Kiruv & Orthodox Judaism

If one man can kill six million Jews, then one man can save six million Jews. That mantra, in a nutshell, summarizes the core mission of Aish Hatorah, quoted ad nauseum in conversation and propaganda posters. It also conveniently compares Noach Weinberg to Hitler, so that I don’t have to...

As all this darkness and such was unfolding I found myself in a top rabbinical academy, studying to get Smicha and become a Kiruv rabbi myself. I had dreamt of this for years. This was the purpose of it all – to apply all those years of knowledge for the...

The kiruv world prides itself in its open-mindedness. "Ask us anything! We will change our views in a heartbeat if you convince us! Sure you can ask about sex, and no, we don't use a hole in the sheet, we're super progressive!" But ask yourself, have any of the really difficult...

You’re the daughter of a King! A king! How awesome is that? Not as awesome as being a son, apparently. I’ve heard, ad nausem, all the apologetic explanations about how women are not less, they’re just DIFFERENT. How the true home is built around the Jewish woman (Look! Jewishness passes...

An interview with Rabbi Shalom Tzvi Shore, spiritual leader of the anti-Kiruv movement. This article is part of a series written by the weekly publication Yated magazine, written in their signature broken English and bad grammar that is a mainstay of Orthodox Jewish culture. Speaking with Rabbi Shalom Tzvi Shore,...

For a long time, I was angry at religion for its own sake. And don't get me wrong, the thing is full of irrational beliefs and oppressive ideas. But I'm coming to appreciate over time how, like almost all things, Fundamentalist Religion is really just a tool - a...

This one’s a doozy. Bear with me. Also, if you have a bit of context, you’ll know this ones strike quite close to home. TL;DR at the end. Here’s how the spiel goes: Judaism is amazing. It’s enlightened. It’s changed the world for the better. Judeo Christian values are da...

From the back cover: Are you worried that someone from the secular world will ask you a question about Judaism that you don’t have an answer for? Are you heading out to a campus to inspire others about Judaism with only a tenuous amount of knowledge of it yourself? Are you concerned...

It took me a long time to realize this, but the kiruv system pulls some really sophisticated mindfucks while trying to convince people about the “truth” of religion. They will basically play both sides of an idea – contradicting themselves but making some convincing arguments in the process. Until you...

Rule #1 of cults, according to the international society of cults, is don't call yourself a cult. But what if others call you that? That could undermine the whole thing, the whole big plan for world domination. Here's a great strategy - beat them to the punch, and make...