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This brings to mind what a friend in the Lakewood area tells me -- that, without the signs, people 'not dressed modestly enough' are ignored by salespeople in certain establishments there. I wonder if this has happened in these stores as well.
"Ironically, members of Poland’s small Jewish community infrequently patronize these Jewish-style restaurants."
Ironically, these restaurants are serving "Jewish style" pork.
Patronizing such places, so desirous of creating "authentic" Jewish flavors and environments, would be to condone an egregious display of poor taste and cultural insensitivity - albeit born of ignorance - in a place that has no business taking such a casual approach to this piece of its "lost" heritage. I see no irony in the choice to stay away.
Well, all I can say is that you have to visit KJ and see there new playground. one for fathers and sons, one for mothers and daughters and one for boys seperate from girls....NON-JEWS not allowed NON-Haredi JEWS not allowed. This is not stereotyping them but it is truly adverse to all our thinking as regular Jews. This is a shonda! I hope they find out that they used Federal or State money for this and they have to allow everyone in the playground.
Greenberg leads the water-down orthodox Judaism movement.
If memory serves me correctly,many years ago he advocated pre-marital relations which got him into scalding water at YU.He was obsessed with catholic-jewish relations ad nauseum,and now supports a group of feminists who wear tefilin,kippot,taleisim,as in your face jewish symbols-crying out for a social and political-egalitarianism.The holy Torah ascribes different and equally important roles \to Jewish men and women-by crossing lines these women are desecrating G-ds name.
The Psalmist tells us- bat melech penimah-the real jewish princess doesn't thrust herself into the public eye but is modest and low-key.Ladies find a husband if you don't have one,go home and take care of your kids, and make a good cholent for Shabbat.These are special activities And yitz Greenberg ,please,move onto the correct side of an issue.Slicing the holy Kotel into three is like keeping a dairy,meat,and non kosher set of dishes at home.
Moslem brothers and sisters, please educate the extremists of your religion too! Those who want to kill Jews and others. That should take preference, inner-outreach, before outer-outreach. Thanks.
JM in the AM listener, I just heard you speaking with Nachum, Googled, and found this.
There are more of us (anti-Democrat Party Politics) out here than many imagine.
Slavery in Ethiopia in 1991? Rubbish! I think this story in fabricated by someone who is utterly ignorant of Ethiopian history. We have done away with slavery long time ago. Conditions for rural women in Ethiopia, especially for women in northern Ethiopia, are tough. No doubt about that. But to claim the existence of slavery in Ethiopia in 1991is totally unacceptable. We were all poor, miserable and down-trodden, be it a Beta Israel, Amhara, Oromo, Tigre or Kimant, because we were in the front line of the so called 'cold-war'. But a slave? Bullshit. Try telling that to Wouditu!
i was too young to remember what happened in 1991 but i don't believe this story one bit for starters how come a woman from Canada, with no ulterior motives, be roaming the Ethiopian streets after a civil war? we don't even that much Canadians here now, where we live in relative peace. OK lets say she was how can you expect me to believe that the same Ethiopians who provided peaceful safe living quarters for hundreds of years to all Jewish settlers in there land turn out to be slave masters of wuditu(which means the precious one in Amharic).Further more this sort of lies about my country and its people coming from a Jewish news paper is shameful after all Ethiopia and its people were safe heaven for jews where they were prosecuted in Europe and elsewhere. then you have the audacity to vlaim she was sold for 111$ shame on you we had outlawed slavery and slave trade long before 1991 please check your history.
now you want the world to believe that poor wuditu is living happily in the land of Israel, well lets see i have recently read a statement by the israeli government apologizing for using contraceptive methods against the jews from Ethiopia with out their knowledge, which is basically aganist evry human right. so please stop trying to distort history Ethiopia is a blessed land filled with wonderful people, try to show the true picture,
First of, Jihad doesn't automatically mean Hokly war.
Secondly, Sharia doesn't mean just one set of Law since there are 4 major Juriprudence in Islam.
