Orthodoxy
Secularism and Its DiscontentsThursday, May 30, 2013 by Yehudah Mirsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In an essay first published December 17, 2010, Yehudah Mirsky examines a defense of Jewish secularism and finds it—and Jewish secularism itself—wanting.
OrthosexualityWednesday, May 29, 2013 by Elli Fischer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Addressing a trend toward greater openness about sexuality in the Modern Orthodox community, Elli Fischer reminds us, in an article first published December 19, 2011, that Judaism has never treated sex as a taboo subject.
Orthodox Schooling: What Do We Know?Wednesday, April 24, 2013 by Yoel Finkelman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
80 percent of American Jewish day school students are Orthodox, but there is little research on the state of Orthodox education—because the Orthodox community has never funded it.
The Voice That Speaks in My SoulFriday, March 8, 2013 by Susan Taubes | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Echoing Kafka in this 1949 letter of protest to a domineering male, Susan Taubes writes: "I can no more keep to the laws of the Bible than I can cross myself or take the sacrament."
Who Says There Are No Coincidences?Wednesday, March 6, 2013 by David Glasner | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In certain Orthodox circles, the idea that there are no coincidences has become a principle of faith. But it contradicts a more fundamental Jewish doctrine: human free will.
The Covenantal Thought of David HartmanThursday, February 21, 2013 by Ari Ackerman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
By treating the covenant between God and the Jewish people as a partnership, David Hartman found room for autonomy alongside halakhic observance.
Opening the Gates of JudaismWednesday, February 20, 2013 by Motti Inbari | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Given the demographic and spiritual decline among “biological” Jews in America, if we want to keep Judaism alive, we must do something that we haven't done for 2000 years: proselytize.
Yair Lapid’s ReligionTuesday, February 19, 2013 by Elli Fischer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In a speech to haredi students last year, Yair Lapid advocated a shared public sphere in Israel that is neutral on questions of religion. Does he now have the chance to implement his vision?
Denominational DelusionsWednesday, February 6, 2013 by Andrew Apostolou | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
With synagogues closing, congregations ageing, and the non-Orthodox majority dwindling, American Jews are caught in a crisis. Yet no one is tackling the root of this problem: intermarriage.
Why America Has No Chief RabbiWednesday, January 23, 2013 by Jonathan D. Sarna | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Just as America introduced free-market capitalism into the economy, so it created a free market in religion.
Editors' Picks
The Post-Yeshiva Synagogue Yonatan Kaganoff, Torah Musings. In American Orthodoxy, a fair number of synagogues have shifted from being places for whole families to gather to becoming places for men to pray and, especially, to study.
The Paradox of Choice Peter Berger, American Interest. "Judaism in America is faced with a paradox: Traditionally understood, being a Jew is a matter of destiny . . . But in American society today, remaining a Jew is in fact a matter of choice."
On Orthodoxy and Homosexuality Alan Jotkowitz, Torah Musings. While the halakhic prohibition on homosexual relations remains, several Orthodox rabbis have advocated the communal acceptance of individual homosexuals. But can the same be done with same-sex families?
The Outreach Revolution Jack Wertheimer, Commentary. The gap between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews in America is supposed to be widening. But Orthodox outreach is increasing contact—and invigorating non-Orthodox communities.
“The Feminist Time Forgot” Susan Faludi, New Yorker. Shulamith Firestone rejected her Orthodox upbringing and authoritarian father to become one of the leaders of late 1960s radical feminism. But her father's death reduced her to insanity.
A Contract Is a Contract Michael Helfand, Center on Law and Religion. A Connecticut state court has ruled that it may enforce the support provisions of an Orthodox prenuptial agreement without intruding on First Amendment religious protections.
Orthodox Surging in America . . . David Brooks, New York Times. "The families stuffing their groceries into their Honda Odyssey minivans in the Pomegranate parking lot represent a challenging counterculture. Mostly, I notice how incredibly self-confident they are."
. . . at Israel’s Expense Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post. "At a time such as this, when aliyah is dwindling, it is incumbent upon every Orthodox Jew in America and elsewhere to look in the mirror and ask himself with unadorned honesty: Where do I really belong?"
The Orthodox Go to Washington Yair Rosenberg, Tablet. Offering sessions aimed at Orthodox rabbis for the first time, this year's AIPAC conference reflects a broader trend of engagement in the political process by the Orthodox community.
America's Rabbis Bounce Back Steven Windmueller, eJewish Philanthropy. Twenty years ago, America’s communal elites curtailed the rabbis’ influence. But with Orthodoxy’s new assertiveness, rabbis are shaping American Judaism again.