Anyone following the recent direction of US 'high-brow' literati is not surprised by @GuernicaMag's recent losing its mind, with its 'pseudo-intellectuals' marching out over the magazine not being sufficiently judenrein.

You should know by now that the *actual lived experience of half of world Jewry* has no right to a voice in these spaces.

Not even the kinds of Jews who refuse military service & volunteer to drive Palestinians to Israeli hospitals.

Retracted essay here: archive.is/S2je0 @GuernicaMag Consider how @guernicamag had no mention of October 7. On Oct. 16, days after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, this was all the editors had to say:
mailchi.mp/guernicamag/on…

Can finally share that my in-laws, Moscow Chief Rabbi @PinchasRabbi & Rebbetzin Dara Goldschmidt, have been put under pressure by authorities to publicly support the 'special operation' in Ukraine — and refused. They flew to Hungary two weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They are now in exile from the community they loved, built & raised their children in, over 33 years — though he was re-elected today by the МЕРО community.

A tiny example: This year, a recording surfaced in which, ostensibly, a known Orthodox personality confessed to molesting children. The allegations were confirmed by 2 sources whom I trust. I couldn't get through to alleged victims, but there was obvious smoke... Several orgs/rabbis confirmed to me that he is 'dangerous.' So when a modern Orthodox synagogue hired the alleged perpetrator to perform at an event, I quietly raised my concerns, in a private email.

‘The industry behind “Yocheved has kidney disease” & “Yossi needs heart surgery” is a murky one, peopled with activists, journalists & broadcasters who milk charities & divide loot among themselves. At best, the remaining crumbs go to the needy.’ themarker.com/law/.premium.H… This investigative dive by @GurMegiddo in @TheMarker is a crucial read, especially for frum community members. I hope it is translated into English. themarker.com/law/.premium.H…

A transcript of a never-published interview with Rav Adin Steinsaltz zt"l from June 26 2014, in honor of his first yarzheit.
 
I was 22, interviewing him for @haaretzcom on his biography of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but eager to discuss with him faith, history, literature... R' Steinsaltz: "So where is Chizhik from? Your family is an important family in Israel."
 
me: "We're from Kiev, I don’t know if we are related to those Chizhiks...”
 
RS :"It must be your family, a distinguished family...

I think they filed this story under the wrong section. It belongs in 'fiction'.

https://twitter.com/HQSatmar/status/1246924255318720513

There were many crucial facts glaringly omitted from this colorful retelling...

Recently another Orthodox woman in outreach was telling me about the secular Russian Jews she encounters. She started mocking someone she had met recently — his tattoos, his casual clothing, his “cute wife” who may not be Jewish. “Oh those Russian Jews!”

I hear this often from “Kiruv professionals” working with this community. “How nebach! How distant they are from Torah!”

This is absurd. I staffed Birthright twice - with the OU’s (Orthodox-run, right-wing leaning) Israel Free Spirit. Not a single time were we staffers instructed to say “Judea and Samaria” instead of “West Bank.” At staff orientation, we were actually given little instruction in this regard - which I interpreted as free reign. So much of this “Birthright debate” is SO SPECIFIC to staffers. (Pic from trip, from my Insta then.)