Orthodox Conundrum: Challenges in Jewish Orthodoxy

There is a tremendous amount of Torah learning taking place today, and Orthodox Jews should be excited that such study occupies a central place in so many Jewish lives. Daf Yomi has encouraged and inspired people who never before considered learning Talmud to try to learn all of Shas over 7 and a half years. Alongside classes in Talmud, there are shiurim in Chumash, Tanach, Mishnah, Midrash, Halacha, Musar and more. Yes, we spend a lot of time learning G-d's words. But do we sometimes forget to also learn about G-d? Some Jewish people have intuited this need, and are finding new ways to bring G-d into their lives in a concrete manner. One of these responses has been the growth of what is termed Neo-Chassidut. To find out more about this movement, Scott spoke with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Is belief in Judaism self-evident? Are our principles of faith wholly rational and perhaps even obvious to any thinking person? Or is faith in G-d and Torah more complicated and suffused with questions than many would like to assume? Do we have faith? Do we possess authentic trust in G-d? Deep down, what do we really think about the tenets of Torah Judaism? Do we accept them, doubt them, or maybe both simultaneously? Do we affirm them verbally but question them intellectually? In short, how much do we really believe - and why? In order to address questions of emunah, and to get a better sense of whether belief is logically compelling or whether it requires the proverbial leap of faith, Scott spoke with Jeffrey Bloom and Alec Goldstein, two of the editors of the recent book, Strauss, Spinoza, and Sinai: Orthodox Judaism and Modern Questions of Faith. The book, however, was just a starting point; the main focus of the conversation was around why Jews can believe the things that we believe - and why some people don't. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

This episode is, in some ways, two distinct podcasts in one: one about outreach, and one about some major spiritual challenges that exist in the Modern Orthodox world. Many in the Centrist or Modern Orthodox world are uncomfortable with kiruv and outreach; it's often associated with acting with condescension towards people who are not Orthodox, objectifying people who are not Orthodox, and not acting forthrightly towards people who are not Orthodox. Perhaps most concerning, though, is the suspicion that kiruv professionals act as though they have all the answers, that Orthodoxy is a perfect society, and that we need to reach out because everything within Orthodoxy is basically perfect. Many of us would argue that we need to get our own house in order before convincing other people to join the team. Rabbi Mark Wildes, though, is one of the rare Modern Orthodox Jews who is deeply involved in, and believes in, kiruv and outreach to unaffiliated and less-affiliated Jews. Scott asked him how he responds to these criticisms of kiruv professionals and organizations, how we should define the real goals of kiruv organizations, and why most kiruv professionals seem to have a Chareidi or Chassidic orientation. Perhaps even more important, however, was an intense discussion of the problems that Modern Orthodoxy needs to address. Their conversation included a discussion of spiritual anemia, problems that exist in synagogues, the longing - or lack thereof - for the Divine Presence, the differences between experience and intellect in the approach to G-d, how much we should emphasize dogma, and - above all - the need to bring G-d back into the center of our consciousness. This conversation - again, really two conversations - was fascinating, and should give you food for thought as we enter Elul and the days leading up to the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Join Rabbi Wildes's WhatsApp group at https://chat.whatsapp.com/LM0bsDb4sV3FmESMyauFaw. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Lonna Ralbag has been demanding a get from Meir Kin for 18 years and still hasn't received it. According to Jewish law, this means that she cannot remarry, and is effectively trapped as a type of aguna - a chained woman. Meanwhile, her estranged husband, despite public pressure, seems to revel in having become the king of the get-refusers. He has a YouTube channel and managed to remarry while leaving Lonna unable to do the same. And he does all of this while claiming to be a religious Jew, following Halacha. Indeed, he presents himself as the victim of a smear campaign. It's clear that Meir Kin's actions represent a reprehensible perversion of Jewish law and a massive chilul HaShem, desecration of G-d's name. Lonna's story is tragic, but she is strong and is working to relieve her plight and that of other women in comparable situations. Lonna's story is as much a tale of resilience as it is of sadness and frustration. On today's episode, Scott speaks to Lonna Ralbag, her attorney, Daniel Schwartz, and Keshet Starr, Executive Director of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot. If you are interested in participating in a JCH-ORA postnup party, please email scott@jewishcoffeehouse.com and we'll tell you how you can participate. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

