Rabbis, Reform and Chabad, are an Unlikely Duo

The two rabbis have an easy, natural rapport. Like family members, they sometimes finish each other’s sentences, or cut each other off, or jump in with a word of praise. They share simhas and sadness. Their relationship is both personal and professional; it extends to their families and their congregations.

And while that kind of friendship can be difficult to attain even among rabbis of the same denomination, Rabbi Shalom Lubin and Rabbi Ron Kaplan are about as far apart, theologically speaking, as two rabbis can be.

Lubin, who runs the Chabad of Southeast Morris County in Madison, is an emissary of Chabad Lubavitch, the hasidic movement steeped in deeply traditional Orthodoxy.

FL Governor Signs Bill Removing Discriminatory Language

TALLAHASSEE, FL [CHI] — Governor Charlie Crist today signed Senate Bill 813, removing the terms “shylock” and “shylocking” from Florida’s laws about unlawful moneylending. The terms were introduced into Florida statutes during the 1969 legislative session.

The Poor, Rich Man Next Door: The Parnassa Crisis and YOU

The headlines we see each day are grim. America has been hit by what is likely the worst financial crisis since The Great Depression, and the amount of frum families struggling with joblessness is staggering. Consider these numbers: Passaic, a community of approximately 1400 families, has seen 100 breadwinners lose their Parnassa this year. In Brooklyn, Rav Binyamin Eisenberger, the respected Rav of one of the largest shuls in Boro Park, said that, in his kehillah alone, 10 families were left without any means of support when their fathers’ jobs were cut. Tomchei Shabbos of Lakewood has seen the need for food packages rise to frightening proportions, with approximately 1 out of every 25 families receiving aid.

These are not just numbers.

Senate Republicans Lose Only Jewish Voice

WASHINGTON [JTA] — The announcement by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania that he was switching parties and becoming a Democrat leaves no Republican Jew in the U.S. Senate, and just one in the entire U.S. Congress.