Restoring Religious Values into Our Schools

Temple Beth-El Rabbi - Mara Nathan

I find it somewhat ironic that Mara Nathan, a Reform Rabbi in San Antonio, Texas is protesting a proposed public school curriculum that would supposedly be teaching Christian dogma. Ironic because her own Reform movement disavows much of the dogma of her own religion.

That being said, if she is accurate about what she is protesting, I agree with her. The idea of referring to the Christian god as the messiah is in direct contradiction to Jewish belief and a serious violation of Jewish law. Any public school that would teach that or any other doctrinal belief specific to only one religion would be in obvious direct violation of the First Amendment’s separation clause. I find it hard to believe that any public school curriculum would attempt to do that intentionally. Be that as it may - the JTA reports the following: 

“The first round of the curriculum that we saw honestly had a lot of offensive content in it, and was proselytizing, and did not represent Jewish people well,” said Lisa Epstein, the director of San Antonio’s Jewish Community Relations Council.

Now those critics say most of their specific suggestions have been accepted but they remain concerned. 

They need to be more than concerned, They need to stay vigilant in order to assure that the religious dogma of any particular faith not be taught as any part of a public school curriculum.

But does that mean that the values of the bible should not be taught either? 

This is where I part company with the First Amendment warriors. The separation clause is not meant to exclude the values of any religion from being taught. Especially when those values are shared by the many faith communities that constitute the vast majority of the American public. Values considered vital by the founding fathers. Like the belief in the Creator for example. Values ‘the moral majority’ teach their children and want them to absorb. And certainly not be contradicted by a culture of increasingly Godless values being reflected in many classrooms these days. 

What ‘the moral majority’ seeks is what is really meant by teaching Judeo-Christian values.  

I completely reject the notion by the left that the term Judeo-Christian is a new term used by the Christian right to cover up their agenda of turning the US into a Christian nation. While there are surely some Christian Nationalist groups - their agenda does not represent Judeo-Christian values.  

Judeo-Christian values are not about religious doctrine. They are about what God - through our shared bible - tells us what our attitude about various types of human behavior should be. What is considered good and what is considered evil. What is considered moral and what is considered immoral.  

Those who say that the two religions interpret our shared bible in dramatically different ways are correct. But that does not mean we don’t derive the same values from that bible. Which is why for example both religions honor the Ten Commandments.

Judeo-Christian values  ought to have just as much a place in public education as do the humanistic values that undermine them.

The claim by atheists that believing in God is a violation of the First Amendment is insulting. I can understand that some people would feel that way. But there are a lot of people that feel eliminating God from the classroom is immoral. 

Parents have a right to demand that their children not be disabused of what they are taught in the home. They have the right to demand that a public school not undermine their values. The right way to do that in order to satisfy both sides is to present mandatory classes where both values are objectively taught.  Or perhaps even better to have separate mandatory classes being taught by advocates of both cultural values and religious values. Teaching only one set of values that is in opposition to the values taught in the home is the vary antithesis of a democracy. 

Of course ideally the best way to instill in children the religious values taught in the home is to send them to a parochial school. But that doesn’t mean abandoning the public schools to the antireligious humanistic values of the current public school culture. 

Personally I would sooner see the Ten Commandments on display in public schools than condom dispensaries in their bathrooms any day of the week. Wouldn’t even mind if the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ were reintroduced. I believe that Jewish students (over the age of 12 for girls and 13 for boys) might even fulfill (minimally) their obligation for prayer by reciting it.

The President-elect has indicated he favors a return to those values. I hope he succeeds while making sure that a return to those values do  not include Christian doctrine. And as noted Jewish advocacy groups need to stay vigilant about that.

The UN's Bully Pulpit

ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan

My expectations of European animus against the Jewish people is never disappointed. That continent has hated the Jewish people from the very first time a Jew set foot on it. Even when European nations invited them to settle there - the hate was always there, just beneath the surface. Eventually surfacing with a vengeance. It is an ancient hatred sourced in Christian doctrine. Now, even though much of that doctrine has been abandoned, the hatred remains. 

Even if it doesn’t always surface. It is often hidden and an opposite sentiment is expressed. They profess a desire to retain their Jewish residents as valued citizens and yet  have done little to protect us from being viscously attacked by antisemitic mobs. Which is why since the Holocaust - some of these European nations are experiencing an unprecedented exodus of Jews..

What was once Christian based hatred has now become Muslim based hatred. Young Europeans which have for most part abandoned the religious antisemitic doctrines of their parents, now hate us for different reasons. They sympathize with Muslins and believe the Jewish people are all supporters of a Zionist nation that is genocidal on par with Nazi Germany. Whose leaders on par with Hitler and his henchmen. All Jews support Israel and are genocidal  Zionists by definition.

Much of this anti Jewish animus is manifested at the UN. Where Israel is consistently singled out for condemnation more than any other government. They ae treated worse than North Korea. 

The latest volley of hate hurled at Israel comes from the ICC (International Criminal Court) whose findings are endorsed by the UN. Which as reported in JTA just did the following: 

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant based on allegations that they starved Palestinian civilians in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas. 

These warrants are based on their decision last year that determined that Netanyahu and Gallant were war criminals guilty of killing innocent civilians and using starvation as a tactic of war. They did not issue warrants at the time. They waited until now. surely basing those warrants on accusations by their own agencies in Gaza. Accusations that the US said were false based on their own assessments. 