We all know that there have been numerous high profile scandals involving sexual abuse on the part of teachers and authority figures in the Orthodox world. We also know that as light is shed on these cases, public awareness grows, and the likelihood of coverups is hopefully lessened. At the same time, we need to explore how to put protocols in place so that schools, institutions, and organizations can avoid many of the problems before they happen, and, should these problems occur, have strong guidelines firmly in place. This ensures that the institution will know how to react, and that parents and people who are connected to the institution will receive real information and have confidence that proper procedure is being followed. In order to discuss this very important topic, Scott interviewed Rahel Bayar, CEO of The Bayar Group, on this week's podcast. Rahel and Scott talked about many issues related to institutions and their reactions to sexual misconduct, harrassment, and boundary crossing behavior. These include questions about what protocols should be put in place, what is involved in a proper investigation, how parents can recognize whether a school is being forthright or is engaged primarily in protecting itself, how institutions can determine if an accusation is credible, whether there are warning signs that schools should look for before hiring teachers, and much more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Six weeks ago, the Orthodox Conundrum released a panel discussion with Rabbi Moshe Simkovich, Mrs. Rachel Schwartzberg, Mrs. Olivia Friedman, and Rabbi Pesach Sommer entitled The Crisis of Orthodox Teacher Retention. That episode received a fair bit of comment, and at the same time raised as many questions as it solved. For that reason, it was clear that a follow-up episode with expert educational innovators was necessary in order to address additional problems and to suggest further solutions. To that end, Scott invited Rabbi Shmuel Feld and Mrs. Rachel Levitt Klein Dratch to discuss their thoughts about the direction of day school education in much of the Orthodox world. They both combine the expertise that comes from experience and study, with the creativity that is the hallmark of out-of-the-box thinking. Whether they were discussing our overemphasis on titles and how to overcome that problem, or the new ways we need to think about education, or the necessity of involving the totality of community institutions - not just the schools - in using teachers' skills and hiring them for their programming, Rabbi Feld and Mrs. Dratch were constantly suggesting new ways of thinking about a problem that has been around for decades. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Join Scott Kahn in this rereleased bonus episode for commentaries on 25 of the 40 kinot (lamentations) that Jews recite on the morning of Tisha B'Av. (The time signatures for each commentary are listed below.) Along with all of the Jewish people, we pray that this be the final Tisha B'Av on which we mourn. May the upcoming year be one of gladness, joy, and redemption for us, for all of Israel, and for the whole world. Kinah 6 (שבת סורו) begins at 0:42 Kinah 7 (איכה אצת) begins at 6:17 Kinah 8 (אאדה) begins at 9:04 Kinah 9 (איכה תפארתי) beings at 13:42 Kinah 10 (איכה ישבה) begins at 17:01 Kinah 11 (ויקונן ירמיהו) begins at 19:59 Kinah 12 (אהלי) begins at 25:16 Kinah 13 (אי כה) begins at 29:40 Kinah 14 (איכה את אשר כבר עשוהו) begins at 34:55 Kinah 15 (איכה אשפתו) begins at 40:19 Kinah 16 (זכר את אשר עשה) begins at 41:56 Kinah 17 (אם תאכלנה) begins at 47:35 KInah 18 (ואתה אמרת) begins at 51:11 Kinah 19 (לך ה' הצדקה) begins at 54:59 Kinah 20 (הטה אלקי אזנך) begins at 1:00:30 Kinah 21 (ארזי הלבנון) begins at 1:03:16 Kinah 22 (החרישו) begins at 1:09:51 Kinah 23 (ואת נוי) begins at 1:16:37 Kinah 24 (על אלה אני בוכיה) begins at 1:18:12 Kinah 25 (מי יתן ראשי מים) begins at 1:20:45 Kinah 27 (אז במלאת ספק) begins at 1:24:34 Kinah 31 (אש תוקד בקרבי) begins at 1:30:26 Kinah 36 (ציון הלא תשאלי) begin at 1:34:24 Kinah 41 (שאלי שרופה באש) begins at 1:37:55 Kinah 45 (אלי ציון) begins at 1:41:43 Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

This is not an episode about Women of the Wall. It is not an episode about Women for the Wall. It is not an episode about the egalitarian space at Robinson's Arch. Instead, this is an episode about fairness and respect and dignity - issues that should concern everyone who cares about Judaism, regardless of how you feel about non-Orthodox prayer at the Kotel or about women reading the Torah on the women's side of the Wall. Let's be up front about the halachic facts: men have an obligation to pray in a minyan, a quorum, while women do not. For this reason, it's not unreasonable to expect more men to come to shul than women - and that is often what happens. Moreover, assuming that the Kotel has the status of a synagogue, it's reasonable to expect more men to come to the Kotel - and, if it's true that more men visit the Kotel than women, the men's section should be larger than the women's. (Of course, we can't ignore the fact that if the ezrat nashim were larger, perhaps more women would come in the first place.) But based on anecdotal experience, the women's section is frequently - usually? - significantly more crowded than the men's section. Are we really OK with women having to squeeze in to touch the Kotel while the men have no problem doing so? At the same time, the problem with space at the Kotel is emblematic of a problem with space in general. While as Orthodox Jews, we believe that communal prayer should not involved mixed-gender space, and that synagogues halachially require a mechitza, is there a reason that this has started to extend to places where it's not required halachically - and that the women's sections that exist are often treated with such disrespect? To discuss this Scott invited the hosts of the Chochmat Nashim podcast, Anne Gordon and Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll, to talk about the Kotel and the larger problem of disrespecting women in Orthodox spaces, in ways that have nothing to do with halacha. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Today's episode deals with the very difficult topic of eating disorders from the perspective of a parent, as Judy Krasna tells the personal story of her child's battle with anorexia nervosa. Some may wonder how this topic is relevant to a podcast that deals with issues within Orthodoxy. While Scott and Judy also discuss specifically Orthodox manifestations of anorexia, the issue of eating disorders frankly concerns Orthodox Jews primarily because we are no more immune to them than any other population. Indeed, some Orthodoxy communities may have additional challenges in their desire to cover it up, to pretend that it's not a problem. Quite apart from our religious background, we need to confront the reality of eating disorders because, as Judy says at the end of the podcast, they affect so many people. We need to talk about eating disorders in order to eliminate the stigma associated with them. They are illnesses, and they are illnesses that involve tremendous pain, suffering, and sometimes death. We treat them as something other than illnesses at our own peril. Judy Krasna is the Executive Director of F.E.A.S.T.(Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders - https://www.feast-ed.org/). She is a writer and an eating disorders advocate, both in Israel and globally. Judy is an active “expert by experience” volunteer in the Academy for Eating Disorders and has been offering peer support to families of people with eating disorders for over a decade. Judy is deeply committed to educating the public about eating disorders and promoting awareness about their danger and consequences, especially after her daughter Gavriella took her own life after a prolonged battle with anorexia nervosa. Judy may be reached at judy@feast-ed.org. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

