Orthodox Conundrum

When the founders of Torah uMadda spoke about integrating Judaism and culture, they were thinking about Milton and Shakespeare, Bach and Beethoven; sitcoms, action movies, and hip hop are most likely far from what they had in mind. Do you think that modern pop culture can be elevated? Can it serve as a source of spirituality or, at least, as a spur to think about important issues? Or is it just a way to relax (at best) and, if people can avoid it altogether, they should? These are just some of the questions I discussed with Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm, the cofounder of the The Joshua Network and the creator and host of its flagship podcast, Good Faith Effort. Rabbi Lamm feels very strongly about the importance of engaging with popular culture - not merely for relaxation, but also for spiritual exaltation. He is even more adamant that we should be contributing to culture, being producers rather than just consumers - givers, that is, rather than merely takers. He believes that the time has come for Judaism to influence the wider non-Jewish world through such activity, and that the world is now ready to hear traditional Jewish voices. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

In the last Orthodox Conundrum (episode 66), Scott talked with Amanda Bradley about the crazy case of Michael Elkohen, a Christian missionary who was masquerading as a Chareidi rabbi, sofer, mohel, Kabbalist, and even kohen. In fact, he wasn't even Jewish at all, and neither was his wife; his actual last name was Elk, not Elkohen. The question still remains about what damage Michael Elk actually did. After all, Orthodox Jews might be a prime target of missionaries, but Orthodox Jews are far less likely to convert to Christianity than other sectors of the Jewish population. So are Michael Elk and the other imposters like him - yes, he's far from the only missionary pretending to be a rabbi - actually dangerous? To find out the answer to this and other related questions, Scott had an extensive conversation with Rabbi Tovia Singer of Outreach Judaism. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Towards the end of April, the Jewish world was rocked by the revelation that a supposed chareidi rabbi, mohel, and sofer living in Jerusalem, Michael Elkohen, was actually not Jewish at all, and was an undercover Christian missionary named Michael Elk. He had long claimed that he was a baal teshuva from the United States, but it became clear that he had no Jewish ancestry, that he was a believing Christian, and that the so-called yeshiva he had opened, Yarim HaAm, was actually a seminary which was designed to train other Messianic rabbis who would pose as Orthodox Jews while secretly working to transmit a belief in Jesus. Making the story even more complicated - and, frankly, crazier - is the fact that Michael's wife, Amanda, died from cancer several months ago in Jerusalem. And, it now turns out, Amanda was also an imposter, pretending with her husband to be a baalat teshuva when, in fact, she is a gentile from Washington State without any Jewish ancestry whatsoever. Amanda Bradley lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh, and was a close friend of Amanda Elk's. In fact, she stayed with her in the hospital the Shabbat before Amanda Elk died. She knows the story of the Elks as well as probably anyone, and is determined to work to make sure that Michael doesn't try to infiltrate another Orthodox community - which, actually - might be what he's trying to do. Join Scott as he asks Amanda about the Elks' story, how she found out the truth, and why this situation is so dangerous. Stay tuned next week for Part Two, where Scott interviews Rabbi Tovia Singer of Outreach Judaism to gain further insight into the ongoing threat of undercover missionaries in Israel. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Shira Lankin Sheps, the creator and publisher of The Layers Project Magazine, has been conveying the challenges and triumphs of Jewish women for years, and is passionate about creating spaces for stories that need to be told and changing the dialogue around stigmatized topics. Her new book, Layers, accomplishes this in new and exciting ways. Join Scott Kahn as he interviews Shira about the book's goals, what she wouldn't include and why, the reason there isn't a Layers Project for men, and much more. To purchase Layers, go to https://korenpub.com/products/the-layers-project. Use code LAYERS10 to get 10% off. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Members of the large evangelical Christian population in the United States have very often been vocal supporters of the Jewish State. But is that true for the younger generation? Can Israel count upon the support of millennial evangelicals? In the face of rising antisemitism, this question is extremely important. Join Scott as he speaks with Pastor Doug Reed and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki about whether this problem does, indeed, exist, what can be done to counter it, the need for greater and more effective social media activism, the beauty of Shabbat, and more. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Hamas rockets fired into Israel are instruments of terror, and have forced millions of innocent civilians into bomb shelters; seven people have been killed in these attacks, and scores injured. But for many people who love Israel, the Arab-Jewish riots taking place in mixed Arab-Jewish cities have even longer term consequences, with serious implications about the future of Israeli society. Join Scott as he asks Daniel Goldman to explain how we got here, what's actually going on, and what needs to be done to allow Israeli society to progress in a healthy and positive direction. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

In several recent episodes of this podcast, we've discussed issues related to what might be called ehrlichkeit as opposed to frumkeit: that is, the fact that ethics and honesty are often ignored at the expense of increased stringency in ritual. To continue that discussion, Scott was honored to speak with Rabbi Joseph Dweck, the Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom. In this interview they talked about the move towards stringency and its consequences, whether there is a de-emphasis on studying ethics, how Orthodox Jews should interact with the non-Orthodox Jewish community without compromising halachic standards, the proper response to what occurred in Meron, and more. Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

The tragic events on Lag BaOmer have cut all of us deeply, and for those who lost family members the pain is indescribable. We cannot let this moment pass and assimilate it into our memories without making sure that we learn the lessons that are staring us in the face, and point fingers at those who should be held accountable. Join Scott and Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll for a difficult but necessary discussion about what happened in Meron last Thursday. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Over the past couple of months, the issue of freeing "chained women" - that is, women whose husbands refuse to give them a get as Jewish law requires - has gained new momentum, thanks to a major campaign that began on Instagram. Yet the problem of get refusal remains one of the most pressing issues in the Orthodox world today. What motivates some men to withhold the get, and why do certain batei din and communities openly support their efforts? Are there cases of reverse blackmail, where the wife refuses to accept the get while threatening to expose her husband as a get refuser? How can the Halachic prenup solve some of these problems, and does it have any serious limitations? Is it possible that the Orthodox world needs to find a replacement for classic "kiddushin" marriage altogether? To discuss these and other relevant questions, Scott spoke with Keshet Starr, the Executive Director of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), the only nonprofit organization addressing the agunah (Jewish divorce refusal) crisis on a case-by-case basis worldwide. To reach the ORA helpline, call 1-844-673-5463. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

David Schimmel z'l passed away last week. You probably never heard of David Schimmel; but that's about to change. The lessons we can learn from his life and death are lessons that need to inform our lives as religious Jews. לעילוי נשמת דוד בן שלמה ז"ל Uri Pransky may be reached in Israel at 972-52-763-8269. Please listen to and share the 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. The site will also help you learn about creating your own podcast.