That the the ICC also included a warrant for a Hamas official is little more than cover so they can say they are being evenhanded. 

Evenhanded? It took them until now to consider what Hamas did over a year ago on October 7^th a war crime? And they expect us to believe they are being evenhanded? 

What is of course completely missing from the accusations those warrants are based upon is the context of the war; the fact that it is a universally acknowledged that Hamas - by their own admission - place themselves in the middle of the most sensitive civilian populations in order to maximize their civilian casualties. So as to assure world condemnation of Israel. 

What is also missing is the well known fact that Israel moves entire populations of Gaza civilians out of harm’s way when they bomb a Hamas command post. That innocent civilians get killed there is because Hamas has convinced some of them to stay and become martyrs. 

What is also missing is the fact that the food that does get through to Gaza is pilfered by Hamas. And that a lot of the food that does make it in is not being distributed by those UN  humanitarian agencies. Some of whose members were complicit in the October 7^th massacre.

The US knows all that which is why the White House rejected those warrants. And this from a Democratic administration that is not exactly the best of friends with Israel’s leadership at the moment.

Thank God for the United States of America. Thank God that the most powerful nation on earth will not be intimated by world bodies whose members are comprised of people whose hatred of the Jewish people is in their blood. They can deny it all they want. Doesn’t make it any less true.

The UN is a nest of vipers masquerading as humanitarians when it is beyond obvious to any objective observer that objectivity is the last thing you would say about how they treat the Jewish state. The ICC is just another conduit for that bias based lack of objectivity.

Well, we now have an administration that understands full well what the UN is really all about. It is not about all the so-called humanitarian agencies under its umbrella. It’s mostly about how much they can do to destroy the Jewish state. Something they have been trying to do on a constant basis since the state of Israel was established. Which Europe through the UN could hardly oppose in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust – even though the resolution partitioning Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state barely passed the Security Council vote.

Over the years, America’s UN representatives have run hot and cold with respect to Israel. But there had never been a more objective UN Ambassador than Nikky Haley. She recognized the hatred against Israel expressed by the UN on an almost daily basis and called them out on it constantly. It was the hallmark of her tenure there. And now we are about to have another UN representative that will very likely do the same thing.

The question is whether there is anything else that can be done about it.

There is no ‘sliver bullet’ that will change hundreds of years of European animus against us - passed on generationally. But we can deprive them of their podium. And there is no better time to do it than now.

The time has come  for the US to stop funding that den of vipers. The UN Security Council serves no useful purpose other than to constantly condemn Israel. US taxpayers should not have to spend their money on that.

I believe that the Trump administration has the same sentiments. It would be a good start for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to recommend cutting UN funding in its entirety. And then kick them out of the US altogether. Let them set up shop in Iran for all I care. 

What about all the legitimate humanitarian agencies that exist? Surely they deserve funding. 

Well, maybe some of them do. But I can think of at least one that doesn’t. One that the President-elect defunded in his first term: UNRWA. 

That there may be some legitimate humanitarian agencies does not mean they have to be under the UN umbrella. Some of them actually predate the UN but were folded into the UN at the time of its creation.

Lets get it done. It is long past due to deprive the UN of its bully pulpit.

The Trump Peace Plan

Jared Kushner addressing the media from Rabat Morocco in 2020 (TOI)

Trump was the rare American president who actually put out a detailed plan for coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. If that Trump revives that initiative in 2025, he could be remembered as the president who preserved Israel as a Jewish democracy and helped to securely birth a Palestinian state alongside it.

How many people would burst out in hysterical laughter at this comment? Especially after reading the following line that preceded it 

Trump who, with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, crafted and released the most detailed plan for a two-state solution since Bill Clinton’s administration…

Those who are still laughing might be surprised at who said it. Someone I consider to be one of the biggest blowhards in the mainstream media, New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman. Who never misses an opportunity to criticize anyone that does not toe his anti settlement pro Palestinian state policy. A man whose hate of the Israeli Prime Minister permeates every column he has ever written on the subject of Israel since Netanyahu’s rise to power.

Although he may be a blowhard, I think he is actually right this time. At least in theory. Jared Kushner , the man Trump haters love to call stupid, is in fact the architect of the only peace plan that preserves Israel as a secure Jewish democracy while giving Palestinians the ability to govern themselves. 

Friedman described the plan as follows: 

(The) plan for a two-state solution that he put out in January 2020, titled “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People... (is) still the only detailed peace map that any president has publicly presented to create two states since the Clinton parameters, set out by Clinton 24 years ago. 

The plan offered Israel the right to annex roughly 30 percent of the West Bank where a majority of Jewish settlers reside, with the remainder going for a demilitarized Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Trump proposed that Gaza would be expanded with land from Israel’s Negev Desert to compensate Palestinians for part of the territory they would relinquish from the West Bank... 

And Trump proposed that Gaza and the West Bank be connected by a combination of aboveground roads and tunnels — but only after Hamas is removed from leadership in Gaza, as he insisted back then. The Palestinian capital would be on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

That plan was supported by Prime Minister Netanyahu. I would of course enthusiastically support such a plan – if it would end the violence and result in peaceful relations between the two peoples. As I have said many times in the past, I would have even supported a Palestinian state on the entire West Bank ala Oslo if it would have given Israel and Palestinians that kind of peace.

To be absolutely clear, this does not mean that I don’t believe that all of biblical Israel doesn’t belong to the Jewish people. Of course it does. However, giving up land in exchange for a real peace that would save countless Jewish lives is something I heartily support. In any event, we will eventually get that land back in messianic times. 