About two weeks ago, two bar mitzvahs and a bat mitzvah took place at the Robinson's Arch section of the Kotel, which has been designated for egalitarian prayer services. Very sadly, a relatively large number of religious zealots attempted to interrupt and disrupt them in various ways, causing a massive Chilul HaShem and doing nothing productive other than causing additional hatred - this time, perhaps not baseless hatred - in the weeks leading up to our commemoration of the Destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. It's sickening and represents the opposite of how the Torah expects us to behave, regardless of our opinions about the halachic validity of egalitarian prayer. This unfortunate event offers an opportunity to discuss the ways that Orthodox Jews - who likely would not pray in an egalitarian davening - should relate to the new egalitarian section of the Kotel. In this week's episode, Scott first speaks to Laura Ben-David, who was the photographer at one of the bar mitzvahs, to find out exactly what happened that day at the Kotel. Following that conversation, he talks to Rabbi Kenneth Brander and then Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein to find out their attitudes and feelings regarding the presence of an egalitarian section at the Kotel. Following the three interviews, Scott offers his own thoughts about the issue. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Photo: Laura Ben-David Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

In this episode - a quasi-sequel to Episode 117 - Scott speaks with Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt of the Alteneu Shul in Manhattan. Rabbi Goldschmidt spent ten years at the Park East Synagogue after which, in a story that was widely reported in the press, the senior rabbi there effectively pushed him out. From his experiences since that event, Rabbi Goldschmidt has a unique perspective that comes from starting a new shul in Manhattan, and trying to cater to a population that may be looking for new forms of Jewish engagement. But the real focus of the conversation was less the challenges Rabbi Goldschmidt faces as a shul rabbi, and more the possibility of reinventing the very idea of the synagogue, and even the idea of community, in the Orthodox world. So many people feel disenfranchised from our existing institutions, and Rabbi Goldschmidt himself knows what it means for a venerable, existing synagogue to feel threatened by you. In this interview he explains how he is using his unusual opportunity to create a new shul in order to do things differently, to bring more people in who might normally look elsewhere for their spiritual nourishment. To read the New York Times article about what happened at the Park East Synagogue, go to https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/03/nyregion/park-east-synagogue-rabbi.html. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

The overturning of Roe v. Wade, which takes away the Constitutional protection of abortion rights, means that every state will decide for itself whether abortion should be permitted - and, where prohibited, what exceptions to the law will be honored. In principle, it also means that a nationwide ban on abortion, legislated by Congress, is theoretically back on the table. Scott spoke with three women, each of whom had an abortion for a different reason, each at a different point in her pregnancy. The point of sharing their stories is not so much to advocate for more liberal abortion laws as to help people internalize the real-life consequences of making abortion more difficult or impossible. The goal was to let each guest simply tell her story so that you, the listener, can decide how that impacts your thinking. Some Orthodox scholars who support the overturning of Roe v. Wade suggest that while many states are banning abortion, this will have little practical effect on the vast majority of Orthodox Jews. First of all, all halachic authorites agree that abortion is not allowed in all circumstances, and there are accordingly many abortions that violate Jewish law, even according to the more lenient viewpoints. Moreover, because of certain exceptions that have been written into the laws, as well as because of the relative ease of interstate travel, women who do have halachic sanction for abortion will have little trouble obtaining one, either in their current state or by traveling to states that have liberal abortion regimes. To address this, Scott asked Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz, who teaches history at SAR high school and is the associate principal of General studies there, whether this is accurate, and what the real-world consequences of the Dobbs decision are. 3:23 - An anonymous story of an abortion at 32 weeks 29:45 - Abbie's story of her pregnancy reduction 42:42 - Leah's story of an abortion after suffering from postpartum depression 1:11:45 - Dr. Schwartz on the legal consequences of Roe v. Wade for Orthodox women Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

In the most recent issue of Jewish Action, Rachel Schwartzberg wrote an important article entitled, "The Great Teacher Shortage." She outlined the fundamental problem of day school teachers leaving the profession, without an equal influx of new teachers starting out. She explained some of the reasons why this problem has become acute, and some of the work that is being done to combat it. Because this article has generated a fair bit of discussion, Scott invited Rachel Schwartzberg and three veteran educators - Rabbi Moshe Simkovich, Olivia Friedman, and Rabbi Pesach Sommer - to discuss the issue of teacher retention, the reasons that teachers leave, the reasons young people are reluctant to become teachers, and what we as a community can do to change this. Because if we truly believe that chinuch is the essence of our community's uniqueness, and the source of its strength, we dare not let the problem linger or even get worse. The problem is serious and must be addressed. To read "The Great Teacher Shortage" go to https://jewishaction.com/religion/education/the-great-teacher-shortage/. To see the Predictive Index referenced on the podcast, go to https://www.predictiveindex.com/?creative=544500752127&keyword=predictive%20index&matchtype=b&network=g&device=m&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=bofu-brand-general&utm_term=predictive%20index&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9efx3-3N-AIVBuXICh1T9AFiEAAYASAAEgLI9fD_BwE&fbclid=IwAR35tBPoJEAgP7L3ZrAg2tjv1cB5pFrNxcIBVuAdYGRiBbrDZXqK3LMkfs4. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

