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All halakhic converts must understand: they are 100% Jewish according to halakha. Their Jewishness is not contingent on “acceptance” by the Chief Rabbinate or by any Hareidi dominated rabbinic courts. Halakhic converts are Jewish, their children are Jewish, they are obligated to fulfill the mitzvoth as are all other Jews. Anyone who casts aspersions on their Jewish status is a sinner, plain and simple.

The lessons to be learned from this campaign run the gamut. And the fact that there are so many insights to be gleaned indicates that there is in fact one larger, meta lesson to be learned: Men, and particularly male educators, leaders and aspiring leaders, must listen before any of the larger lessons can be absorbed.

MK Aryeh Deri derided Modern Orthodoxy as “Borderline Reform” as reported by Israel TV’s Channel 2. This head of the Haredi Sefardic political party, Shas, has served a prison term for criminal corruption, hardly a badge of honor for an Orthodox spokesman we would expect to be committed as a matter of conscience to “doing what is right and good” [Deut 6:18].

(This article originally appeared in The Jewish Journal, February 23, 2016)

Rabbi Yona Metzger served as the Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel from 2003 to 2013. He was indicted in 2015 for various crimes, including fraud, bribery, breach of public trust, theft, money-laundering, tax violations, conspiracy to commit a felony—all while serving as Chief Rabbi.

It is with sadness that we record the passing of Mr. Allen Nussbaum. We extend heartfelt sympathy to his wife Miriam, and to their children and grandchildren. On a personal note, Allen was our mehutan, father of our son-in-law Dr. James Nussbaum.

In February 2010, I wrote a blog in reaction to a proclamation of the "Moetzes Gedolei haTorah" of the Agudat Israel, in which they declared that women are not allowed to serve in "rabbinic" positions since this is a violation of Torah tradition. (https://www.jewishideas.org/blog/women-orthodox-religious-leaders)

We posted an article by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, in which he faults Orthodox synagogues for their tepid response to the tragedies going on in Syria. You can find the article on the homepage of jewishideas.org.

(Blog by Rabbi Marc D. Angel)

A black professional football player recently refused to stand during the pre-game singing of the American National Anthem. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," he said after the game.