from someone revered by vast segments of the Charedi world, but from a non-observant Jewish leader. Words more recently echoed by a non-Charedi rabbinic figure, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, who was quoted in Arutz Sheva saying the following:

“One must be precise and say that we reached all these successes with God’s help. In other words, the military achievements were made by idealistic, talented, and brave people who, for years - with diligence and resourcefulness - gathered intelligence and formulated successful plans. And thanks to heroic soldiers who trained for the missions, risked their lives, and entered enemy territory by air and land to deliver a crushing blow.”

This is the essence of Emes - the truth of Torah. That the Charedi world refuses to recognize the IDF’s role in this, and the sacrifices that they and their families have made over nearly two years of war, is the height of insensitivity. An insensitivity in service of the false god of self-congratulation.

Ironically, Kocḥi V’otzem Yadi may better describe the attitude of the kind of Charedi leadership that accused Israeli leadership of it. At least in a spiritual sense. Because they believe that only their spiritual strength, as expressed through their Torah study, is what matters. The spirituality of thousands of IDF soldiers - many of whom are devoutly observant - seems not to exist in their worldview at all.

This is why they insist on their ‘uniforms’ from their earliest days in school. They want to ensure that Hashkafos foreign to their worldview - including those regarding the Jewish state - do not influence their children. And the best way they seem to do that is by making them look as different as possible from the rest of us - within the bounds of socially acceptable modern attire.

And white shirts with black pants certainly achieve that.

I wish it weren’t so. But so it is.

One might wonder why I care so much about what Charedi leadership thinks. For one thing, I care about Emes, and I want to see it promoted, not ignored - or worse, denied - by the leadership of the largest and fastest-growing segment of Orthodox Judaism. But even more importantly, I abhor the  complete marginalization, if not delegitimization, of all other segments of Orthodoxy (no matter how observant they are) by largest segment of Orthodoxy.

This is something that I cannot in good conscience ignore and simply say it doesn’t apply to me. 

Kol Yisroel Areivim Zeh BaZeh. All Jews are responsible for one another. I care what other Jews think. Especially if they are observant like me. And even more especially if they outnumber people like me. By increasing orders of magnitude over time.

*The original version of this post referenced yesterday as the day I noticed that. I have been informed that that mode of dress is worn by young Charedi students on Rosh Chodesh. Students are told to dress up in honor of that day and otherwise are not required to wear 'the uniform' on a daily basis. It must have been on last Friday when I noticed their mode of dress. Not yesterday. I apologize for the error which has since been corrected.

Saving American Jewry

Reconstructionism founder, Mordecai Kaplan (My Jewish Learning)

It could almost have been written by me. Ari Witkin, the senior director of philanthropy at Detroit’s Jewish Federation summarizes quite accurately some of the things I’ve often said here about what Judaism is really all about. Shockingly, Ari is a Reconstructionist rabbi.

This rather small denomination, founded by Mordecai Kaplan, denies the existence of God as a supernatural deity. According to Reconstructionist theology, there is no God who performs miracles, answers prayers, or intervenes in the affairs of man. The god they recognize is a version of Pantheism. Which manifests in the natural world and in human experience.

And yet Ari quite forcefully suggests that our very Jewish identity should be rooted in the values of our founding document - the Torah. I couldn’t agree more with the arguments he makes.

Although the fact that he does not mention God should have tipped me off, his point is still quite valid. It speaks to where the American Jewish community currently is - and where it ought to be.

He correctly suggests that the collective hearts of the American Jewish community are in the right place, but that the environments we operate in are not shaped by the values that are supposed to guide us. Those values are marginalized - pushed aside by societal pressures. He rightly blames this sad state of affairs on what he calls the collapse of Jewish literacy, recognizing that the only denomination where this isn’t true is Orthodoxy.

I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve said that the reason 90% of American Jewry is in danger of dying out is due to a lack of any real Jewish education. Rabbi Witkin clearly understands this as well. As he puts it:

“We end up relying on vague notions of ‘Jewish values,’ without the language, context or depth of knowledge to anchor them in something real.”

And he isn’t just talking about laypeople. He’s talking about Jewish leadership! The remedy, says Rabbi Witkin:

…requires a relationship with a specific tradition, a specific people, and a specific set of obligations. Without that particularism, the work risks losing its center.

He notes that Judaism is countercultural, that it binds us together, and that it is unapologetically grounded in obligations that connect us to one another and to something greater than ourselves.

Considering Reconstructionism’s rejection of a supernatural God, what could he possibly mean by ‘something greater than ourselves’? But I digress.

One of his criticisms is how the newly embraced ethic of ‘meeting people where they are’ has become the sine qua non of the current culture. In other words, we do not reject people because they fail to live up to our standards. We accept them as they are.

I have long advocated this approach to humanity. The most prominent example of which is how we relate to people who struggle with sexuality or sexual identity issues. But like Rabbi Witkin, I see acceptance as a floor, not a ceiling. Here is how he puts it:

“(Somewhere) along the way, ‘meeting people where they are’ became the goal instead of the starting point. It became a ceiling, not a floor.

And so I think we have to ask: Are we actually helping people grow? Or are we just trying not to lose them?