The position of rabbi is perhaps the most important and central role in Jewish communal life… and no one gets as much grief from the people around him, either. The rabbi is honored and respected, unless he's completely disrespected and disliked. It's not easy being completely honest and forthright to the people who pay your salary. Beyond the problems with congregants, being a rabbi involves other challenges, as well. The rabbi has to perform many functions and fill many roles for which he may or may not be prepared; there's a good chance that he's wildly underpaid; his wife is often expected to work for the synagogue for free. Frankly, the halachic training that is necessary to become a rabbi may end up being the easy part of the job. It's everything that comes along with it that can make the position of rabbi exceptionally demanding. Rabbi David Fine acknowledges the difficulties, but nonetheless loves being a rabbi and can't imagine doing anything else. He cofounded an organization, Barkai, which trains rabbis in Israel in the practical rabbinic knowledge that they likely never learned in yeshiva. And while he doesn't shy away from acknowledging the challenges that rabbis and rabbinic couples face, he has a very optimistic view of what the life of a rabbi can be. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Two weeks ago, on Yom Yerushalayim, many marchers walked into the Old City of Jerusalem, and honorably and admirably celebrated the reunification of Jerusalem 55 years ago. Many thousands of people said prayers of thanksgiving to Hashem Who gave us the merit to live in a time of Jewish sovereignty over a united Jerusalem - a merit that not long ago would have been utterly unfathomable. On that same day, there were some marchers who shouted at and taunted Arab residents of Jerusalem, used racist language against them, chanted “Death to the Arabs” and more. And while this was far from the majority - it certainly was nowhere near the majority - the numbers were significant enough to be upsetting and concerning. And yes, it happened; the video evidence is incontrovertible. Perhaps there are loud voices coming from the Religious Zionist leadership condemning the actions of these individuals; but they haven't been loud enough for many of us to hear them. This is not the religious Zionism of ten or twenty or thirty years ago. It's certainly not the religious Zionism that was dominant fifty years ago. Something has changed, moderating voices seem to be drowned out, and that should concern all of us. And make no mistake: these issues are not political issues; they go to the heart of what it means to be a religious Jew who is also a supporter of the State of Israel Is it inappropriate to point this out, as if mentioning these elements is thereby painting all religious Zionists with the same castigating brush? Are these taunts an inappropriate but understandable response to constant Palestinian rejectionism? How else should religious Zionists act and believe, given the deep seated traditional belief that all of Yehuda v'Shomron belongs to Israel? Is refusing to march with flags through the Damascus Gate a sign of moderation, or a form of timidity which will be exploited by our enemies? How can a proud religious Zionist balance valid and deep-seated belief in a unified Jerusalem with respect for its non-Jewish inhabitants? And finally, is ascending the Temple Mount - the focal point of Jewish longing for 2000 years - an act of religious courage, or a dangerous game that gambles with Jewish lives? To discuss this and much more, Scott spoke with Yossi Klein Halevi, the author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor and other books. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com Photograph by Ethan Roberts

The phenomenon of the individual who grew up in an extreme Chassidish community, then rejects it entirely while physically escaping from it, has become part of everyday discourse regarding Orthodoxy thanks to books and Netflix series such as Unorthodox. It has almost become a type of stereotype, and we might assume that most who leave hold on to bitterness, and feel extreme animosity. Yet Leah Forster does not fit this stereotype at all. She grew up in a Chassidic community in Boro Park, and after she broke some of the norms of the community, she was instructed by her mother not to attend her eventual funeral; that was their final communication. But Leah defends her community, expresses love for her family, and demonstrates genuine faith. Scott and Leah talked about the community she came from, when she realized that she was attracted to women, what was the last straw that drove her family to reject her, how crucial it is to address mental health issues, whether she actually left Orthodoxy at all, and much more. But the purpose of this interview transcends Leah's story. It can teach us about the trouble with labels; it identifies the danger of caring primarily about what people will think, rather than what is best for our children; it points out that life is far from black and white, and that we can choose to love and defend even the people who hurt us the most. These are lessons that apply to all of us, and we need to take them to heart to ensure that we and our various communities live up to the values that matter most, rather than the values that we want other people to believe that we possess. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

On Yom Yerushalayim, we thank G-d for the miraculous gift of a united Jerusalem - and, lest we forget, the miracle of winning the Six Day War which, many had originally feared, would destroy the State of Israel and precipitate a second Holocaust. While some celebrate, many others suggest that Israel doesn't belong to us at all. In fact, they say, the entire State of Israel is an illegitimate enterprise, born in sin and destined to be transformed into a binational state without a Jewish character. It seems to many that those voices are growing louder and louder. Last month, the Harvard Crimson published an editorial entitled In Support of Boycott, Divest, Sanctions and a Free Palestine (https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/4/29/editorial-bds/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1651260876-1). Are voices like the Crimson's getting louder? Is Israel losing the battle for world public opinion? Should Yom Yerushalayim be a day of celebration, or a day of dread? Rabbi Uri Pilichowski does not accept this doomsday narrative. He argues that Israel is better off than it has ever been before, including in the area of public relations. Listen to this fascinating and hopeful interview to find out why. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

One of the more troubling realities of the Modern Orthodox world today is an apparent disconnect between the tenets of Modern Orthodoxy and the beliefs of its adherents. It seems that there are many who identify with the community while lacking traditional beliefs; others live within Orthodoxy but yearn for a life of greater spirituality. What is actually going in the minds and hearts of Modern Orthodox Jews - and does Modern Orthodoxy have a future? Are these problems endemic to Modern Orthodoxy, or do they exist across the Orthodox spectrum? Is there anything that can be done to reinforce spiritual values in our families, synagogues, classrooms, and communities? Scott spoke with Rabbi Johnny Solomon in order to address these questions. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

After the tragic events at Meron last year, a safety commission has put new safety protocols in place to ensure that the Lag BaOmer celebrations will proceed without any danger. What are the new rules, will they be implemented, and how effective will they likely be? Scott spoke to Jerusalem Post reporter Eliav Breuer to find out the details. After that interview, Scott offered his own perspective about the correct way for Torah observant Jews to approach Lag BaOmer in Meron this year. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