I am not alone in feeling that way. The undisputed leader of the Charedi world in his time, Rav Eliezer Menachem Mann Shach was recently attributed the following opinion in the Times of Israel: 

He was bitterly opposed to settlements in the West Bank, which he saw as incitement against Gentiles that endangered Jews, and he supported land-for-peace initiatives. 

I disagreed with Rav Shach about some very important issues. But on this, we were one. 

The problem with Freidman’s hopeful thoughts about a possible direction Trump might take in this regard - is actually cited by Freidman himself: 

Trump’s plan would have to change because of the fallout from Oct. 7. It has zero possibility of being accepted as is from either side.

That may be the understatement of the century. I do not see any kind of Palestinian state being agreed to that would bring peace to the region. October 7^th exposed the reality of how virtually all Palestinians feel about a Jewish state. They all want it gone. And they do not want to be rid of Hamas. They support Hamas and were quite happy with what happened on October 7^th. 

Furthermore,  a key part of that plan is getting rid of Hamas. That has proven to be virtually impossible. Israel has been trying to do that for well over a year now and has paid a high public relations price for that. There have been increasing accusations of genocide being thrown at Israel by, the UN, European leaders, and recently Pope Francis.

The Trump plan was a non starter when it was proposed and after the Hamas massacre of October 7^th and the over 40,000 Palestinian ‘civilians’ s being killed over the past year, I don’t think anything remotely close to it will be considered by either side. The creation of a Palestinian state is no longer possible if Israel is to survive. Not as long as Iran and  radical Islam are around. And they aren’t going anywhere. Unless Israel sends them there.

There is no making peace with pure evil. So for now, the only option for Israel is to continue their pursuit of removing the evil from their midst. Once Trump re-occupies the Oval Office my hope is that he will give Israel the kind green light and wherewithal they need to do it – and do it quickly. May it be God’s will. Only then can we begin to talk about what happens next. 

That being said, the following are my thoughts about a possible scenario for what could happen then. With a complete victory, and the backing of the US under Trump, Israel can dictate the terms of peace in the region. Like any victor in war would. The key to the future will be for Israel to be a benevolent victor (as was the US in West Germany after their victory in WWII).  A Marshall Plan of sorts would be devised whereby the US would encourage wealthy Arab Gulf states to rebuild Gaza and allow Palestinians self governance - free of Hamas or any Iranian influences. 

When is a Miracle Really a Miracle?

Rabbis checking the Eruv in Bnei Brak

The border between Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan was hit last night. A rocket was fired into that location by Hezbollah. Fortunately it was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome. But shards from the interceptor rocket destroyed an empty bus, did some minor damage to property, and injured 5 people. VIN reports that one of the people injured was saved from bleeding to death by a group of nursing students that at the time happened to be studying in an adjacent building. The text of the article called it ‘a remarkable stroke of fortune’. But the headline called it a miracle.

Reacting in a similar way was a group of rabbis as reported by Rafi Goldmeier on his blog, Life in Israel: 

(The) rav of the local eruv went out to fix what he assumed would be a destroyed eruv, sensing that the eruv poles and wires in that immediate area would have been damaged by the explosion. When he got there with his tools he discovered the eruv was fully intact having incurred no damage at all… a miracle

This was such an amazing miracle that the rabbonim of Bnei Braq went out to see the miracle for their own eyes and expressed that in the merit of shabbos observance of the people of Bnei Braq it protected the city.

Rafi’s reaction was as follows: 

This is a tremendously busy area. There are skyscrapers there alongside large malls and businesses, with almost permanent traffic jams. A large missile hit the area, did not hit any of the large buildings , caused some damage to a couple stores and a bus but it didn't knock down any of the skyscrapers it narrowly missed, didnt destroy tens of people in their cars on those busy roads, injured only 5 people in an area that could have seen tens of injured or killed...  But the eruv is the big miracle.

I have to agree with Rafi’s sentiments. The idea that they consider that an Eruv wasn’t damaged to be the big miracle and not the fact that not a single building or any of the people in those buildings were hurt was not even worthy of mention in that regard. The important thing was that the Eruv a religious item wasn’t damaged. That’s the miracle. 

But I would take this a step further. There were 5 people injured. One of them so seriously that if there hadn’t been the fortuitous intervention of a group of students, she would have died. And the were happy about an Eruv remaining intact? Where was their miracle? Why do a couple of poles and the fishwire atop of them being spared from any damage merit praise as a miracle in the face of that?!

A word of an explanation is in order here. The Hebrew word for miracle is Neis. There are 2 types of Nissim (plural for Neis): Neis Nigleh – an open miracle. And Neis Nistar – a hidden miracle. 

A Neis Nigleh is when the plane of nature is broken. Something that cannot be explained by physical means. The splitting of the Red Sea upon Israel’s exodus from Egypt would be an example of that. We no longer have that kind of miracle in our day. 

What is possible today is a Neis Nistar, which can be explained via a physical phenomena. An example of that would be Israel’s War for Independence or the Six Day War. The odds were so stacked against Israel that only a miracle could save them. And yet Israel won both wars. When something like that happens – the plane of nature has not been broken and yet winning a war against such great odds is surely a miracle. 

I don't think an event where a rocket misses hitting an Eruv qualifies as any kind of miracle when people get hurt in that very same event.  And it really upsets me that there are rabbis that can say such things. 

