Submitted Comments RSS Feed Comments by Rabbi Arie Chark
Posted in: U.S. vigils remember slain gay Israelis
I'd ask Steven who you were, Ross, but I haven't seen him since I stopped eating at The Milky Way, which was owned by his mother and stepfather. Furthermore, I don't much care who you are. I do, however, care very much that you have sullied the useless deaths of two young people with your vile ignorance. As to you, Cheryl, my earnest advice is to please speak nicely or stay silent. Come to think of it, that also applies to you, Ross. Kindest regards to both of you, Rabbi Arie Chark
Posted in: Mideast question removed from Canadian exam
Rabbi Chark is a Canadian. And unlike Mr Rodgers I do not need to make sweeping generalisations about Americans and the way they are educated. I have lived in Morristown (NJ), New York City, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. I have travelled to 15 of the 50 States and DC, most recently last summer, and have been to every Canadian province except Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. I wonder if you can tell me the capital of any Canadian province or of Canada itself, Mr Rodgers? Are are you soooo stupid that you can't possibly even pass a basic test in US civics? Let me point out a few facts: No one in this country is denied medical treatment because they can't pay. We have had a black, female Head of State since 2005. Ms Jean is the third female of our last five Governors-General. Four of the last six GGs have been ethnic: German, Ukrainian, Chinese, and Haitian. The Rt Hon Herb Gray was the first Jewish prime minister of Canada,albeit as Acting PM while the Liberal Party was electing a new leader. A Canadian without a bank account is almost unheard of, though of course people do fall through the cracks Almost 50% of Canadians have a passport. Speaking of banks, not a single Canadian bank failed during the economic meltdown last year. I guess that's because Canadians are sooo stupid we didn't evolve to the point of becoming unregulated capitalist robber-barons. Reb A.
Posted in: National Jewish burial society tries to stem increased cremation
It is not the cost of the coffin so much as the cost of the land associated with the burial that causes issues. Furthemore, synagogues who serve larger segment of the general Jewish community, often charge higher fees for non-members or for members who are delinquent on their various fees. I wish Mr Poppers' assertion was correct. Simple wooden caskets are *not* the norm except among *informed* members of Orthodox communities, whose number is quite small in relation to the size of the overall Jewish community of America. There are any number of nominally Orthodox who get buried in expensive coffins and the number is even higher for unobservant Jews. There is no prohibition whatever to the type of coffin one is buried in, contrary to popular Orthodox belief. I would additionally urge Mr Poppers to be much less smug. His opinion isn't that humble. Reb Arie
Posted in: Obama in Cairo: See conflict through eyes of the other
I would ask American conservative Christians to please leave our media alone. Being an activist I am easy to mistake for a liberal, which I am most assuredly not. I am a confirmed centrist that skews left on social issues but skews right on legal,moral,ethical, and religious ones. I am the av bet din "presiding judge" of a nascent beth din in Ottawa, where I am a rabbi. Those who use "Hussein" as an insult don't know either Hebrew or Arabic. In Hebrew *Khosn* means "vigor" or "robust" and this root also informs, eventually, *khoshn* "breatsplate". A major section of Jewish law is called *Khoshn Mishpat* "The Breastplate of Judgement". *Barack*, of course, means "blessing". What's to insult?
Posted in: Goin' all Old Testament on Gary Trudeau's behind
I will comment to Doonebury or Slate or whomsoever. But first let me comment to you: What do they need to be called on? American bankers and the faith Christian administrators who "regulated" them depleted capital from the world economy and perpetrated a massive fraud on the US economy. Where is the anti-Jewish rhetoric in pointing that out?! As to the vengeful so-called "Old Testament" G!d -- It's not an old Testament to Jews -- yes, I agree, that rhetoric is old and tired.
Posted in: Chabad rabbi: 'Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle)'
I have two perspective I want to share on this matter. 1. Only someone who has never lifted a gun and shot at other people could for a moment think that such a policy would work. I have done both and have permanently damaged ankles from the bullets I have taken in return. Manis's remarks are absurd and didn't work even in Biblical times. When Sha'ul Ha'Melekh "King Saul" was mandated to do kill every living thing he oversaw a general slaughter but permitted booty, which was a humanitarian gesture for ancient warfare. The Prophet Shmuel was extremely upset and prophesied the downfall of the House of Sha'ul, which occurred. 2. While I would say that Manis is widely representative of Lubavitchers, I would *not* say that he represents the Lubavitcher mainstream because there is no Lubavitcher mainstream. Since the Rebbe died there has been less and less cohesion among Lubavitcher shlukhim (local Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis who typically run "Chabad Houses"). I am close to many who believe that any day now the Rebbe will arsie from his qever "grave" and lead us into the Coming World. I am close to others who reject that as nonsense. I know some of the deep mystics of the Chabad system, of whom here are fewer and fewer, and I know others for whom mystical approaches are something to pay lip-service, which is typical. Mr Arnold is under no obligation to believe in G!d. He is under an obligation to be civil. Capital letters are not civil and his shrill perspectives are irritating without being informative.