…meaningful Jewish life requires more than self-expression. It requires substance. It requires context. It requires knowledge.

Our job as leaders isn’t just to accept where people are. It’s to invite them to where they could be.”

If we don’t do that, says Rabbi Witkin, we may be creating a wider version of Judaism - but also a shallower one, which cannot last.

The remedy is to return to our founding and defining document, the Torah. While at the same time, engaging thoughtfully with the world around us. Using its many tools to help us live in the modern world while remaining firm in our core beliefs and principles.

Indeed, I have consistently been preaching these values. They are the essence of what Judaism is all about. It is sad, however, that the wisdom offered by this Reconstructionist rabbi omits the most important component of our belief system: that there is a God in this world who gave us the  very Torah he says we should follow.

The New Democratic Party

Zohran Mamdani interviewed on Meet the Press today (Screenshot)

I have to admit that I’m amused by the hand-wringing going on among mainstream Democrats after a young Socialist came out of nowhere to win the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City. 

New York is not some ‘beside-the-point’ flyover city that doesn't reflect the sentiment of Democratic voters. It is the largest city in the country, and most of its voters are Democrats. They have chosen a Socialist - Zohran Mamdani  -  to lead them to victory in November

I hate to sound like a broken record. But I cannot emphasize enough the significance Mamdani’s victory.

All the talk about Democrats moving away from the far left clearly hasn’t reached New York. The results of this election have caused severe indigestion among mainstream Democratic leaders. They are squirming, trying to figure out which direction to steer the party. What had recently been seen as a shift toward the center - following Trump’s massive victory nationwide - now seems to have been replaced by a sharp left turn. And not surprisingly, this shift has been accompanied by harsh anti-Israel sentiment.

Those who try to explain away Mamdani’s win as a matter of simple economics cannot ignore how far apart a Socialist agenda is from what America has stood for since its founding. I doubt that any mainstream Democrat embraces the Socialist ideology that will guide New York’s likely next mayor.

One Democratic apologist I heard interviewed this morning tried mightily to deflect charges of antisemitism on Mamdani’s part, using the familiar trope: ‘There’s a difference between being opposed to the current Israeli government and being an antisemite.’  The argument was that surely one can criticize a government without being antisemitic. One can even criticize the U.S. government without being anti American, right?

But does Mamdani have the right to call for genocide against the Jewish people worldwide? Which is what ‘Globalize the Intifada’ means? A cry often heard by pro-Palestinian protests that Mamdani has thus far refused to condemn. As recently as today when he was asked several times to do so by Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker – he refused. I wonder if he would defend an individual’s right to call for the annihilation of all Muslims. You bet he wouldn’t!

Mamdani’s long-held support for boycotting Israel, his refusal to condemn the Hamas attack of October 7^th, and his promise to arrest the Prime Minister of Israel if he sets foot in New York tell me far more about his true agenda than his hollow promise to fight antisemitism in the city. That promise rings especially hollow given that his own rhetoric has helped fuel it. Rhetoric that supports pro-Palestinian campus protests that have harassed Jewish students at universities across the country.

Like it or not, this is the ‘New Democrat’. Young.  Progressive. And anti-Israel.  It’s a reality that mainstream Democrats are clearly struggling to come to terms with. All the apologetics about separating criticism of Israeli policy from antisemitism are just that - apologetics.

As I’ve said before, it’s not that those mainstream American Democrats who voted for Trump have abandoned the Democratic Party. It’s that the Democratic Party has abandoned them. It has been replaced by Democratic Socialism. A movement that has abandoned its traditional support for the Jewish state and traditional American values. In its place are lofty promises of ‘social justice’ that Socialists love to preach. But that history has shown to fail every time it has been tried. It’s now a party where being anti-Israel is entirely acceptable, and where denying Israel’s right to exist is treated as no less legitimate than affirming it.

Deep down, mainstream Democratic leaders know this. That’s why they have not (yet) endorsed Mamdani. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has said she will not support him unless he condemns the phrase ‘Globalize the Intifada’. And so far, no other prominent mainstream Democrat has endorsed him either.

Those among us - the Jewish people - who care at all about our Judaism, and who continue to insist that liberalism is the truest reflection of Jewish values, and that the Democratic Party best represents those interests, really ought to rethink that logic.

If New York voters reflect the national mood, we are all in trouble. But I don’t think they do. What they do reflect is the direction liberalism is taking. The country is deeply divided. It has been for quite some time. But more so now than at any time in U.S. history.

While there has always been a right and a left, and values that clashed between them, never before has the contrast been so stark. And never before has antisemitism found such a welcoming atmosphere in the politics of a city where Jews are so heavily concentrated.

Some might say this is an anomaly. And maybe they’re right.  For now. But Mamdani is going to be around for a while.

As I said recently - and it bears repeating - those among us who care at all about their Judaism, and who still insist that liberalism and the Democratic Party best represent Jewish values, really ought to rethink that kind of logic.

The era of bi-partisan support is over. And more than anything else it is the Democrat slide down the Socialist rabbit hole that got us there.  It is long past due that the liberal Jews among us whose social justice intentions are pure - face that reality. Because for the New Democrat, social justice no longer applies to Israel.