The Culture War and Identity Politics

If I had to blame any two issues for the loss suffered by Democrats in the last election, (other than the perception of a bad economy) those mentioned in the title of this post would be the ones. It isn’t just me saying it. A lot of Democrats now going through introspection are saying the same thing

I have often made the observation that the country is divided. I still think that’s true. But I am beginning to believe more than ever that the ‘Moral Majority’ (a term coined by the late Evangelical preacher, Jerry Falwell) actually is the majority.

One of the more prominent Democrats, Former President Bill Clinton, seemed to make this very point, yesterday. 

Once again showing that a candidate’s identity (in this case - as a man or a woman) is more significant that their qualifications as a leader - a mainstream media reporter asked Clinton if he thought a woman would ever be elected president.  

Clinton who as of late has been quite thoughtful and honest in responding to loaded questions like this said yes. But that a conservative Republican woman would have a better chance of being elected than a liberal Democratic woman. That was followed by his observation that the electorate has moved to the right. 

Is there any question that if Nikky Haley would have been the Republican candidate she would have won by an even  bigger landslide than Trump? ...as polls had indicated during the primaries? Harris didn’t lose because she’s a woman. She lost because she focused on identity politics and was on the wrong side of the culture war. A war the moral majority is now driving rightward - to the chagrin of  LGBTQ and pro abortion warriors. They believed that the majority of the voting public was with them. But they were wrong.

I hate to use the term since it has become a pejorative of sorts associated with Trump supporters. But Making America Great Again is what the majority of Americans want when they say the country is headed in the wrong direction. They want to go back to a time when their morals were the morals of America. They are not America’s morals now.

I have recently discussed the LGBTQ aspect of the culture war and why most Americans do not share the views of LGBTQ advocates the way Democrats, the entertainment industry, and the media do. Regardless of how hard they try to influence them..

The view most Americans have about abortion is another cultural issue that has been misunderstood by Democrats. 

Most Americans support unfettered access to abortion. As do I. But I don’t believe that most Americans would support aborting a fetus because of inconvenient timing. Or because of an accidental pregnancy by a teenager that forgot to use a condom.

We live at a time and in a culture where  casual sex  is now the norm. So much so that adolescents are almost expected to engage in causal sex. I would be willing to bet that the majority of young men and women in this country have had sexual relations before they get married.  

Parents are thus advised by health professionals to teach their children about the use of condoms if and when they engage in sex. Sexual hygiene is part of a public high school curriculum. The assumption is that most adolescents  WILL at some point have sex. This is the world in which we now live - unless you are a devoutly religious person that does not believe in sex before marriage. A concept that is practically ridiculed these days.

I don’t know what the number of teenage pregnancies are these days. But I’ll bet there is a heck of a lot more now than there were in the 50s.

I believe the majority of Americans would like to go back to a time where casual sex was not the norm. A time where morals like that mattered. A time where a teenage pregnancy was a lot less common. A time where waiting for sex until marriage was the norm instead of just hoping your children are using condoms.

Democrats are beginning to realize that they were on the wrong side of the culture war. And if they want to ever win a election again they need to reverse course and pick a candidate whose policies respect the morals of the majority. 

The majority of Americans revolted against a culture that has gone way too far in the wrong direction. They voted for a man like Trump because - despite his character -  they believe he would change the direction of the country (i.e. make America great again). 

This is the new reality. And that’s a good thing.

An Analysis of the Election and Trump's Picks

Trump and Rubio

Democrats and the mainstream media are scratching their collective heads right now trying to figure out what happened?! Trump won the election in dramatic fashion.  Why? How?   

It’s probably true that the most important issue that swayed  undecided voters in Trumps direction was the economy. But that alone in my view cannot explain why the media relentless attacks against the President-elect didn’t make a dent in the numbers that voted for him. 

I believe there are other factors that account for that. Factors the media is particularly clueless about.  Polls have shown that the majority of the American people believe the county is headed in the wrong direction. A direction where the values of the majority of American people consider immoral are considered by the media and  liberal Democrats to be quite moral.  The most troubling among them is the normalization an LGBTQ agenda that seeks to celebrate and take pride in gay sex the same as one would take pride in being straight. And promote that changing the sex of someone that believes they were born the wrong sex is the most moral thing one can do. 

So that if a child expresses such feelings and a doctor (who is informed about the latest studies on this issue) affirms those feelings - the government should then have the right - even the obligation to ignore parental objections - and to begin gender affirming hormone therapy on that child. That a parent would be given the right to prevent such therapy is considered immoral

The media just doesn’t get it. How can it be  that the American people don’t see the damage they are doing to their children by preventing them from undergoing gender affirming therapy?! The idea that moral person would object to that did not occur to them. Instead such people are considered either ignorant or bigoted.

They’re all therefore trying to figure out what went wrong with their candidate Harris's s perfect campaign - which clearly espoused the values thy consider sacred. And surely not the ‘bible thumping’ values of MAGA Republicans. When the media uses the term MAGA you can see the derision all over their faces. 

Democrats and the media have obviously misread the values of the American people - instead mistakenly casting their values in their own image. 

They also thought that theirs constant focus on identity politics that placed certain demographics into their political column. While the majority of those demographics voted for Harris, in many cases the percentage that voted for Trump this time doubled over the last time Trump ran for president. One might be shocked to know for example that more Muslims voted for Trump this time that they did last time. 

