Rabbi Ysoscher Katz responded to the alleged welfare fraud and arrest of seven Lakewood couples in a timesofisrael.com blog (Understanding Lakewood, Understanding Ourselves). Rabbi Katz essentially claims that Chareidim get stuck on minority halachik opinions from centuries ago which frame their attitudes and lead to their
I remember the comment as if it were yesterday. As a high school teacher living in Chicago, I had been invited to a school weekend “spirit” event for students and faculty at an area hotel. The facility’s sat on a sprawling property and its layout was unconventional to say the least, which made navigation from one place to another
Is your G-d dead? I don’t mean the G-d of the philosophers or the scholars, but, as Blaise Pascal said, the “G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, G-d of Jacob.” With no disrespect, I hope the question comes as a jolt. And without being outraged or quick to accuse me of “blasphemy,” know, too, that I am a hopeful monotheist. I might even
A week before my trip to Israel one winter break, I got an email from a friend, Rafael Sait, asking me if I had any space in my suitcase to bring over some Romanian meat for him. A little background is required here: The Romanian butchery in Chicago on the corner of Clark and Touhy is probably the most
The recently-published book Homeward Bound: Inspiring Stories of Return (Feldheim Distribution) by Rabbi Michoel Gros is a collection of captivating stories and inspiring lessons of Jews returning to their roots and of people involved in kiruv. It contains dozens of true anecdotes of teshuva and kiruv, and it can be an important
