Bnei Brak Rabbi Moves To Ban Scotch Whiskey

Ynet reports on a renewed controversy in the kosher world – scotch whiskey. It seems Rabbi Moshe Landau, the chief rabbi of Bnei Brak, a Chabad follower, has decided that scotch whiskey is not kosher because some brands are aged in oak barrels originally used to age non-kosher wine. This issue was decided long ago [...]

Haredi-Run Digital Camera Scam?

[Photo: Don Wiss.]
The New York Times ran this report on online digital camera dealers who use bait-and-stuff tactics worthy of the worst scams of yesteryear. Don Wiss, a Brooklyn-based camera enthusiast, has spent many hours tracking down the addresses of these online hucksters and taking pictures of their buildings. Many appear to be in haredi [...]

More TypePad Trouble

TypePad, the blogging service used to host this blog, is experiencing what (if they ever notice) is sure to be called "degraded service." Degraded service is TypePad-speak for glitchy behavior, which often includes the inability to post comments, the inability to post stories, the inability to edit, or any combination of the above. In this [...]

NY State To Issue “Guidelines” On Circumcision – YU Rabbi J.D. Bleich Supports Rabbis, Not At Risk Children

New York Newsday has an AP report on the new New York State guidelines on metzitza b’peh, the oral suction used by many haredi mohels during circumcision to suction blood from the open wound:
The new state guidelines would stop short of a ban, but include precautions that could reduce the chances of infection, said New [...]

Baruch Dayan HaEmet – Rav Kaduri, ZTZ”L

Rav Kaduri, ztz"l, passed away tonight. Details …
Matthew Wagner of the Jerusalem Post has written a wonderful article on the life of Rav Kaduri, ztz"l. (Wagner is clearly the best writer covering Orthodox Judaism working in the English language. If the JPost had a normal syndication policy, Wagner would be much more widely known.)

Iowa’s Ag Secretery Accepted $10K From Rubashkin While USDA Investigation Open

Iowa’s Secretery of Agriculture, Patty Judge, accepted a $10,000 campaign contribution from Rabbi Sholom and Leah Rubashkin during her run for the Democratic nonination for governor last year. That amounted to just under 10% of what she raised. An additional $35,000 was given by other large farm interests, including others she regulated. Some had been [...]

PRAY: Rav Kaduri’s, Shlit”a, Condition Reportedly Worsens

The Jerusalem Post is reporting Rav Kaduri’s, shlit”a, condition has significantly worsened. His Hebrew name is Yitshak ben Tufaha. For those wanting to pray or do other mitzvot in his merit, instructions and online information can be found here.

A New Yorker Cartoon We Would Like To See

More here.

The Angel Of Addis Ababa

Barbara Sofer of the Jerusalem Post reports on her Friday night in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
Friday night at the home of Rick Hodes in Addis Ababa. There’s no Chabad House in the capital of Ethiopia, so visitors from near and far gather in this modest wooden structure with its big front porch …
Dr. Rick, as everyone [...]

Quiz

Choose the answer that is the closest to the empirical truth:

The universe is: A) 15 billion years old. B) Less than 6000 years old. C) I’d prefer not to know.
Human beings first walked on this earth: A) 50,000 years ago. B) Less than 6000 years ago. C) I’d prefer not to know.
A) The earth revolves [...]

Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblum Lies About Evolution

Am Echad was founded by Agudath Israel’s Rabbi Moshe Sherer to fight the idea of "streams" or denominations in Judaism. Only one legitimate form of Judaism exists according to Rabbi Sherer’s ideology – haredi. Everything that is not ultra-Orthodox is therefore treife, including, it would seem Modern Orthodoxy.
Am Echad’s chief spinmeister is Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblum, [...]

Shabbatai Tsvi In Our Daily Life?

Philologos reports:
The expression "shabbat shalom," literally, "Sabbath of peace," is neither modern nor secular in origin. … [I]t originated in the Galilee, in the city of Safed, in the mystical circle of renowned kabbalist Isaac Luria (1534-1582) — also known by an acronym of his name, forming the Hebrew word for "The Lion," as Ha-Ari.
Luria [...]

NEWLY UPDATED: Joe Lieberman Goes Slumming – Holds Meeting In Home Of Disgraced Orthodox Fundraiser Rabbi Milton Balkany – Head of ZOA, Young Israel Also Attend – So Does Convicted Swindler Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum

The Forward reports Connecticut Senator Josef Lieberman last week held a meeting in the Brooklyn home of Rabbi Milton Balkany. Also in attendance was the Zionist Organization of America’s Morton Klein and Young Israel’s Rabbi Pesach Lerner.
Rabbi Balkany, known as the "Brooklyn Bundler" for his practice of bundling campaign contributions from his family – including [...]

Chabad And Evolution

The DesertNews has a report surveying the beliefs of various religions regarding evolution. All mention have degrees of flexibility. The most liberal, like the Catholic Church, openly endorse evolution and see the first chapters of Genesis as allegory. The least liberal see evolution as fitting within Genesis if parts of the text are understood as [...]