Issue

Volume # 5776

Summer 2016(5776)

In this issue
The Art of Advocacy: Maury Litwack
Education

The Art of Advocacy: Maury Litwack

Maury Litwack, the director of state political affairs at the Orthodox Union, has over fourteen years of public policy and political experience. In his role at the Orthodox Union, Maury develops and implements state-by-state advocacy plans for the OU’s many communities around the country. Prior to working with the Orthodox Union, Maury served as a […]

A Portrait of Greatness
People

A Portrait of Greatness

The petirah of Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky was a tragedy for the Jewish world at large as well as for our close-knit OU community. We at OU Kosher had the privilege of having Rabbi Belsky work closely with us over the years, and we had the opportunity to experience first-hand his exceptional gifts.

Rabbi Belsky: The Person and The Posek
People

Rabbi Belsky: The Person and The Posek

Rosh yeshivah, maggid shiur, rav, ba’al tefillah, mohel. Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky, zt”l, held all of these titles as well as one more: posek for OU Kosher. What made Rabbi Belsky such an outstanding posek? Below are a few of the exceptional qualities I merited to observe while working with him.

Kashrut Contributions of Rabbi Belsky
People

Kashrut Contributions of Rabbi Belsky

Rabbi Belsky was someone who fought for the truth; he never gave a thought to how popular his position would be, or what others would say.
Below is but a sample of the breadth and scope of Rabbi Belsky’s wide-ranging rulings and how they affect every kosher consumer:

An Unconventional Gadol
People

An Unconventional Gadol

Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky was not your conventional gadol. A gadol, by definition, is someone larger than life. Rabbi Belsky was not just a “larger-than-life” figure, he was truly an enigma.

The Consummate American Gadol
People

The Consummate American Gadol

Like any boy raised on Brooklyn Dodgers turf, he loved to play ball and ping-pong and roller skate. But that didn’t stop him from becoming a diehard Yankee fan. Or an American gadol.​

SHARONA KAPLAN
People

SHARONA KAPLAN

My job offers the ultimate professional fulfillment. The Jewish ideal is to be a lifelong learner and to continuously be involved with things that nourish and mature your Jewish identity. A lot of women at my stage in life don’t have that luxury, and I’m so grateful to OU-JLIC for giving me that platform.

SHIRA SMILES
People

SHIRA SMILES

We live in an age where women are more learned than ever before. Women want to be challenged to think, and they appreciate the intellectual rigor of an in-depth shiur. Yet challenging the mind without engaging the heart is too limiting. People are searching for meaning. I try, with my shiurim, to provide a message for life, to nurture the soul as well as the mind.

Dr. Erica Brown
People

Dr. Erica Brown

While I almost always write my own job description—not neatly fitting into existing frameworks—I think you can only do that for so long before fatigue sets in. It’s kind of crazy to have this conversation in virtually every workplace:
“What should we call you?”
“I don’t know.”

Dr. Aviva Weisbord on Leadership
People

Dr. Aviva Weisbord on Leadership

To me, the question of leadership is not necessarily about how I find fulfillment or the impact I want to have. It’s about asking, “Why are we here?” It’s about serving HaKadosh Baruch Hu to the best of my ability; doing what He wants in the way that fits the values and standards of Judaism.

CHANNAH COHEN
Women

CHANNAH COHEN

Oh, sure, I knew all about leadership. I knew that the trait theory was passé and would turn up ludicrous hypotheses; for instance, that through studying Napoleon and Caesar one can deduce that great leaders must be left-handed and shorter than 5’4”. I knew that the difference between good leaders and good managers lay in asking “how” versus asking “why.” I even had a master’s in adult learning and leadership to boot. So yeah, I knew all about leadership.

RIVKA SEGAL
People

RIVKA SEGAL

Everyone has his or her own mission. You follow the dots that God has given you and you go with it. There are women who derive immense satisfaction from working full time, and there are women who thrive as stay-at-home moms. We all have to respect each other’s choices. That ability to value everyone’s unique role comes from learning Torah.

ROCHEL SYLVETSKY
People

ROCHEL SYLVETSKY

My beloved high school Navi teacher, Rabbi Ebstein, z”l, a survivor who tried hard to make the messages of the ancient prophets relevant to our Beth Jacob Esther Schoenfeld high school senior class, would often ask us: “What is the reason you are in this world?”

What Makes a Good Leader?
People

What Makes a Good Leader?

By Aviva Weisbord 1. Take responsibility: We lead because there’s something that needs to be accomplished. 2. Offer a vision: People join when there is a clear purpose and end-goal. 3. Make a team: We really can’t do it all ourselves! 4. Build relationships, not hierarchies: Believe in the positive qualities of the people you […]

Gun Control in Halachah
Jewish Law

Gun Control in Halachah

If you drive around different parts of the US long enough, you are likely to encounter two bumper stickers asserting two contradictory ideas. One states, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” The other states, “More guns, more death.”

Should I Carry A Gun?
Jewish Law

Should I Carry A Gun?

With mass shootings and terror attacks in the news with frightening frequency, it is only natural for the average civilian to want to be able to defend himself. What are some of the halachic issues concerning purchasing or carrying a gun?

Rabbi’s Diary: Why Prenuptial Agreements Work
Jewish Thought

Rabbi’s Diary: Why Prenuptial Agreements Work

A few months ago, Jessica, a thirty-year-old woman,1 called the offices of the Beth Din of America. She said she was getting married in one month at a destination wedding in Italy. The Orthodox rabbi whom Jessica had approached about officiating would only agree to do so if Jessica could obtain a get from her first husband, Barry.

Cooking Smart to Outsmart Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Recipes

Cooking Smart to Outsmart Alzheimer’s and Dementia

The following scrumptious summer recipes are packed with brain-boosting ingredients that can help you outsmart Alzheimer’s and dementia. They’re simple to prepare and use easily available ingredients, so they’re perfect for those hot summer days when you don’t feel like cooking heavy, time-consuming meals.

Review: Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence
Reviews

Review: Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence

I don’t think there is any one on the Jewish scene today who combines the breadth, creativity, insight and eloquence of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks . . . . But none of that kept me from being a little disappointed by his latest book, Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence.

The Koren Tehillim
Reviews

The Koren Tehillim

As people of religious spirit, we look to Tehillim to help us overcome the hardships of life as well as the challenges of remaining faithful, of defeating despair, of maintaining courage against all odds and of prevailing over a frightening force of Evil.

Reviews in Brief
Reviews in Brief

Reviews in Brief

We pray and recite blessings in Hebrew, study sacred Hebrew texts and speak Hebrew in Israel. But what is this language? Where did it come from and how did it become the de facto Jewish language after centuries of Yiddish, Ladino and other Jewish languages?

New Books from OU Press
New Books from OU Press

New Books from OU Press

Echoes of Sinai, the fifth and final installment in Rabbi Ari Kahn’s Echoes of Eden series, calls attention to the ways Sefer Devarim retells, expands on and explains earlier sections of the Torah.