This episode continues our conversations about the roles of Jewish women in Orthodoxy. Scott speaks to the individual who created one of the most important innovations we've seen so far - Rabbanit Chana Henkin, the founder of Nishmat and the force behind the Yoatzot Halacha. Yoatzot halacha, or halachic advisors, have studied in order to become experts in the laws of Nidah or Taharat Hamishpacha. It's likely that yoatzot halacha are at least as qualified, and often far more qualified, to talk about hilchot nidah than the average rabbi. And given their training in women's health as well as other areas that are unknown by most rabbis, they maintain a unique position - and fill a huge role - in the halachic scene today. The conversation includes questions about yoatzot halacha, what they can and cannot do, the criticisms Rabbanit Henkin has received, and much more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

On Monday, May 2, Politico obtained a draft majority opinion, written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court decision that broadly granted federal protection of abortion rights. The Court has affirmed that the leaked document is authentic, but also said that it's preliminary. Regardless, this means that the 49-year-old constitutional right to abortion may soon be overturned, and instead each of the fifty states will make its own legislative decision regarding the legality of abortion. Jewish people on both sides of this issue are lining up to support or denounce the potential Supreme Court decision, but it seems to be - perhaps only anecdotally - that many are doing so without a full investigation or understanding of what halacha actually says about abortion. As Orthodox Jews, we may or may not want halacha to inform public policy decisions; but we also should at least know the approach of Jewish law before wading into the debate. In order to get a better grasp of the halachic thinking that surrounds abortion, Scott invited Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder back on the podcast to explain the issues involved, as well as to assert what he feels should be the Orthodox approach toward the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade. (Rabbi Wieder asked me to issue a correction: at 23:08 he cites a second explanation of the Baalei Tosafot for why a person can desecrate Shabbat to save a fetus. This terminology used - "חלל עליו שבת אחת" - is used by Ramban, not Tosafot. Tosafot adopt the same fundamental stance, though they actually call it פקוח נפש.) This halachic discussion with Rabbi Wieder includes a significant amount of halachic terminology. While much of it is translated in the course of the podcast, some of it might be unfamiliar to many listeners. With that in mind, I am including a glossary of sorts, along with the time signatures where terms first appear, in posts in the Orthodox Conundrum Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/OrthodoxConundrum/posts/pfbid0teaNi4YJoVHNYYMJKjKX26KqE66Kq2VUomDq4JLZb5CDK4K8pmbPmeiFiBTLfAoul) and the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). If there are other terms that are unclear, please go to the post in the Discussion Group, comment there, and I or another listener will try to explain what the terminology means. Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

After the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance become embroiled in controversy last month, many people have begun questioning the future of Orthodox feminism. With that in mind, the Orthodox Conundrum will be releasing several episodes dealing with questions of women and their place in Orthodoxy. In today's episode, Scott interviews Dr. Hannah Lebovits, who discusses structural issues in right wing Orthodoxy that prevent women from becoming knowledge holders, questions regarding "commodification" of great rabbis, why she remains part of the right-wing Orthodox world, and more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

This isn't a regular episode of the Orthodox Conundrum; in fact, it's barely an episode at all. But I wanted to share what's been happening in our lives over the past week because, in the words of Henri Nouwen, "The most personal is the most universal, the most hidden is the most public, and the most solitary is the most communal." Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Just in time for the Seder... so that we can approach the questions that are really bothering so many people. Many religious Jews are troubled by the findings of modern academic studies of the Bible. And few issues can be as fraught with emotion and angst as the question of whether Yetziat Mitzrayim - the Exodus from Egypt - actually happened. After all, the reality of that event is the backbone of so much of Jewish belief; our entire relationship with G-d is largely predicated upon it. So when Bible professors question or doubt whether it happened at all, or whether it happened precisely in the way that the Torah describes, the believing Jew may find himself confused and distraught. Rabbi Joshua Berman, Professor of Tanach at Bar Ilan University, who has been a guest on this podcast before, doesn't shy away from these issues; he confronts them head-on. What's especially fascinating is that his approach is far from apologetics. He explains that in defending the Torah, we often have it backwards: that instead of seeing other ancient documents and artifacts echoing the Torah, we should expect the Torah to echo ancient documents and artifacts. In so doing, not only does Rabbi Berman explain why the Torah is believable despite the findings of archeology, but he also uses these discoveries as evidence that the the story is historical. Moreover, some of his ideas can shed new light in fascinating ways on what the Torah is trying to tell us. Plus: he describes his amazing trips to Egypt and how they provided him with insights into the Exodus. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

It sometimes seems as though the stream of child abuse allegations is never ending. There is certainly greater awareness now than there was in the past, but are we really doing everything possible to keep our children safe? Child safety advocate Rav Yakov Horowitz says it's time for Child Safety 2.0 - that is, to supplement what we might have done until now with added methods and better understanding and awareness. He talked with Scott about how predators groom entire communities along with their victims, problems in communication between parents and children (even when parents tell their kids that they should report abuse to them), barriers that allow abusers to hide in plain sight, the dangers of the charismatic teacher who is also the resident crazy character, and more. Yedid Nefesh is a passionate community of monthly givers on a mission to end mental health stigma and suffering in our communities... People like you, giving anything they can to prove that change is possible. Your monthly donation can give dozens of people with mental health challenges access to communal and Rabbinic support through our hotline every year. To join Yedid Nefesh, go to https://mnefesh.org/yedidnefesh/. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