I’m pretty sure they didn’t do so because he moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and called Jerusalem Israel’s capital. Islam has the same issues with the LGBTQ agenda that all religious people have. I believe the Trump voters from these minority blocks did not like the moral direction this country was taking and voted for him as much for that than they did about the direction of economy. 

 A word about Trump’s picks for cabinet positions. The media is keeps focusing on his bad choices, almost totally ignoring his good choices.

Those who believed we would see the end of Democracy are now asking those of us that appreciated the polices in his last term of we are having ‘buyer’s remorse’ about that.

For me the answer is an unequivocal no. I could not be happier with Trump’s choices where it matters the most for me. Which are in his choices for positions that most directly affect Israel. 

The State Department never had as its head a man like Marco Rubio who so strongly supports Israel and the Jewish people.  ‘State’ is notoriously anti Israel disguising it’s animosity as being even handed. But  they are obvioulsy biased in their analysis about how that ‘evenhandedness’ benefits the US. Relying on experts like Robert Malley   who lost his security clearance after mishandling classified  information. If there is a ‘swamp’ to clean out in Washington, ‘State’ is it. And Rubio is the right guy to do it.

I can think of no better US champion of Israel in the UN and the Jewish people that Elise Stefanik. She showed her mettle during congressional hearings on the rampant antisemitism on ivy league college campuses. She has also been one of the most vocal supporters of Israel on Capital Hill. Those who have said  that deep down she is an antisemite because of some vague comments about ‘Replacement theory’ with respect to migrants (a charge made against Jews by White Nationalists) is as ridiculous as saying that Trump is an antisemite because he hosted a Holocaust denier at Mara Lago. That would make the 75% of Orthodox Jews that voted for him the stupidest people in the world. But no one is happier at Trump’s choices for state and the UN than Orthodox Jews.

And then there is his choice for US ambassador to Israel. The Jewish left is troubled by the fact  Huckabee is a devout evangelical Christian. Who believes in end-times prophecy where Jews that do not accept the divinity of their god will suffer the travails of Armageddon while Christians will enjoy rapture waiting to inherit the earth.

But those of us that know that this will not happen are quite pleased with a US ambassador that will be the most pro Israel ambassador in the history of the US-Israel relationship.  There can be no better friend of a nation than someone that fully supports their actions in a war with their enemies. There will be no more handwringing about innocent civilians being killed.  From this point forward the US will place the blame for those casualties squarely where it belongs. On Hamas and their sponsors, Iran.  Israel will no longer be held back in attacking Iran’s oil fields and nuclear facilities - at least those it can reach with its limited capacity.

 The Netanyahu government cannot be happier with these choices. Me too.

What about his bad choices? They are bad. No question about it. Matt Gaetz being the worst among them. My sincere belief (at least I hope) is that the Senate will not confirm him as attorney General. And that Tod Blanche - Trump’s personal lawyer andick as Deputy Attorney General takes his place. Blanche is a knowledgeable and respected lawyer who will do a good job.

The rest of his bad choices will undergo scrutiny and the Senate will vote on where to confirm them or not. The aforementioned pro Israel picks by Trump will surely be approved. And it should put to rest all the pre election talk about Trump’s second term not being as pro Israel as the first. It seems that quite the opposite is true. If some of his bad choice are approved, the country will survive.

This doesn’t mean I am going to like what comes out of the Oval Office all the time. I will most assuredly will not like them all.  But when it comes to Israel, I’m feeling pretty good right now about what the US-Israel relaionship will be like going forward.

Hesder Students and Charedi Students

Yeshivat Hesder Yeruchem in Southern Israel (Jewish Press)

If I were a Hesder student, I think I would probably be more  disturbed by the Charedi attitude to army service than anyone else. 

It is fairly common knowledge that Charedi leaders are vehemently opposed to their youth serving in the IDF. The reasons for which are either out of fear that they will ultimately lose their religion by being exposed to a military culture populated by non observant recruits. Or that at the very least they would of necessity face Halachicly compromising situations. 

But they also assert that it is the diligent 24/7 Torah study by their young that gives Israel their real protection. And since every single Charedi young person automatically does that, not a single one of them serves in the IDF since taking any of them them out of the Beis HaMedrash reduces the number of people protecitng Israel.

Which of course also gives them the great advantage of never having to worry about the lethal dangers of combat. How lucky of them that Torah Umnaso - that Torah as their profession. Charedim therefore go about living their lives just as they did before the war.  They studied 24/7 then and they study 24/7 now. Their families never miss them for months at a time. Not knowing if they will ever see them alive again. Nope. Its business as usual life goes on as before. 

If someone complains about that ufair advantage - what are they supposed to do? Torah study is their job. Somebody has to do it. And they have volunteered to sacrifice themselves that way.They can't help being exempt from the tragedy most of the rest of the country is exposed to.

This attitude must be maddening to the rest of the country. 

Making matters worse, the shortage of manpower in the IDF continues. Which means extended tours of duty for the already over worked soldiers. Not the least of which are the Hesder Yeshiva students. As noted in the Jewish Press one solution to this shortage is to extend active service period for Hesder yeshiva students. Increasing their already heavy burden even more. 

Why should Hesder students be more upset at the Charedi world than would be anyone else whose active service period might be increased because of the lack of Charedi participation? 

