fbpx
Category

liberalism

Opinion: Liberalism and the decline of a society’s character

While most American Jews and other liberals believe in the intrinsic goodness and moral superiority of liberal policies, powerful arguments can be made that liberal policies actually diminish a society’s moral character. Many individual liberals are wonderful people, but the policies they advocate tend to make a people worse.

Politics of liberal and conservative Jews reverse

Recently, I spoke to Reform rabbinical students in their class on \”Jewish Political Tradition.\” Which is, exactly, what? My expertise, I told them, is politics, not theology. Here was my dilemma: to talk reality or defer to the orthodoxy of Reform Jews, which is to say, political liberalism. (Forget the Reconstructionists, i.e., Jewish Unitarians, who are oxymoronic \”religious\” secular humanists.) How confusing all this, especially for non-Jews, who are further told that Conservative Jews are somewhere between Reform Jews and Orthodox Jews — sort of like the words \”liberal\” and \”conservative.\”

Only democratization can fight Islamists

It is time to renew our commitment to liberalization and democratization — it is what the Islamists fear most. Congress should pass comprehensive legislation conditioning relations between the United States and nonliberal democracies on progress toward liberalization. This is not imperialism. It is support for decent values and democracies abroad.

Republican Redux: Jews Going Right?

In a town famous for hot air, the Washington Post made a major contribution over the weekend with an oft-repeated tale of how Jewish voters, concerned about terrorism and Israel, are about to migrate to the greener pastures of the GOP.

Prager’s Tactics Are Lacking

Dennis Prager uses half of what I said to the L.A. Times and gives the impression that I am one of those awful leftists who are \”either morally confused, immoral or lack courage.\”

On Jewish Liberalism–and Power

Several weeks ago, the eminent Harvard sociologist Nathan Glazer, one of the renowned New York intellectuals chronicled in the film \”Arguing the World,\” came to town for a lecture and seminar at UCLA.

Modern, Orthodox and Scared

The placard near the escalator of New York\’s Grand Hyatt Hotel directed seekers up to the ballroom level for the founding convention of Edah, the fledgling voice of Orthodox liberalism.

New Articles

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.