"I always thought that the first time I'd talk about my daughter publicly would be at her funeral." Last week we released an episode about problematic behaviors in Modern Orthodox high schools, with a particular focus on binge drinking. This week, Scott speaks with Lianne Forman, who founded the CCSA organization - Communities Confronting Substance Use and Addiction - along with her husband. Lianne forthrightly discusses drug use in the Orthodox community, the importance of removing the stigma, and what parents need to know in order to help their children - because sooner or later, our kids are going to be exposed to it. Lianne also relates the very personal story of their daughter's misuse of alcohol and drugs. To learn more go to https://www.jewishccsa.org/. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

With Purim now in the rear-view mirror, it's worthwhile to investigate the place of drinking in our Orthodox communities. Rabbi Tully Harcsztark and Dr. Rivka Schwartz assert that it does, indeed, play a troubling role. In fact, scientific surveys have demonstrated that yeshiva high school students are involved in numerous antisocial behaviors, like binge drinking, gambling, and marijuana use - and some of them, at a significantly higher rate than American high school students in general. Parents and educators - and everyone who cares about the future of the Jewish community - need to ask why this is happening, how it is connected to affluence, what can be done to change these behaviors, and more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

How should Orthodox Jews relate to the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek - a Torah law that might be considered immoral? What are we remembering when we think of Amalek, and is there a message within that resonates with committed Torah Jews living in the 21st century? Join Scott as he talks with Rabbi Aryeh Klapper about Amalek, and what Parashat Zachor and Purim mean for Jews today. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Read an article by Rabbi Klapper about Amalek here: http://torahleadership.org/categories/beshalach_5780.pdf http://torahleadership.org/ https://moderntoraleadership.wordpress.com/ https://moderntoraleadership.wordpress.com/ Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Rav Eliezer Melamed, the author of the Peninei Halacha series, has recently been condemned by some very important rabbis. These well-respected individuals didn't merely disagree with his specific opinions, but also used ad hominem language and attacked him personally. What's actually going on? To understand the attempted ban, what Rav Melamed is trying to accomplish, what specific ideas are so controversial, and why the controversy has erupted now, Scott spoke to Rabbi Elli Fischer, the editor of the English Peninei Halacha series. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Two weeks ago, the Orthodox Conundrum hosted a panel discussion with Rabbi Moshe Simkovich, Yoetzet Halacha Tova Warburg Sinensky, and Olivia Friedman about the need for a course in yeshiva high schools that offers a frank presentation of a Jewish sexual ethic. We are now presenting Part Two, where Scott speaks with Yoetzet Bracha Rutner and Adira Botwinick. They talk about some of the difficult consequences that result from a lack of such education, and what more needs to be done - everywhere from elementary school through kallah and chatan classes. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Russia has invaded Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has put Russia's nuclear forces on alert, 40 million Ukrainians are in peril, including over 100,000 Jews, and the whole world is on edge. What should we, as Orthodox Jews, be thinking and doing? Scott spoke with Rav Judah Mischel and Rav Yonah Bookstein to hear a Torah perspective on the current war, the very mixed history of Jewish life in Ukraine, and what actions we should be taking. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Should intimacy and sex be taught in religious high schools? The members of today's panel believe that it's not only a good idea, but extremely important and imperative. Many of us have discovered that ignorance when it comes to sex and sexuality can have far reaching consequences. Particularly in light of the recent reports of a rape at Yeshiva University - where the perpetrator allegedly excused his crime by saying, “But it's fun” - we see that a Jewish sexual ethic is not something that our children and students just acquire by osmosis. If we don't teach it, we can only blame ourselves when things go wrong. Scott was honored to host Rabbi Moshe Simkovich, Yoetzet Halacha Tova Warburg Sinensky, and Mrs. Olivia Friedman on today's episode. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Whether we're talking about extraordinarily lavish weddings, or over-the-top Pesach programs, or the race to beat the next summer camp with trips to ever more glamorous locations, or even the clothes we wear, it's hard to deny that many of us are caught in a trap of overemphasis on material goods and experiences - an overemphasis which is frankly at odds with Torah values. On the other hand, even saying this can be problematic. First of all, isn't materialism in the eye of the beholder? It's almost impossible to define, which means that any complaints might be unfair - and, simultaneously, those who overspend on their lifestyle never have any reason to think that they are doing anything wrong. How do we approach the phenomenon of situations, vacations, programs, and lifestyles that are mehadrin min hamehadrin in all ways related to ritual… while their very existence and foundations violate fundamental Torah values? To learn more about this, Scott was honored to speak to Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

The lack of unity among the Jewish people is as obvious as it is troubling. We all know that it's a problem, and has been a problem for as long as there have been Jews. But the normal way of addressing it is by saying that unity is achievable… just as soon as everyone agrees with my way of seeing things. Obviously, this isn't a method that is destined to succeed. Sometimes it seems that the gaps are too big, the disagreements too intense, the self-righteousness of all sides too entrenched. JJ Sussman, the International Director at Gesher, says that all is not lost. He asserts that dialogue can do wonders, and - here's the interesting part - he's seen some of those wonders with his own eyes. Like when a well-known secular Jew explained the Chareidi refusal to serve in the Israeli army to a Los Angeles family, and was emotional when recounting that for the first time, despite his continued opposition to that way of thinking, he was able to articulate and perhaps even understand where the other side is coming from. Join Scott Kahn for his interview with JJ Sussman to learn more. And check out the whole (unedited!) YouTube video at https://youtu.be/4bt60uVqphM. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