It’s because of the very fact that Charedim are so dismissive of Hesder even though they have very same  commitment to Torah study that Charedim do. While at the same time sacrificing a portion of that time as combat soldiers in the IDF. The following is what a Hesder student looks at in terms of his dedication to the Jewish people: 

Hesder service typically spans five years, during which participants serve as official soldiers in the IDF. Of these five years, 17 months are spent on active duty, including both training and operational service. In certain Hesder Yeshivas, the program extends to six years, with 24 months dedicated to army service. The majority of Hesder Yeshiva students serve as combat soldiers, with the remainder of the time focused on full-time Torah study.

Under the new plan, the active service of Hesder students will be extended by several months...

Hesder yeshiva students enlist in a special track, divided so that they begin with 12 to 24 months of unpaid service in the yeshiva. They then embark on 17 months of active service, during which they undergo basic training and perform regular duties.

Finally, they conclude their service with another unpaid period, completing a total of 44 months of service...

Hesder soldiers and Hesder graduates disproportionately serve in front-line combat units and have had a large share of the casualties in the war… 

How can someone who is as dedicated to Torah study as is a Hesder student not be upset at the fact that they are not recognized for that by their Charedi counterparts? Making matters worse - they leave the Beis Hamedrash only to risk their lives for extended periods of time fighting for the Jewish people. People that include the very same Charedim that do exactly the same thing Hesder students when they are not fighting and sometimes dying for their people! Does this make sense to anyone? Well not to me it doesn’t.

It is one thig to say that the Jewish people needs both soldiers and Torah scholars for it survive. They might be able to claim that each side has a role that is not fulfilled by the other side. And they are the ones fulfilling their role as students who study Torah full time. While soldiers fulfill their roles by fighting mortal enemies. 

But they cannot say that to Hesder students. Because Hesder students do both. And yet are treated by the Charedi world as though their Torah study is non existent. The Torah 24/7 Torah study at Hesder Yeshivos doesn’t count because it is interrupted by IDF service. That they risk their lives doesn't matter. Point being that since their Torah study is interrupted they can't possibly be studying at the same high level as Charedim are. They are soldiers. Not students of Torah. 

Meanwhile Charedim get on with their lives almost as though there was nothing unusual happening in Israel right now.

Thing is, I have not heard about a single Hesder student complaining about it. They seem to be able to live with being slighted in this way by a world that refuses to recognize either their contributions as religious IDF soldiers who risk their lives disproportionately compared to other IDF soldiers;  and even less as committed Torah students. 

Which makes Hesder students a lot better people than I am. Because I am outraged by it. 

Off my soapbox.

Towards a Federal Mandate for Vouchers

CTU President, Stacy Davis Gates

Now that the pro voucher president-elect has promised to abolish the Department of Education - it would be a good time to correct a major injustice. To correct an injustice to taxpayers that choose to send their children to parochial schools by demanding that some of that taxpayer money go to their schools. For purposes of teaching the same general studies material taught in the public schools. Although many states already do provide public funds for that, many do not. It is time to press for a federal law mandating that all states do that. Especially now with a Supreme Court sympathetic to religious concerns.

Those that might argue that the separation clause of the First Amendment precludes any government funding for parochial schools must contend with voucher states that to the best of my knowledge have never faced any constitutional challenges. Or if they did, they prevailed. 

It seems more than reasonable to me that funding a secular curriculum that uses the same textbooks and teaches the same material that public schools do ought not be considered a violation of the First Amendment. And yet opponents of providing such funds to parochial schools keep insisting that they do. Arguing that any connection at all with a religious school violates the separation clause. 

Fortunately they have all been proven wrong. Had they been right the Supreme Court would have long ago declared those states to be in violation thereof and forced them to stop. They have not.

And it’s a good thing they didn’t. Parochial school parents that live in those states are therefore able to see the same taxpayer benefits their public school parents get. While at the same time enabling their children to retain the religious values they learn in the home without the influence of values promoted in public schools they see as counter to theirs.

Nonetheless diehard opponents will argue that if the secular studies curriculum is identical, why not just send our children to public schools and have religious studies after class? Wouldn’t that help solve the financial burden without the need to resort to government funding they see as constitutionally questionable?  

That may sound good in theory but the reality is entirely different. Environment matters. If one is instilled with religious values for part of the day and values that are considered anathema to those values for part of the day confusion will surely prevail. The values between the parochial school kids and the public school kids will be vastly different and relationships between them will be awkward at best. and deleterious to their spiritual health at worst. 

If you are a devout Christian or a devout Orthodox Jew, this is no way to educate your child. 

What kind of values are public school kids being taught? I was forwarded a copy of a declaration by the CTU (Chicago Teachers Union) calling for a mass rally in response to the election of President Donald. J. Trump. here in part is what it said: 

In our schools, a powerful union contract will be a bright line of defense against the Project 2025 agenda. We will use it to defend sanctuary, LGBTQIA+ rights, and a public education system that teaches students about their own history and to be critical thinkers. 

LGBTQIA+ rights? That surely includes supporting gender affirming care for children under the age of 18 born with gender dysphoria. If I understand correctly this means even against the wishes of parents.

Sanctuary? Does that mean providing masses of illegal migrants a place to live indefinitely - paid for with city funds Chicago does not have?

Teaching students about their own history? I doubt the CTU meant teaching Jewish kids about centuries long antisemitism culminating in the Holocaust. I’m sure they mean vilifying the founding fathers as a bunch of colonialists and racists who built this country on the backs of black slaves whose descendants ought to be paid reparations by the government

Critical thinkers? Only if they criticize any political agenda that does not fit with their own.

