Author: David Rutman

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/2cefb702-14b7-46d3-a730-0403ece8e3ac/S5_E6_Brian_Spivak.mp3 This week on Schmuckboys, Libby and Marla give you their post-Passover recaps they then welcome their guest, Brian Spivak, who founded Barzel Media, a company focused on helping Jewish content creators partner with businesses for brand deals. We get into Brian’s unexpectedly thriving Miami dating era, his Modern Orthodox New Jersey upbringing, and how […]

Thinking about the Torah portion Shemini earlier this month, I was struck by a single sentence commenting on Aaron’s behavior after his two sons were killed: “And Aaron remained silent.” This led me to Elie Wiesel’s famous statement: “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented,” which motivated me to use my voice here, to speak […]

In 2024, influencer Dan Bilzerian told Piers Morgan that Jewish supremacy is the “greatest threat to the world today.” He has called Oct. 7, 2023 mastermind Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar a “hero,” claimed that Hamas is not a terrorist organization but Israel is a “terrorist state” and spread numerous antisemitic conspiracy theories. Known for living […]

When the House Committee on Education and the Workforce released its report on campus antisemitism in March, naming Sarah Lawrence College among the institutions whose responses it found wanting, the question was how the College would answer. We now have two answers—one from the president, one from a faculty member writing in The Forward. Read […]

American Jewish University (AJU) announced the appointment of Mitch Hamerman as vice president and chief advancement officer, effective May 11. A respected leader in Jewish philanthropy and nonprofit strategy, Hamerman will lead AJU’s advancement efforts at a pivotal moment for the university and the broader Jewish community. With nearly 25 years of experience, he has […]

As Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson takes his place as American Jewish University’s Mordechai Kaplan Distinguished Scholar it should be noted that for 40 years, he has been at the forefront of changes in the Jewish world. Artson, who has been dean of AJU’s Ziegler Rabbinical School for 25 years, proudly pointed out that “we have […]

Lashon Haron, evil speech, is often compared to a traveling salesperson selling tales. While we may think about the internal ramifications of evil speech—how gossip damages the souls of the person speaking and the person listening, we may not think about the external consequences. Especially when Jews choose to speak evil speech about other Jews. […]

Fifteen-year-old Jack (Akiva) Shrier of YULA High School in Los Angeles earned second place at this year’s Chidon HaTanach in Israel— a Bible contest considered one of Israel’s most prestigious academic competitions. The contest has been held in Jerusalem since 1958 on Yom Ha’atzmaut. This year, due to the war, the event was pre-recorded and […]

U.S. officials say they are planning to bar antisemitic agitators from attending the World Cup soccer matches that will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer. Those facing a ban could include the participants in the antisemitic soccer riots in Amsterdam in November 2024, and those who blocked Israelis from attending […]