Orthodox Conundrum

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

Apart from the horror that was engendered by the Chaim Walder revelations and his subsequent suicide, there has been significant discussion about the Chareidi media's varied responses to the terrible situation. Some media outlets lauded Walder after his death, which apparently helped trigger the suicide of one of Walder's victims. Ignoring truth for the sake of a supposed higher value has consequences, some potentially catastrophic. To better understand ultra-Orthodox media, Scott spoke to Dr. Yoel Finkelman, Curator of the Haim and Hanna Salomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel. (Please note that in this podcast, Dr. Finkelman is speaking as an interested observer of Chareidi media and not in any official work capacity. The opinions expressed are his own.) 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 Head shot of Dr. Finkelman by Yorai Lieberman

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