This is not an environment I would want my children to experience for even one hour a day, let alone several classes a day from CTU teachers that are ‘true believers’.  

Parochial schools are careful to hire teachers that do not bring politics into their classroom. They teach science, English, math and American history in the traditional manner it has always been taught and there is zero discussion about LGBTQ+ issues and certainly no gender affirming therapy ever given to any child under their jurisdiction..

The CTU teaching philosophy that supports an LGBTQ+ agenda; and as altered their curriculum to fit their negative views of American history is exactly why the President-elect is right about dismantling the Department of Education. 

That it has devolved into indoctrination of values foreign to religious people is why it is more important than ever for parochial school parents to demand their rights to access the funds that are supposed to benefit all of Americas children. Without their children being exposed to values they do not support. I might even argue that not getting access to those funds would violate the ‘free exercise’ clause of the First Amendment – hampering it by forcing parents to pay high tuition costs they can ill afford for subjects their children should be taught for free, Same as public school kids. 

So Far, So Good

Trump’s pro Israel Cabinet Picks (Forward)

My views have not changed. In fact they have become even stronger. I have always separated the man from his policies. Trump the man is a reprobate. That should be clear to anyone that is  not a MAGA Republican. (And probably even to a few that are.) I am not going to rehash all of the reasons why this is true. If you don’t know what most of them are, you are probably dead. 

What I have always also said is that I supported his policies. 

His opponent had the reverse situation. On a personal level Harris was everything Trump was not. On a policy level, however, with few exceptions I supported neither her domestic agenda nor her foreign policy agenda. 

These contradictory facts are what made it virtually impossible for me to decide who to vote for. Should I choose the frying pan? Or the fire?

That decision was made for me by the American electorate who overwhelmingly chose policy over personal character. Although I have no way of knowing what the next four years will look like exactly, I can say with complete confidence that I am not disappointed with what Trump has done so far – just one week since his victory at the polls. 

He has more than lived up to my expectations about what his policy with respect to Israel will be by choosing cabinet members that are perhaps the most pro Israel of any past administration. Including his own. Marco Rubio (yet to be officially announced) at State; Elise Stefanik at the UN; Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor; and Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel. 

These cabinet positions are the ones most directly affecting the Jewish state. And all 4 of these new cabinet secretaries are more pro Israel than are most non Orthodox Jews (even in Israel) - who want to see a more pluralistic and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Israel rather than an Israel loyal to the values that define what Judaism really is.  

The new UN ambassador has said he does not recognize the term ‘West Bank’. He sees only Judea and Samaria in that location. This signals a sea change in how the Trump administration will deal with a Palestinian state. Let’s just say that it’s not in the cards. That said, I do not believe Trump will support annexation of the West Bank either. That would a a prescription for unprecedented bloodshed on both sides. But at least I know where his heart lies. It lies with biblical Israel. Not a state called Palestine. 

Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense is a stunner. From AP: 

President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the broader defense world by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary, 

Indeed. Choosing a Fox News host to head one of the most sensitive and important cabinet posts is a shock. It’s kind of like choosing my 7 year old 4’ 7’’ grandson to play Forward for the Chicago Bulls.

Or is it? 

It might seem that way to most establishment figures. But it would not be the first time an  inexperienced individual rose to the occasion and surpassed all expectations. And on the plus side there is this: 

The 44-year-old Hegseth, a staunch conservative who embraces Trump’s “America First” policies, has pushed for making the military more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat hurts that effort.

“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse,” Hegseth said.

And while he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said it was because minority and white men can perform similarly but the same isn’t true for women.

By opening combat slots to women, “we’ve changed the standards in putting them there, which means you’ve changed the capability of that unit,” Hegseth said in the podcast interview. 

Hard for me to disagree with this. And have said many of these things myself. To cite just one problem that should be obvious to everyone. When you put a man and a woman together in closed quarters, you are asking for trouble. There is a reason for the rise on sexual abuse of women in the military. Saying that men should control themselves is true. But why put them into situations that lend themselves to such abuse in the first place? The purpose of the military is not to promote DEI. It is (to quote the late General Colin Powel) to break things and kill people. 

If implementing Hegseth’s values is what making America great again is all about, it’s about time and I’m all for it.

A Kallus View of Army Service

Rabbi Shraga Kallus

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. My heart leans heavily towards the latter. But I couldn’t help laughing at the opening comment in a lecture by Rabbi Shraga Kallus. He said he had an open mind. I don’t think I have ever heard anything as hilarious as that from a Charedi spokesman. He delivered a lecture on the ‘Torah Anytime’ website about IDF service for Charedim.  To say that his views are extreme would be an understatement - but not surprising. What makes this so concerning though is the following bio at that website:

(Rabbi Kallus) heads the prestigious kollelim of Machon Hora'ah l'Rabbanim and the “Second-Seder Kollel,” which counts over 150 avreichim focused on halachah l’maaseh. He is the Rav of Kehillas Imrei Phi, and a Rebbi in Yeshivas Torah Ore, Yeshivas Aderes HaTorah and Yeshivas Beis Yisroel. He gives shiurim in seminaries as well, including Binas Beis Yaakov and Chedvas Beis Yaakov.

HaRav Kallus is a renowned and sought-after speaker who has been invited to speak at the Agudah and Mir Yarchei Kallah in Yerushalayim. Rav Kallus has given over 14,000 shiurim over the past twelve years... 

