I went to an Orthodox Jewish high school with a strict dress code. Long skirts, high necked shirts, sleeves to your elbow, and a somewhat flexible policy about writing on shirts. Boys had to wear collared shirts. The idea was to preserve modesty, but we lady-students saw the dress code as a challenge, not a [...]

Here’s the thing. If God was able to split the sea and allow the Israelites to pass through it, why didn’t he just delay the Egyptians a tad longer so they could have spent a little time to leaven their bread? I mean, he just killed thousands of Egyptians with the tenth plague! You’re trying [...]

Jewish ladies, we have to talk. Apparently on OkCupid, more than 20% of you are claiming that you’ve never masturbated. To you, I have this to say: not lying is in the Ten Commandments, and not masturbating for ladies is nowhere at all in the Torah.

This looks like it might get ugly. An anti-circumcision group in San Francisco has collected and submitted 12,000 signatures (about 5,000 more than the required minimum) in order to get an initiative on a November ballot to ban circumcisions in the city. If it passes, the maximum penalty will be up to a year in [...]

Do the Zionist left and Zionist right really have to keep demonizing each other? (Forward) Says Rabbi Reuven Hammer “I am also appalled when I hear people–Jews or non-Jews–using the term “Nazi” to describe anyone or any actions. To hear Israeli policemen castigated as Nazis, as we do all too often, is beyond the pale. [...]

“A man should never single out one of his children for favored treatment, for because of two extra coins’ worth of silk, which Jacob gave to Joseph and not to his other sons, Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him, and one thing led to another until our ancestors became slaves in Egypt.” –Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat [...]

On Monday, Deborah Lipstadt wrote about eerie anniversaries. She is the author of the new book The Eichmann Trial. I have spent much of the past few weeks talking about my new book, The Eichmann Trial. I don’t want to make this blog entry about the book. (To be blunt, I’d rather have folks read [...]

Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married. And you know, news of a wedding will always rock the Jewish world, no matter the religion of the chatan and kallah, or what type of cleric is performing it. For a uniquely Jewish perspective on the festivities, here’s a video from our dear friend, favourite comedian, [...]

Last night, right as Passover came to an end, I ran over to the computer in my parents’ house and logged onto Twitter to tweet the following: Back from my communication vacation. I have to admit that for the first time in my memory, this Passover, I really had trouble avoiding technology. You see, the [...]

Deborah Lipstadt’s most recent book, The Eichmann Trial, is now available. She will be blogging all week for the Jewish Book Council andMyJewishLearning‘s Author Blog. It was the 50th anniversary of the start of the Eichmann Trial and the 11th anniversary of the verdict [judgment] in my libel trial in the UK when David Irving sued me for libel for [...]