How the Charedi and Modern Worlds Can Learn to Appreciate Each Other

When our children were young, we would buy their Shabbos clothes in Willamsburg. As we entered the neighborhood, I was amazed at the number of chesed activities that were being conducted by the children and the posters for shiurim, drashos and commuity events of interest. For many years, we have also attended simchos in Williamsburg. [...]

An Unusual Dilemma

Since this is an interesting discussion, we’re going to leave this post on top today. – admins This is probably not the sort of post that you will accept or run on BeyondBT, but it is very sincere and I would love to see what your posters have to say about my dilemma: I grew [...]

Tzafat – An Ecletic City of Seekers

By Laurie Rappeport English-speaking immigrants have been settling in Tzfat since the founding of the State but in the ’70s the numbers began to grow as many Anglo olim were searching for spirituality combined with a desire to live in a small supportive community. The English-speaking community of Tzfat is comprised of people of all [...]

The Swinging Pendulum of Yiddishkeit

By “Always a BT” I have noticed a phenomenon of late that makes me ponder the proverbial swinging pendulum of Torah observance. It hit me recently, having attended a number of simchas & observing the dress & mode of conduct of my own generation in stark contrast to that of our children. My husband & [...]

South Brooklyn School Devastated by Hurricane Sandy

Dear All, South Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Seagate have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy last week. Among victims of the hurricane is Mazel Day School located blocks away from the ocean and the bay. The two buildings which house the school were badly flooded and all K-6 [...]

The Distress in Far Rockaway and How You Can Help

Dear Friends I just came back from Yeshiva Shar Yoshuv. A couple of friends and I decided to take the day and help people in Far Rockaway clean out after the flood. We called Achiezer this morning and they said come to Shar Yoshuv and we will send you out. When we got to Shar [...]

The Permanent Preciousness of the “Secular” Jew

Regular contributor and commentor, Menachem Lipkin emailed us this thought provoking article by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo of the The David Cardozo Academy. Rabbi Lopes Cardozo was kind enough to allow us to post the article on Beyond Teshuva. You can find the original here. Originally Posted Apr 5, 2006 We are living in an [...]

Considering Tzfat After Teshuva

By Simcha Cohen The increase in aliyah from English-speaking countries over the past few years has considerably boosted the English-speaking population of Tzfat. Community leaders estimate that there are over 1000 English-speakers in Tzfat today out of a total population of 33,000. New immigrants are drawn to Tzfat for a variety of reasons but the [...]

It’s Lonely in the Middle

First Published Dec 4, 2006 I’ve long been taken with the following quote from Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik: “All extremism, fanaticism, and obscurantism come from a lack of security. A person who is secure cannot be an extremist.” Perhaps the quote has stuck so firmly in my mind because of the context in which I [...]

What are the Keys to Being Happy in A Community?

Although no one is claiming their community is perfect, many BTs seem very happy in their communities. What are the keys to being happy in a community? a) Focusing on the strengths of the people and institutions b) Being involved in the community c) Understanding the communal norms d) Keeping under the radar e) Finding [...]

The Kindness of Seat Eviction

Just like Beyond BT moments happen, so do Shul Politics moments. Here’s a recent happening: The Kindness of Seat Eviction.

Denouncing Spiritual Terrorism

On March 16, 1968, soldiers of the 1st Battalion’s Charlie Company committed one of the most notorious war crimes in American history when they brutally massacred over 300 villagers in the Vietnamese hamlet of Mỹ Lai. Was every soldier in the American army complicit in the crime? Did the perpetrators of the massacre act in [...]

My Brothers Do I Seek

My Brothers Do I Seek By Jonathan Rosenblum I came to full Jewish observance relatively late in life. I was nearly thirty and married when I first walked through the doors of Ohr Somayach. I don’t fully remember the entire process of becoming religious. But certainly the most important element of our decision was exposure [...]

Check Out ShulPolitics.Com

Check out our new site called ShulPolitics.com. Take a look and tell your friends. It should be of interest to all Jews.

Memorial Day – Hakaros HaTov

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States. It is the day that we mourn those soldiers who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms offered by this great land. Although we are still in Golus, it’s incumbent upon us to appreciate all of the good bestowed upon us by our [...]

The Challenge of Introducing Young American Jews to Torah

Ben Moshe’s comment on ‘The ABCD of Young American Jews’. There are no shortcuts to solving this problem. No matter how one tries to position it, Judaism is prescriptive. It teaches that there are things that one must do, and things that one cannot do; things that are permitted, and things that are off-limits. These [...]

Hannah Has Two Mommies

The military has repealed its Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy toward gay soldiers. This is just one more manifestation of the increasing acceptance of homosexuals in modern life. Over the past fifty years, society’s perception of homosexuality has changed from seeing it as a mental illness, a perversion or a deviant criminal activity, to the [...]

Creating a Consciousness of Connection

One of the problems we face is a lack of support and connection. There are many different needs: jobs, housing, spouses, advice, friendship and in our increasingly busy world there seems to be a shortage of people to turn to. A first step is to try to create a consciousness of connection and caring. We’re [...]

Light to The Jews

We as Jews are failing our own people. Many people’s experiences with Judaism have clearly not been warm or inspiring enough for them to seek out more than a superficial level of involvement in Judaism. I believe that BTs especially need to be comfortable enough in their choice to become observant so as not to [...]

Remembering the Conservative and Orthodox Jewish worlds of the 60s and 70s

I have been a B.T. since 74. This is how I remember the Conservative and Orthodox Jewish worlds of the 60s and 70s. Orthodoxy was a lot less extreme right-wing at that time, and Conservative Judaism was a lot less extreme left-wing. People were actually able to describe themselves as “Conservadox,” which would be nearly [...]

Popular Posts

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• How the Charedi and Modern Worlds Can Learn to Appreciate Each Other
• It's Lonely in the Middle
• Groups Within Orthodoxy
• Rabbi Yakov Horowitz on the Boro Park Chillul Hashem
• Remembering the Conservative and Orthodox Jewish worlds of the 60s and 70s