Scott Kahn, at The Blogs

Scott Kahn

Director of JewishCoffeeHouse.com

Mar 3, 2025, 1:54 PM

Saying kaddish for 11 months ends without ceremony, as if I suddenly stopped waving to departing guests. It breaks my heart, but at least that feels right

Jan 14, 2025, 3:10 AM

Cruelty in the Knesset

Today, in Israel’s Knesset, we witnessed a repeat of a scene straight out of the Bible. Almost. In Bereshit 42, Joseph tells his brothers that they will see neither him nor their imprisoned brother Simeon again unless they bring Jacob’s beloved...

Dec 25, 2024, 3:11 AM

A Way to Show You Care

Yesterday I wrote an article that criticized CBS’s Lesley Stahl for implicitly questioning the morality of Israel’s pager operation on September 17th, despite her acknowledgement that Israel was exceedingly careful that the explosions would only kill terrorists and not those near...

Dec 24, 2024, 4:53 AM

Exploding Pagers and Israel’s Morality

Last night on the news magazine 60 Minutes, CBS reporter Lesley Stahl interviewed two recently retired Mossad agents who were deeply involved in Israel’s “pager plot.” This, of course, refers to the incredible operation where thousands of pagers exploded in the...

Oct 20, 2024, 11:41 PM

Excessive Force – Then and Now

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III delivers remarks to Department of Defense personnel, with President Joe. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Feb. 10, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

The number of casualties, civilian casualties have been far too high. - United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Israeli military activity in Beirut, October 19th, 2024 The protests were launched to demand the right of return for millions of...

Sep 18, 2024, 3:11 PM

Featured Post

Everyone deserves a vacation… right?

Thoughts on the Haredi men who were barbecuing, relaxing, and playing laser tag while hiding behind faux military tents in Yarmut Park

Aug 27, 2024, 3:12 PM

October 7th and Kristallnacht

October 7th was not Kristallnacht. But many people wish that it were. In November, 1938, 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan, who was born in Hanover, Germany to Polish Jewish parents, learned that his family had been arrested by the Gestapo, stripped of...

Jun 10, 2024, 8:27 AM

The War Cabinet – and Israel – in Grave Danger

It is obvious that there can be no more serious decision for a government than whether or not to go to war. The answer is sometimes yes, the answer is sometimes no. However, no matter what a country’s leaders decide,...

Jun 6, 2024, 6:35 AM

Jerusalem Day in 1994… and 30 Years Later

He was 23, he was learning in yeshiva, and he lived in an apartment in Jerusalem with a friend. He was not an Israeli citizen -- not yet sure if or when he would be, if he were being...

About Me

Rabbi Scott Kahn is the CEO of Jewish Coffee House (www.jewishcoffeehouse.com) and the host of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast and co-host of Intimate Judaism. You can see more of his writing at https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Contact Me