In an open letter to Oholei Torah, a parent asks: When the dust settles and the fad of the Shofer is permanently behind us, what is the takeaway for the future? Will those entrusted with the education of our children see this as a lesson to be learned, or will it take another wakeup call (heaven forbid) to get the point across?
Rabbi Shea Hecht, – author of “Confessions of a Jewish Cult Buster“- recently called the “Call Of The Shofar”, a LGAT (Large Group Awareness Training), a cult.
It’s been more than 3 years since the last election for Vaad and Rabbonim. The turn-out last time was unprecedented, and I believe it demonstrated the Schcuna’s desire for change.
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It was the last night of Chanukah, December 26, 1992. We had just lit the last Chanukah candle and my father was driving me to the airport. As we drove he told me, “Always remember that on the 8th night of Chanukah you left South Africa to begin a new life in Israel.”
I was not molested as a child, yet a number of close friends were. Boruch Hashem, the perpetrators are locked up. The tide has turned, and molestation is no longer tolerated, nor swept under the rug. Yet, there are some real questions that no one seems willing to address in a meaningful way.
Giant Menorahs, giant latkes and giant donuts – Chabad only goes giant. Many Chabad Houses have secured major city destinations for their giant Menorahs to be displayed. Chabad’s literal interpretation of Pirsumei Nisa, (Hebrew for “publicizing the miracle of Chanukah”), is usually accompanied by a major public kindling of the Menorah with city officials and hundreds of participants. Nothing Chabad does is ever on a small scale — from giant Menorahs to mobile Succahs to free High Holiday Services.
One interesting aspect of Bill de Blasio’s landslide victory in the New York mayoral race last month is that it leaves the city with very little electoral life outside the Left.
Rabbi Uriel Vigler, director of Chabad of the Upper East Side, thinks we should all play ‘knockout,’ but not the version of the game you are thinking of.
Amid the hard feelings and hostility some members of Crown Heights’ Jewish and African-American communities are feeling towards each other in light of recent incidents, one CrownHeights.info reader describes an encounter of a different nature that he experienced yesterday morning:
Of the various famous artists one can easily notice that the 16th century painter Rembrandt van Rijn was in close rapport with simple people and common everyday life.
They say I am a ‘good bochur.’ I went to good yeshivas and accomplished a lot. My yeshiva years were spent diligently studying in zal from 7:30 in the morning until 9:30 at night. During the three breaks of breakfast, lunch, and supper, I would finish chitas and Rambam.
Shomrim volunteer Mendy Hershkop wrote the following open letter in appreciation to outgoing Commanding Officer of the 71st Precinct, John Lewis:
To some , Metzitza BePeh may seem distasteful. That plus heightened sensitivity to inappropriate touching of children, as well as recently proposed circumcision bans in Europe, make MBP perfect prey for unfounded fears. Science and religious practices, however, cannot be based on such.
I’m sure many of you have heard or read about the recent Pew statistics on American Jewry and the depressing findings. Approximately 22 percent of Jewish Americans don’t identify with any religion and in responding to the Pew poll categorized themselves as Jews of No Religion.
Old timers in Chabad and the larger frum community remember all too well the 1991 Crown Heights riots and a New York City that suffered from high crime, unsafe streets and an unresponsive mayor’s office. To them, the transformation of New York under Giuliani and Bloomberg, from an ungovernable Gotham to becoming the safest large city in the country, is truly remarkable.
Pew asked the wrong questions. First, its claims that the numbers of orthodox have dropped over the decades fly in the face of reality. Walk the streets of Pico/Robertson in Los Angeles, North Miami Beach or Flatbush in Brooklyn. Thirty or forty years ago it was tough to find a few religious Jews, and today these neighborhoods are bursting with young religious families. In 1975 there was one large orthodox synagogue in Pico/Robertson and a handful of small ones. Today there are ten times as many congregations, large and small.
It was 8:55 last Tuesday morning and the bus was late. We’d been waiting impatiently outside since 8:20 and when I was sure the bus was not going to show I decided to drive my boys to school. As we approached the car I told my sons that since we have three available seats in the car, they may offer a ride to three other boys who were still waiting.
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