Back in February of 2010, I wrote an article about allegations that first appeared in the Washington Post that Rabbi Menachem Youlus – the Baltimore-based Judaica/bookstore operator known as the “Indiana Jones of Torah scribes” for his swashbuckling tales of rescuing Holocaust-era Torahs from Europe and other places – had fabricated his stories for profit. Frankly, over the years,… read more

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting up particularly early in the morning before work—long before the sun peeks over the fairly new subdivision to the east of my house—to watch Ken Burns’ epic documentary series “The Civil War.” I know what you’re thinking: “Bubbeleh, where ya been? That thing came out more than 20 years ago.”… read more

Look, I don’t want to sound too Seinfeld-esque here, but there are certain little things in everyday life that just … bug the living hell out of me. Just drive me mad! Maybe you as well. Blogs were invented by Al Gore or Steve Jobs or someone like that so people can vent their spleens to the faceless masses… read more

My wife likes to joke with me that I collect old guys. Well, everyone needs a hobby. But it’s true. For some reason, I connect with older gentlemen on a personal, visceral level, much more so than with guys my own age and of my own generation. Maybe I’m an ancient soul, or perhaps I’m just in training for… read more

In the tight-knit Jewish world, sometimes the weirdest, quirkiest stories get the most attention. Especially if they involve a Jewish celebrity. This week, the biggest story in the Jewish realm by far was the sudden news that Matisyahu – the Chasidic hip-hop artist formerly known as Matthew Paul Miller and raised in Westchester County (despite his Jamaican accent while… read more

So much of the time, those of us who belong to synagogues – particularly those of us who belong to mega-shuls – find ourselves kvetching a lot about what we don’t like about our congregations. We don’t generally do anything to improve what we view as the synagogue’s problems or flaws, we just seem to like to complain. Maybe… read more

Back when I was an 11th grade student at Randallstown High School, we had an English teacher who was one of those rare types among her breed in that she could keep your interest and attention at all times. She just had a way of connecting with students and keeping the material fresh and intriguing, which is no small… read more

OK, here I go again, sounding like a grumpy, whiny old man, perhaps a Jewish version of Andy Rooney. But I just can’t stop myself. Recently, I attended a friend’s simchah at a big shul in town. I tend to be one of those people who prefers sitting in the back of a room, so I plunked myself down… read more

I recently ran into a guy I’ve known for many years. We were swapping anecdotes and updates on our lives and families, and at some point he started kvetching to me about his daughter’s soccer league, of all things. Seems that the nefarious league – which is independent and non-sectarian, predominantly non-Jewish in players and coaches, and based in… read more

A couple of months ago, Chazzan Emanuel C. Perlman was visiting the Vatican with his lovely wife, Janice. They toured St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and other museums and Catholic holy sites, but the Chizuk Amuno cantor couldn’t help but notice an abundance of Jewish iconography seemingly everywhere there. “I said to my wife, `This place reminds me… read more