A story is told of a Jewish man who was riding on the subway reading a newspaper of the Klu Klux Klan. A friend of his, who happened to be riding in the same subway car, noticed this strange phenomenon. Very upset, he approached the newspaper reader, 
“Moshe, have you lost your mind? Why are you reading a Klu Klux Klan newspaper?” more

Most of us get excited at the prospect of travel to new places, imagining unforetold adventures and magical moments that lie ahead. After a long period of studying in Israel, on a beautiful Sunday … more

On a visit to the synagogue of the Maharal of Prague (Rav Meir Leibush Lowe, known as the Altneu Shul), you will immediately notice its most distinctive feature: with the exception of some Hebrew … more

A number of years ago, I struck up a friendship over Pesach week with a Holocaust survivor, a former inmate of the Janowska work camp and Auschwitz. Towards the end of the week I summoned up the nerve to ask him if there was anything in particular that stood out in his mind as the reason he had survived. Without hesitation, he responded: “It was one mitzvah; the Sukkos I spent in Auschwitz. more

Many years ago, long before we founded Yeshivat Orayta, I was privileged to direct a program called Isralight, which was what some would call a kiruv, or outreach, program. The students, mostly … more

WHEN I was in high school, my mother arranged for me to get a ride to school once a week with one of the teachers. We lived in Manhattan, and as the high school I attended was in Riverdale, having a … more

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson had finally had enough. For the better part of 25 years, Americans had been paying ransom and tribute to the Arab nations of the Barbary Coast (Morocco, Algeria, … more

Issue of May 21, 2010/ 8 Sivan 5770 I cherish the fact that the Torah does not hide from truths, and does not whitewash unpleasant situations. Biblical narratives in and beyond the Torah include … more

Many years ago, I recall sitting with a newly married couple in their late thirties, who were struggling with making their marriage work after many years on the New York singles scene. Before I … more

June 19: Passengers boarding Air France Flight 139 discover it will stop in Athens en route to Paris. Some, like George and Rivka Karfunkel, don’t want to board—Athens Airport is renowned … more