Thirdly, you are a hatemonger.
"it has never been able to co exist with another culture"? Ever heard Andalusia?
You do know that Muslims accepts Jesus, a Jew, as a prophet, don't you? So much for your propaganda that the followers of Islam truly believe that Jews are the descendants of "apes and pigs". Lier!
Yitz, Persuasive and thoughtful and needed to be said! A female modern orthodox friend also mentioned that even the Sharansky proposal doesn't entirely address the problem, as it still does not provide a place for groups of women to daven as a women's minyan (without males, but as a group) and lein Torah.
I remember you saying many years ago at CLAL that if both the 'right' and the 'left' are uncomfortable, we're probably doing something right. I have come to really appreciate the courage you have shown all these years in promoting pluralism. For years I have felt alienated from the kotel experience, and angry that the largely secular government of Israel was allowing fundamentalists to control a public holy place for all Jews.
It is a truly wondrous thing, The Midrash, through finding "cryptic midrashim" finds an excuse for all evil human behavior, Even Esau got an evil rap, not evident in the Tanach.
The chassidim (some of whom i actually almost like) are particularly adept at this. But I am so tired of reading, "in a cryptic Midrash" give me a break, we are not brain dead. the rabbis can come up with ANY interpretation they want on any occurance.
And and and re child abuse, no one, no one, has found a source, amongst the several lists of gilui arayot, that forbids the daughter, acharei mot, kidushim, i am not an expert perhaps there are another fifty lists, but on YOM KIPPUR, daughter is conspicuously absent, There are those who quote from gemara shemara midrash whatever that by implication, by intention, clearly they meant the daughter as well, well, every other possible combination and permutation of family connection is listed, mother, granddaughter, so, I ask you, was the daughter just considered chattel? I find the by "inference" or by "implication" that they clearly meant to include the daughter, a major crock. a distortion.
All over the commentaries, the little i have been exposed to, there are long explications of why, some point was listed twice in two different versions, IF, it already was said, Kacha, why was it repeated again Kacha. and so I bring up the missing daughter in lists (all, as far as any rabbi I know can tell) as being a sign that the daughter was chattel.
Odd. I spoke out in favor of Anat Hoffman and in favor of the Sharansky plan.
http://finkorswim.com/2012/10/22/is-anat-hoffman-a-victim-of-religious-persecution-at-the-western-wall/
http://finkorswim.com/2013/04/10/natan-sharansky-is-a-hero-again/
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove’s conversions are not recognized as being authentic - he is of the reform/conservative/reconstructionist group. They do not convert anyone - even if they try.
In a case with authentic Orthodox Jewish conversion - that cannot be done "overnight"! It is a process, dictated by the Torah.
The real reason why "Quick Conversions Won’t Last" is because they are not valid at the outset.
Thanks for this, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, on behalf of my grandchildren who are Israelis, the boys as well as the girls...reeve brenner
Rabbi Greenberg displays the integrity, wisdom, and courage needed to lead Modern Orthodoxy and 21 century Judaism into a world that takes seriously tradition, democracy, and dignity for all. May his words be heard and heeded.
Phyllis Chesler makes the argument as forcefully as could be wished. But it is still hard for me to understand the delusionary stance of the traditionalists who cannot see in women full human beings or in the Women of the Full full and sincere Jews. Nor can pierce the logic of Sharansky's attempt to read a mealy-mouthed pseudo-compromise as a victory for talmudic reasoning or common sense. Either you respect women's rights to be halachic agents of Jewish Law or you don't. The ultra-Orthodox rabbis don't, can't in their present state of mind. Sharansky obfuscates and fools no one but himself.
At Cornell, unless you had a specific person you wanted to room with, you could not make a religious request. At Rutgers, and at Cornell, my children had Shabbat lamps, timers, and their own microwave. They learned to live with the non-observant/non Jewish in a dorm room. We are a tiny minority, and must learn to navigate ourselves, in the world.
