Libi BaMizrach

Last night I was privileged to take part in the Yom HaZikaron ceremony, commemorating family members of Lavon residents who fell in the wars of Israel.  As one who not only did not serve in the IDF, nor did anyone of my close family (With the exception of Lonn's two American nephews Ari Roth and Yisroel Weisberger who volunteered to serve), I am very aware that my experience -- and that of most Haredi families -- is very different than that of virtually all Israeli families, almost all of whom have a close friend or family member that was a military casualty.  This gap is one of the major reasons that there is such a large chasm between the two sides - which on an emotional level is very hard to bridge.  All the more so when images of Haredim speaking with contempt of the army and attacking Haredi soldiers -- it is hard to imagine the fury this provokes on the other side. I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity to say the memorial prayer for these heroes of t...

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of having my article “ No, Rabbi Kahane was not a Racist ” published in the Jewish press.  In that article, I argued that not only was Rav Meir Kahane הי"ד not a racist, but certainly the leaders of Otzma Yehudit, whose platform is far milder than some of the more controversial things Rav Kahane said, are not racist, the Supreme Court of Israel notwithstanding.  I received several comments which I would like to respond to.  In particular, some asked me to explain why I thought it was important to defend Rav Kahane’s reputation, given that the vast majority of the Jewish world, both left and right, religious and secular, rejected him and his views. I want to begin by referencing an insight of Dr. AJ Heschel (probably not a Kahane fan) in “ A Passion for Truth ,” his treatment of the holy Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (and, lehavdil S ø ren Kierkegaard).  In introducing him, he said that the extreme, total and unforgiving passio...