Posted in: Can Britain's chief rabbi sell in America?
The British Commonwealth? What's that? I have only ever heard of it called The Commonwealth or Commonwealth of Nations in Canada, and this is generally the accepted term elsewhere also. With respect to the Commonwealth, Rabbi Sacks does have some influence in Commonwealth nations such as Australia and New Zealand, and he has sent shlukhim to these places and elsewhere. He has no authority there, as such, because the Commonwealth is an intergovernmental organisation. What authority he is accorded is due to his leadership stature. Rabbi Sacks is not the Chief Rabbi of Canada, which has adopted the US-style of congregational affiliation. Our shuls are generally affiliated either with the OU or the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Perhaps 25 belong to the URJ and I believe three shuls in Canada are affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement. R Sacks did not refuse to honour Louis Jacobs. This decision was made by the congregational rabbi presiding at the aufruf honouring the groom of R Jacobs' grand-daughter. R Sacks was, sadly, bound by an absurd institutional response within the UK United Synagogue movement. I'm not apologising for the CR, whose public remarks were scandalous, as was his refusal to attend the funeral of Hugo Grin, an outstanding leader of UK Reform, which produces true scholarship of Judaism and is perhaps more "left-wing" Conservative in an American context. I regard R Sacks as my Chief Rabbi even as I am to his left on many social issues.
Posted in: Reject anti-Israeli apartheid meeting, 'queers' urged
I am tremendously saddened by the immaturity evident in these posts. Mr Watkins, Mr Tzarfati, and Alamobpo are all likely the same person; if not, their remarks are all equally inane. There is enough Jew-hatred in this world without a bunch of misinformed homophobes contributing their vile and stupid remarks.
Posted in: Time to say Kaddish for the non-Orthodox?
Yes, R Lamm is gloating. He's also 82, so let him gloat. Will it kill you? I live in Canada, where I am a Chasidic rabbi and maintain a clinical practice in spiritual direction. Orthodoxy is mainstream here and runs perhaps slightly ahead of Conservative Judaism. There are 5 Orthodox synagogues in Ottawa, where I live, compared to three Conservative. Reform and Recon are present in Canada but hardly normative -- Reform has 26 synagogues and Recon has four. Maimonides has already answered your question, Mr Pressman. Rambam maintains that one's Judaism is premised on mitzva, not myth. He's quite clear on that, and holds utterly rational perspectives on, for example, the waters of the Red Sea parting. It's a common Chabad ploy to use Maimonides and completely misrepresent his scientific outlook as faith-based. Poppycock. As to your premise about what the Orthodox do or do not believe, I would urge you to actually participate in Orthodox communities and learn something of these perspective. You can then criticise them to your heart's delight. I've been doing it myself for years.
RSS Feed Breaking News
Updated 02/09/12 @ 05:54PM EST
- A poll showed that nearly half of likely voters believed the United States should use military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
- Rabbi Gunther Plaut, a major figure in Reform Judaism, died in Toronto.
- The application for a proposed Hebrew-language charter school was accepted by the District of Columbia Public Charter School board.
- A truck driving calves from Eilat to the Golan Heights was hijacked into the West Bank.
- U.S. Rep. Howard Berman introduced legislation that would allow eligible Israeli nationals to receive non-immigrant investor visas in the United States.
- Poll: Half of U.S. voters back strike on nuclear Iran
- Reform leader Rabbi Gunther Plaut dies
- D.C. Hebrew-language charter school accepted for review
- Op-Ed: Kick the reaction addiction on campus
- Berman moves to grant investor visas to Israelis
- Holy cow! Calves hijacked into Palestinian territory
- Report: Israeli journalist also works for prime minister
- Larry Greenfield tapped to lead JINSA
Posted in: Montreal JCC to open on Saturdays
08/14/09 04:33 PM
I agree with you, Rabbi Aryeh, but I believe you lost a teaching moment. Mussa (Arabic for Moshe, which is Hebrew for Moses), the Shabbat is a festive day, as you acknowledge, but it is also a day on which observant Jews refrain from mundane, weekday activities. The restaurant would be closed because commerce does not take place on Shabbat. That's also why the Y will not be handling money. The Y should remain closed. I can see no reason for it to be open. Even if the opening is mission driven it's still, in the end, about money.