Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel » Shmuley Boteach

The Blessings of a Big Sister

Shmuley Boteach — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:48:54 +0000

My eldest sister Sara, whom I’ve affectionately called Sarala since I was a baby, turned 50 on the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer. When I was a boy of 8 and she was 12, my parents separated and she bore the great responsibility of being the sibling who looked after her younger brothers and sisters, [...]

The post The Blessings of a Big Sister appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

It turns out that Hawking is no Einstein

Shmuley Boteach — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:10:54 +0000

Has Stephen Hawking really left the company of Albert Einstein, an avowed Zionist who worked to create the State of Israel, and replaced him with the august company of Elvis Costello and other Israel boycotters? I hosted Hawking for a lecture at Oxford in 1998 where I introduced him to 1000 Oxford students. He could [...]

The post It turns out that Hawking is no Einstein appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Porn and marriage – not a great match

Shmuley Boteach — Fri, 03 May 2013 06:16:19 +0000

Wow. That was unexpected. A new study from The Journal of Sexual Medicine quotes four Dutch researchers who argue that porn ultimately has no seriously negative effect on sexual behavior. Pornography, the researchers say, is “just one factor among many that may influence the sexual behaviors of young people.” The study looked at 4,600 people [...]

The post Porn and marriage – not a great match appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Did you hear the one about the Genocidal tyrant?

Shmuley Boteach — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:31:08 +0000

Yet again, the United States, and, indeed the world, finds itself having to confront a dictatorial regime led by a maniacal leader who continuously threatens both our country and that of our allies. Although Iran typically leads international headlines in this arena, the North Korean regime has taken center stage with both provocative acts and [...]

The post Did you hear the one about the Genocidal tyrant? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Leprosy and badmouthing the IDF

Shmuley Boteach — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 07:51:33 +0000

Having a daughter in this Israeli army changes everything about how we as a family commemorate Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial day, observed today. As we mourn the loss of more than twenty thousand brave soldiers who defended the Jewish people against extinction, I am struck by the difference in how we view those soldiers as [...]

The post Leprosy and badmouthing the IDF appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Obama in Israel: the wrong apology

Shmuley Boteach — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:28:41 +0000

President Barak Obama’s first trip to Israel since he became president had the potential to yield many tangible results, not the least of which could have been a demand on the part of the leader of the free world that Hamas revoke its genocidal charter against Israel. While it produced many inspirational moments, important symbolic [...]

The post Obama in Israel: the wrong apology appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

What enslaves us?

Shmuley Boteach — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 08:52:28 +0000

Conveying the contemporary relevance of Passover, Judaism’s most famous holiday, to a western audience, most of whom have grown up in thriving liberal democracies, is challenging. I remember how when I first arrived at Oxford University to serve as Rabbi in 1988 the students organized seders not just on Passover but throughout the year to [...]

The post What enslaves us? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Loving America by serving in Israel’s army

Shmuley Boteach — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 08:42:17 +0000

I met with a group from the American military last week. After I think thanked them for their gallant service, one of them inquired about my daughter serving in the Israel Defense Force. I told him I’d write him an explanation. Here it is. But before addressing his very innocent question, let me say that [...]

The post Loving America by serving in Israel’s army appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Where are Israel’s intrepid defenders?

Shmuley Boteach — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 09:28:45 +0000

For those involved in pro-Israel advocacy, now is the winter of our discontent. We’re on the defensive in virtually every part of the world. The BDS movement continues to spread across university campuses with even Jewish-populated Brooklyn College recently joining the fray. When I was in South Africa last week I treated to the usual [...]

The post Where are Israel’s intrepid defenders? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Getting the Apartheid-Israel equation right

Shmuley Boteach — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:28:57 +0000

Arriving in South Africa for a lecture tour – the second in a year – I popped on the TV to watch President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address. The address was comprehensive and delivered in a dry monotone, but not so boring as to omit the necessary dig against Israel that came, completely [...]

The post Getting the Apartheid-Israel equation right appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Bar Refaeli and GoDaddy’s degradation of women

Shmuley Boteach — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:14:48 +0000

I don’t want to come across as a prude and less so do I want to judge. So how do I say this delicately? For those of us who always hoped that Israel would stand for just a little bit more than some of the values of the rest of the world, GoDaddy.com’s Super Bowl [...]

The post Bar Refaeli and GoDaddy’s degradation of women appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

President Obama’s appalling silence on Syria

Shmuley Boteach — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:18:44 +0000

Surely the first African-American president has a special responsibility to promote human freedom and the infinite worth of the human person. The same obligation would be incumbent upon the first Jewish President, whoever he or she may be. Two communities who have experienced wholesale decimation have a special responsibility to promote the infinite value of [...]

The post President Obama’s appalling silence on Syria appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

An unholy link between Hagel’s anti-Gay and anti-Jewish slurs

Shmuley Boteach — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:32:31 +0000

A few years ago I was out having dinner with my orthodox, gay, Jewish brother when a religious man walked over to me and asked if I was Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. From his aggressive posture I knew in my gut that I should not respond in the affirmative but was simply too tired to lie. [...]

The post An unholy link between Hagel’s anti-Gay and anti-Jewish slurs appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Worn out ‘shidduch’ system seeks fresh ways to make a match

Shmuley Boteach — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:15:50 +0000

If there is one area of orthodox Jewish life that is truly messed up and needs fixing it’s matchmaking. In our communities we eschew the recreational dating scene of the secular world. As a counselor in that world and someone who once served as matchmaker-in-chief for JDate, I agree that it is too flawed. External [...]

The post Worn out ‘shidduch’ system seeks fresh ways to make a match appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Freedom of Worship Denied

Shmuley Boteach — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 09:07:47 +0000

You know your city might be out to stop your Synagogue when one of its most powerful officials testifies that its creation might bother the Libyan embassy that is your neighbor. But that was the testimony of City Engineer Ken Albert at a recent hearing where he said that our Synagogue may not have enough [...]

The post Freedom of Worship Denied appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.