On August 25th, 2021 the student newspaper at Yeshiva University, The Commentator, published an anonymous opinion piece entitled, "I Thought Rape Culture Didn't Exist at YU — Until I Was Raped." Its allegations were deeply troubling, and charged that the university was extremely negligent in its handling of the serious charge that a Yeshiva College student on the basketball team had raped a student from Stern College. In this episode, Scott interviews Shifra Lindenberg and Asher Lovy about the very controversial Non Disclosure Agreement, the failures of the Title IX office, where Yeshiva University went wrong , and what changes need to occur to prevent administrative negligence and failure in the future. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Daas Torah can be broadly defined as the belief that great Torah scholars have unusual insight in all areas of human endeavor, and that the Orthodox community as a whole (as well as its individual members) would do well - or may even be required - to consult with these outstanding rabbis before undertaking any significant action. But is this actually a traditional Jewish belief, or is it a relatively recent innovation? How much does the Charedi public truly accept Daas Torah as normative? Where does it come from and how has it changed over time? Scott spoke with Professor Marc Shapiro to address these and many more questions in this fascinating interview. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Accepting "Daat Torah" nowadays usually means believing that the greatest Torah scholars have unusual insight in areas outside of Jewish law and thought; for this reason, a person should or even must ask their opinion before doing… well, perhaps anything. Minimally, even communal matters that are not halachic issues per se require consultation with the authorities before moving forward. Scott discusses this concept and explains why he thinks that even people who can accept it in theory should reject its modern incarnation. This is not a halachic analysis, and it is not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, it is a series of reflections on the ways that Daat Torah has gone wrong, and how the way it is understood today causes terrible damage to Jews and Torah Judaism. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Understanding Chareidi Media: Do They Believe the Stories They Publish? (94) by Orthodox Conundrum: Challenges in Jewish Orthodoxy

The news that convulsed the Jewish world last week about Chaim Walder's suicide, following many credible accusations against him of sexual abuse and harassment, highlighted Orthodoxy's leadership crisis. Some prominent rabbis in different sectors of Orthodoxy said and did the right things; but many did not. Some of what these other leaders publicly asserted was ignorant, hurtful, and damaging. Some leaders even implicitly or explicitly showed honor to Walder... and last week, a victim of Walder's abuse died by suicide, apparently triggered by the honor shown to Walder after his death. Yes, we have a leadership crisis. The occasion of Walder's suicide didn't create that crisis, but it may have caused that crisis to reach a boiling point. The question now is, what do we do about it? To talk about this crisis Scott spoke with Rabbi Yosef Blau, the senior mashgiach ruchani at Yeshiva University. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

On December 27, celebrated children's author Chaim Walder was found dead after apparently shooting himself in a Petach Tikva cemetery. In November, Walder had been credibly accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment in an expose published by Haaretz; this was followed by the revelation that these particular accusations were only the tip of the iceberg. Walder, it turned out, was a monster. The news of Walder's suicide has rocked the Orthodox world. Scott asked Shana Aaronson, the executive director of Magen, to join him again on the podcast to answer questions that she has been receiving over the past two days. Although Shana discussed Chaim Walder last month in episode 87, she now answers some of the new questions that have arisen, as well as questions that people asked after listening to the earlier discussion. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Corruption. No transparency. Cover-ups. This, tragically, is too often the reality in the world of Orthodox Jewish charitable organizations. While some tzedaka funds are well-run, honest, and transparent, others are unprincipled and untrustworthy... and sometimes even worse. (Remember when you gave to help someone get a desperately needed kidney transplant? Are you sure the patient even exists?) Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt highlighted this issue in a twitter thread a couple of months ago, and Scott discussed this with her further in this interview. They also talked about her dual role as a journalist and a rebbetzin, the conflicts that are engendered by that dual role, the fine line between journalism and activism, and more. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Jews who live in majority-Christian countries are used to being inundated with Christmas imagery during the month of December. But while that might be innocuous per se, it also raises a more serious question of whether Orthodox Jews need to be concerned about the attempts of some Christian missionaries to convert Jews to Christianity. Many of us likely believe that while we need to combat the conversion of any Jew, Orthodox or otherwise, the danger to Orthodox Jews is minimal, at worst. Rabbi Tovia Singer of Outreach Judaism suggests that the threat to Orthodox Jews is stronger than many assume. Scott spoke to Rabbi Singer in the wake of the Michael Elkohen situation in Episode 67, and this week they discuss the more general risk posed by missionaries targeting Orthodox Jews. Rabbi Singer explains what every Orthodox Jew needs to know, and how Jews can combat the conversion techniques of missionaries. More controversially, he bluntly explains why, in contrast to the opinions of many people working in the area of interfaith dialogue, Christianity is not good for Christians and does not have a real redemptive purpose, and that Evangelical Fundamentalists of all stripes are interested in Jewish evangelism, even if they don't say so out loud. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Last week, Sam Sokol of Haaretz reported that, “Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties on Monday declared war on the 'Hellenists' in the government looking to upend the country's religious status quo, promising to launch a joint national struggle to preserve the state's Jewish character.” What changes are being suggested - and why do these changes make the Orthodox parties so angry? In order to discuss what the government would like to do, what the religious parties want instead, and what might actually happen and what probably won't, Scott spoke to Sam Sokol to find out what's really going on. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