I dunno Rav Yitz. As Gael Hammer's daughter and a modern orthodox machmir (!) I must posit that the WOWs have a way about them that isn't too mentchlich. I'm all for live and let live, I'm not sure why they are so confrontational. However, your last sentence should be broadcast throughout the world for all inter-Jewish strife:
However, the time is now – and the community opinion is ripe – to speak up and to support the Sharansky proposal. This act would honor Orthodoxy. And a fair sharing will restore the dignity and luster of the Kotel as an ancient/eternal place of holiness and mentschlichkeit where Jews are united before God.
The non charedi orthodox factions have now agreed to support Rav Ariel of Beit EL as their candidate for chief Rabbi
If this is your idea of "respectfully", I hate to think of what you would write when not being respectful. Does it bother you in the least that in your diatribe, you have not cited not one piece of evidence that would contradict the writer that you are attacking (by the way, I have no idea who the person is, except that he or she is a lot more thoughtful and infinately more polite than you are).
Note to the Jewish Week: At the top of this section you write: To make everyone feel welcome, we won't publish comments that are profane, irrelevant, promotional or make personal attacks.
Why then are vicious personal attacks by this "writer", who uses words like "stupid", "hell", "judgemental jerks", allowed on this site. The First Amendment right to free speech and a free press would surely survive even if you were to exclude such vulgar language even if it comes from a self proclaimed community leader. I am not suggesting that you censor points of view, I am suggesting that you adhere to your own standard and exclude language that is derogatory.
Orthodox Judaism may owe a great deal (perhaps even apologies) to the faithful women in its midst but very little -- certainly not an "apology" -- to those outside it who agitate against it with little regard for the sensibilities of anyone other than themselves. Sharansky's efforts should be praised, but I wonder whether they will be sufficient for those whose agenda is more agitation against Orthodox Judaism than a desire to practice it themselves. I wonder how many will actually partake of Sharansky's offer rather than continue to seek publicity. (For the record, I am Jewish and not "Orthodox.")
I am a Modern Orthodox Rabbi, and -- while I do not support the Women of the Wall -- I think it is fantastic to see so many women who are active in Reform Judaism fighting for the right to project Jewish permanence through Jewish prayer with demonstrative Jewish prayer shawls in land that Israel conquered in June 1967, which the Palestinian Government of Mahmoud Abbas claims to be their Palestine Capital City. Perhaps Israel should declare more areas of liberated Judea and Samaria off-limits to the "Women of the Wall." In time, the women of Reform Judaism would be demanding the right to manifest Jewish permanence everywhere up-and-down the "West Bank."
Sorry you are so full of crap here its hard to know where to start.
1. Where are you living???? There is no Hardi control over The Kotel. It is a very eclectic place where everyone comes to worship, Jews and non Jews, secular and religious. I'm there at least once a week and I'm just normal dati. Sorry this is lokshen you've been fed by some spin media.
2. The bulk majority of Israelis don't define themselves as you do abroad; Orthodox, Conservative, Reform etc... The define themselves by eithnic background (Eida); Moroccan, Halabi (Syrian), Yemenite, Ashkenazi etc... They keep to their traditions and the Kotel is a place where everyone can feel comfortable. There is a small group (really small but apparently wielding enough US journalism power that they got you all messed up) who have an issue with this. They went to the Supreme Court, there is a ruling. They don't like the ruling and they'll cry like babies until they get their way apparently. Believe you me the Supreme Court doesn't like the religious of any size or shape and would NEVER get bullied into ruling in their favour (Migron case in point).
3. NO one has ever been arrested for wearing a talit or carrying a sefer Torah. Yeah, NEVER. That's the absurd spin that you've bought into. Anyone who has been arrested has been taken in for disturbing the peace by not listening to police or blocking the entrance ways into the Kotel Plaza.
4. Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm tired of getting US Jews who think they know what they're talking about and taking on a battle they know nothing about. You want to get involved MOVE HERE and change a law in the Knesset otherwise stay out of it.