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Jon Taub

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Jun 15, 2018, 11:45 PM

It would stand to reason that someone formerly Orthodox would not be inclined to wax nostalgic about when the Orthodox were “really religious”; usually that’s the province of those who have a vested pedagogical interest in maintaining the lifestyle...

May 16, 2018, 12:01 AM

Needless Weeping and Overdone Goodness

אתם בכיתם בכיה של חנם ואני קובע לכם בכיה לדורות You wept needlessly; I will establish for you weeping for generations (TB Taanit 29a) Virulent international condemnation emanates from all corners in reaction to the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the IDF...

Mar 14, 2018, 10:13 PM

It was much simpler when I was in high school. (A cliche I'm using for the first time. Ever.) I attended an ostensibly Modern Orthodox high school that will remain unnamed towards the end of the Cold War. (Only ostensibly...

Jan 18, 2018, 12:35 AM

It’s time to put an end to several charades at once. This is what Trump’s “Ultimate Deal” should look like: Part I: In envisioning a future ostensible Palestinian entity, the West Bank and Gaza should be forever sundered from each other...

Dec 15, 2017, 10:38 PM

“Nein, nein; du ist yuh a tzaddik.”

Chanukah might actually be the most enigmatic of Jewish holidays, owing not least to the fact that it ostensibly finds itself competing with Christmas (and, before that, possibly Saturnalia) but also because it tries very hard to not celebrate...

Aug 4, 2017, 10:26 PM

Adult Education, or Adulteration?

Dr. Yakir Englander asks us to imagine an “adult Jewish society” that “embrace the people of peace even if at times they are perceived as undermining our narratives, or even perceived as harming Jewish security.” As he is one...

Jul 31, 2017, 7:02 PM

Double Standards and Practices

We are more than half a year removed from the end of the Obama administration, but it seems that editorial policy at the highest levels of Jewish journalism -- particularly the Forward’s Jane Eisner and the Jewish Journal’s Rob...

May 21, 2017, 11:32 PM

Reply to memo: You went there.

A memo to “American Jews who continue to support President Trump”, “the pro-Israel president of dreams”, demands an explanation for the continuation of said support in the wake of ABC News’ revelations of “disclosure of highly classified information...

Feb 17, 2017, 10:44 PM

Gaslighted; or, counting backwards from 3

According to the Wikipedia definition, gaslighting “is a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or members of a group, hoping to make targets question their own memory, perception, and sanity. Using persistent denial, misdirection,...

Feb 8, 2017, 8:25 AM

Remedial lesson: A response to the open letter to the Kushners

The author of the open letter to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner that appeared here on February 6 asks the “royal” couple to “internalize biblical lessons” regarding “silence and inaction,” drawing on numerous biblical and historical parallels to persuade...

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About Me

Jon Taub is an ex-Upper West Sider, now-married Riverdalean who has two MA's, plays three instruments, and consults for biostartups.