When many people think about Chanukah, they think about heroism. And that makes sense: the Maccabees were real heroes, defying the might of their Syrian Greek overlords and fighting for Jewish practice in the Land of Israel. At the same time, much of the Jewish world gets the meaning of heroism wrong... or gets it right and chooses to ignore it. What is heroism, where are we failing, and what can we do to start demonstrating real heroism in our Orthodox communities? Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Thursday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, making this an especially appropriate time to reflect on the issue of domestic violence in the Orthodox world. Many assume that domestic violence is an issue with minimal relevance in Orthodox communities; Rachel Stomel of the Center for Women's Justice, however, argues that this attitude is, sadly, very mistaken. She asserts that not only does domestic violence take place in our communities, but also that some of the systems we have in place - whether we mean the government sponsored Rabbinate, individual batei din, or perhaps even halacha itself - can be contributing factors. This interview presents some disturbing realities. For anyone who cares about Torah and halacha, we need to face these questions head on. You may disagree with Rachel, but as she said on the podcast, raising the issue, even if we don't know how to create airtight solutions, is a necessary first step. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Just over a week ago, we heard the very disturbing news that the well known and influential children's author, Chaim Walder, was accused by multiple people of sexually abusing several girls between the ages of 13 and 20. Apart from his celebrity as an author, Walder has worked as a therapist, and is the founder of the Center for the Child and Family in Bnei Brak, a talk show host, and a columnist. After these allegations were published in Haaretz and other media outlets, his newspaper and radio station have discontinued working with him, while numerous stores have stopped selling all of his books. Shana Aaronson, the executive director of Magen, had heard of these allegations before they became public, and Scott spoke with her both about the Chaim Walder situation, as well as about how parents can protect children from sexual abuse. They talked about what parents should and should not do, what are the yellow and red flags they should notice, and if they notice such warning signs, what they should do next. To learn more about Magen, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/magen.lotishtok. Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Our last episode featured the first half of Scott's interview with Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, the rabbi of the Pico Shul in Los Angeles and the founder of Shabbat Tent. In that podcast they talked about the difference between kiruv and outreach, and why that difference matters. Today Rav Yonah explains why music and film festivals have provided him with amazing opportunities for healthy Jewish outreach. He even compares the experience of music festivals with that of Matan Torah, and asserts that this comparison is actually crucial to understanding how to reach out to Jews, whoever and wherever they are. This also leads him to tell us what he thinks the future of outreach has to be - and along the way he tells some great stories, too. Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also check out https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

The Orthodox world has often stressed the importance of kiruv - that is, working to help non-Orthodox Jews become Torah observant. But Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, the rabbi of the Pico Shul in Los Angeles, wants to make a distinction between kiruv and outreach; he personally stresses the latter in his important work with Jews across the spectrum of religiosity. What does that mean? How can we avoid being judgmental when we believe that Torah Judaism represents the proper way to actualize Judaism in our lives? What is defined as successful outreach - and are the terms “success” and “failure” even appropriate at all? Scott spoke with Yonah about these and other important topics regarding the future of outreach. (Make sure to check out part two of this interview, dropping later this week, where Rav Yonah talks about his experiences in reaching Jews through Shabbat Tent at music festivals across the country, how music festivals can be compared to the Jewish People in the desert as seen from Bil'am's viewpoint - yes, really - and what music festivals have in common with Matan Torah - yes, really, again.) Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Yael Braun is a to'enet halacha, someone who goes to the beit din (rabbinic court) in order to advocate on behalf of her clients. In fact, she says that she is the first and only to'enet halacha in the United States. What is the role of a to'enet, and has she had problems stepping into a job normally occupied only by men? But alongside telling stories and explaining the importance of her job, Yael presents a rather hopeful picture of a number of different issues. She has had a very positive experience in her interactions with Chassidish batei din; despite the common stereotype of batei din being misogynist, she has been warmly accepted and encouraged by the dayanim, or judges. Moreover, she also has seen progress on the issue of get refusal ever since the #FreeChava movement began - a movement in which she played a role. Join Scott and Yael Braun for an entertaining, enlightening, and encouraging discussion. (Listen to the whole episode: towards the beginning, Scott's ignorance about a to'enet's job will become blatantly apparent, and towards the end you'll hear Yael's very funny and appropriate rejoinder when a male to'en calls her a witch.) Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Last week Scott spoke with Rabbi Shalom Hammer about the changes that he feels we must make in order for Israeli society to better deal with mental illness in general, and suicidal ideation in particular. This week he spoke with Rabbi Hammer again, and they had a very difficult and emotional - but important - conversation. Rabbi Hammer's daughter Gila died by suicide almost two years ago; they will be commemorating her passing on chet kislev, which this year falls out on the twelfth of November. He offers his personal insights on dealing with grief, relating to the rest of the children after the death of a child, how it affected his faith in G-d, what has been helpful and hurtful, the process of moving forward, and more. If you would like to contribute - in Gila's memory - to help Rabbi Hammer break stigmas in mental health, please click on https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/58560. Please also visit the following sites to hear more from Rabbi Hammer and to reach out to him: https://www.rabbihammer.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN5oWx1lIrrjkaNs9R8KtjA https://www.facebook.com/rabbihammer https://www.instagram.com/rabbihammer/ Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Less than two years ago, Gila Hammer died by suicide. Since that catastrophic tragedy, her father, Rabbi Shalom Hammer, has been working nonstop to advocate for important changes in the way that the Israeli establishment - medical and governmental - treats mental illness. Rabbi Hammer has also become an important advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. He does this in Gila's memory, in order to do whatever is possible so that other families do not go through the horror that he, his wife, and children have experienced. In this episode, Scott speaks with Rabbi Hammer about the serious problems that exist, and what can be done to help fix them. If you would like to contribute - in Gila's memory - to help Rabbi Hammer break stigmas in mental health, please click on https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/58560. Please also visit the following sites to hear more from Rabbi Hammer and to reach out to him: https://www.rabbihammer.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN5oWx1lIrrjkaNs9R8KtjA https://www.facebook.com/rabbihammer https://www.instagram.com/rabbihammer/ Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com