Author: David Rutman

You expect a comedian to make you laugh. If it’s a superstar like Seinfeld or Chapelle, you expect to really, really laugh. And if a serious bit occasionally comes up, it’s usually as a set-up for a killer joke. The point is always the joke. There’s an implicit contract between the comic on stage and […]

In his introduction to the Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah, Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth writes about his experiences as a teenager during World War II, when he and his family hid inside a cramped attic in Amsterdam. He writes that: …we also had no calendar by which we could know the dates of the holidays. Through a Kitzur […]

Nearly forty years ago, Professor Allan Bloom of the University of Chicago wrote one of these seminal books that end up becoming a permanent fixture of the cultural discourse, a la George Orwell’s “1984.” Bloom’s book was titled “The Closing of the American Mind,” and one reason for its lasting impact is that it has […]

Scrolling through Instagram, I have learned to steel myself against the flood of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel disinformation and Hamas propaganda. But there’s one thing that left me cold and disappointed. Actress Hannah Einbinder recently posted an Instagram photo wearing a keffiyeh stylized into an inverted triangle—a symbol of Hamas—alongside a shirt that read, “Fund Abortion […]

While I suspect the average American Jewish community member is unfamiliar with Barstool Sports founder and social media influencer Dave Portnoy, that should change. Portnoy may be a controversial figure—he is raw, direct, and has been the center of controversy for years—but his recent social media posts amount to a masterclass in how to deal […]

The timing of this event was moving and surreal. A few weeks ago, I invited Rabbi Elhanan Danino, father of Ori z”l, to address my Young Professionals Beit Midrash at the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. We scheduled it for Monday evening, May 12. Little did we know that May 12 would be the day […]

Surveys have shown that the number one fear for Americans is not flying, illness, drowning, or heights – it is public speaking. Death comes in fifth. As Jerry Seinfeld, among others, has observed, most people attending a funeral would rather be the deceased than the eulogist. But if there is a time when Jews in […]

The following is a piece of creative writing, yet possibly being replicated by students across the country. May 11, 2025 Dear Western Valley Admissions Office, I trust all the Mighty Turtles are well. Surely better off than schools in the Ivy League that now find themselves inadvertently recruiting top students for you. I am sure […]

The Journal has obtained a letter from the CEO of Sightglass Coffee to the company’s leadership team saying that a “Free Palestine” sweater worn by an employee violated company policy. Zach Ross, a self-described entrepreneur, posted a video of himself on Instagram April 26 having a dialogue with a female employee who said her name […]