Wow. That’s quite a resume.  And yet what he preaches at this lecture seems to be among the most extreme versions of Orthodox Judaism I have ever heard. 

Rabbi Kallus is obviously an American as his East Coast accent indicates. And yet by the same token even though he probably thought he was speaking English, he was really speaking ‘Yeshivish’. Which is English heavily sprinkled with Hebrew and Aramaic terms used by Yeshiva students when they study Gemarah. If one is unfamiliar with this ‘language’ one will have a hard time understanding what he is saying. It will sound like gibberish to the average English speaker.

I believe that the more deeply one is immersed in the Yeshiva world to the exclusion of any contact with  the outside world, the more one will end up speaking like this all the time. Believing that English is being perfectly spoken.

I don’t know what Rabbi Kallus’s educational background is with respect to a curriculum that included English. But whatever it may have been, his English language skills have been completely obliterated. And he probably doesn’t even realize it.

This is a troubling development in the exponentially growing Yeshiva world. It is going to be increasingly difficult to find eloquent spokesman for the Yeshiva world if this pattern of speaking English continues to accelerate. 

Be that as it may that isn’t as troubling as what Rabbi Kallus’s messages seemed to be. I say ‘seemed’ because he was quite circuitous in trying to express it. That - combined with his Yeshivsh language made it difficult to understand what his point was.  

With that disclaimer in hand - my sense of what his message was makes me wonder if we are part of the same religion. His lecture was about a question asked by a religious father whose son was an IDF soldier killed in Gaza. And why Charedim are spared any such consequences because they refuse to be inducted into the IDF. While Rabbi Kallus admitted that the loss of that father’s son was tragic, he doubled down on why Charedim should not serve in an army whose goal he says is to protect people whose way of life is anathematic to authentic Judaism. 

If I understood him correctly he considers fighting and dying for a country like that to be practically sacrilegious. How dare anyone ask a holy Yeshiva student to die for a cause like that? Those revelers at the Nova festival were not religious at all. If anything they were anti religious. Is this what a Frum Jew should fight in the IDF for?! No way!

If anyone listens to this lecture and comes away with a different message, I will be happy to stand corrected. But I think I got the gist of what he was trying to say.

This is the kind of influence he is peddling in the over 14,000 Shiurim has given so far. Whose influence will be spread a lot further after they are published in book form.  

Rabbi Kallus didn’t make up this Hashkafa out of thin air. It is identical to what has been preached recently by the two most respected Charedi leaders in Israel. Who I’m sure are joined by their fellow leaders just a notch below them in prestige. This was demonstrated once again in an article at YWN: 

The IDF signed agreements with yeshivah bochurim behind the backs of their Roshei Yeshivos and Rabbanim... that they would enlist in the IDF within 20 months of ending their limudim in yeshivah gedola in exchange for the removal of personal sanctions… The Rosh Yeshivah promptly expelled the bochurim, not wanting to legitimize enlistment in the IDF.

That in and of itself doesn’t upset me so much. Secretly breaking the rules of your school deserves sanction. Even if those rules violate the law. If the school considers a law unjust and you enroll in it, then you must follow their rules and are subject to their sanctions if you break them.

What upsets me is why there is such a rule in the first place:

In September, the Gedolei Yisrael published a letter instructing bochurim of all yeshivos not to respond to draft orders – (reassuring) bochurim… that if any of them are harassed by the police or IDF, the entire yeshivah world will unite and fight for them.

The letter states: “Since the army’s harassment of bnei yeshivos worsened and they launched a war against the Olam HaTorah, no bnei yeshivos should show up at draft centers at all.” 

It is so sad that complying with a law whose intent is to ease the burden on those who have already sacrificed so much is being treated like a declaration of war against the Olam HaTorah. How can any religious father who lost a child in war bear to hear that his son fought and died for a army that declared a war on Torah?! How can any religious father bear to hear the kind of explanation given by Rabbi Kallus about why religious Jews should not risk their lives fighting in the IDF? 

This is what passes for authentic Judaism?!

To be absolutely clear, I have NEVER opposed the concept of Torah L’Shma - Learning Torah for its own sake. On the contrary. For those so inclined and the ability to do so long term, they should do it and God bless them. 

But to say or imply that their world of Torah  is the only world of Torah – to the exclusion of all other observant Jews is so obviously false, that I cannot believe they believe it themselves. To say that those who are dying for their country are doing so for a ‘Treif country’ and shouldn’t consider it a Mitzvah to protect Jews that deliberately violate the Torah is not only irrational but the height of Chutzpah. 

I’ve asked these questions before, but it is worth asking them again in this context. Do they not realize that the over one hundred thousand Charedi Yeshiva students in their orbit are being protected by the IDF too? Do they not realize how many Frum Jews there are in the IDF fighting for them? Do they not realize that the IDF has units that can accommodate Charedi sensitivities... and will continue to add units like that to accommodate any increased Charedi enlistment? Do they really believe their  ‘Olam HaTorah is the only Olam HaTorah that matters? Do they really not believe that the thousands of religious Jews fighting in the IDF are also an Olam HaTorah? Especially those in Hesder Yeshivos? 

I am 100% certain they know there are other religious communities that value Torah study. But they apparently dismiss them as not real Bnei Torah.  I guess they feel that a real ben Torah isolates himself from these religious Jews same as they do from secular Jews. And should surely not die for them fighting in a war on behalf of an anti Torah country. They may even consider that a Chilul HaShem!