Libi BaMizrach

If you listen to the media, pundits, and frankly, most people, Governor Mike Huckabee has “no chance” of becoming the next President of the United States.  If, however, the reaction that he evinced at last night’s gala Bet El Dinner is any indication, I would caution anyone from writing his political epitaph.  Looking around the room, one could not help but be struck by the prevalent longing that this, wise, good and decent man would assume exactly that role.   His combination of passion, humor, strength, confidence, and humility, coupled with an extraordinary love of the United States, Israel, and their peoples, was simply breathtaking.  Frankly, I do not know why it seems “self-evident” that Mr. Huckabee is not a viable candidate.  Watching his performance at the various debates (at those rare moments that he was given a chance to speak), listening to him speak on the issues, and having had the chance to converse with him in person, I have been f...

   This is a difficult topic.    I have started to write this essay several times, in several different ways, over the past few weeks, and abandoned it after being unhappy in the direction it was going.  There are many complex issues that come into play, and it has been difficult for me to articulate a nuanced, "middle of the road" approach that does justice to the subject matter, proudly upholds Torah principles, and at the same time avoids writing that which will hurt the easily offended.    I am referring to the tension between Torah observance and those who harbor same-sex attraction.   This issue has been in and out of the front pages over recent months, mostly to the detriment of Torah Jewry.  The Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v.Hodges establishing same-sex marriage as a constitutional right, (I discussed the negative Constitutional and aspects of that decision in another essay ) resultant proclamations about Homosexuality, a...

This essay starts on a personal note. I heard the sad news a few days ago of the passing of a person I have known and loved virtually all of my life, “Auntie” Miriam Elias ע"ה. She was truly a remarkable human being – one might have called her a “Renaissance Woman” – as she excelled in so many different areas. She was first and foremost an educator and teacher of thousands of students over her long career. She was also an extremely gifted and prolific artist, a published author of many books, and a scholar who was the first student at the famed seminary in Gateshead. In short, she was a role model and trailblazer for many women, using her rare combination of wisdom, grace, and spunky sense of fun to light up the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing her. I could go on and write a whole hesped and full description of how sorely she will be missed . . . but that is not the point of this essay. Rather, I was moved to write this essay by the obituary tha...

The Supreme Court has spoken. In Obergefell v.Hodges , the Court announced that Homosexual couples (hereinafter LGBT) have a “fundamental right of dignity” to marry each other, and this “fundamental right” must be upheld by all levels of state and federal government. As this decision has many possible implications for the Orthodox Jewish community, the major organizations, including Agudath Israel , the Orthodox Union , and the RCA have issued warnings of dangers to come. Some are afraid of the moral implications in this major departure from the Judeo/Christian values upon which our country was founded. Others fear that Justice Alito's prescient warning that it " will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy. In the course of its opinion, the majority compares traditional marriage laws to laws that denied equal treatment for African-Americans and women. The implications of this analogy will be exploited by those who are d...

We are living in strange times. More and more, it seems that it must be the pre-Messianic era, (as foretold in the dicta of the famous final Mishna in Sotah 49b regarding the end of days), when social norms will be overturned, all modes of behavior accepted heretofore will be discarded and vice versa, and we will be left only with our faith in our Father in Heaven to guide us. Particularly lately, the news has gone from strange to stranger.  For weeks the headlines have been dominated by the story of Bruce Jenner, former Olympic Champion, then peripheral player in the First Family of the Absurd (the Kardashians), who has now finally liberated his inner soul, by displaying him/herself on the front pages of fashion magazines as Ms. Caitlyn Jenner . The news media and liberal intelligentsia have been falling over themselves to sing the praises of his/her heroism and courage; (the same media that routinely disparages and minimizes the sacrifices of our brave soldiers in t...