Free Republic

The foundations of American Jewish life are under assault today in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago. Academia is ground zero of the onslaught. The protest movements on campuses are first and foremost anti-Jewish movements. For the past decade or so, Jewish communal leaders and activists have focused on just one aspect of this anti-Jewish campaign. Jewish leaders have devoted themselves to helping Jewish students combat the direct anti-Semitism inherent to the anti-Israel student movements. Despite the substantial funds that have been devoted to fighting anti-Israel forces on campuses, they have not been diminished. To the contrary, with each...

LOS ANGELES, CA, September 14—A California governor, a Chassidic reggae singer, a pair of basketball legends, and a son of “The Godfather.” What do they have in common? All of them have joined the ranks of celebrities scheduled to appear on the upcoming Chabad “Celebration 25” Telethon. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matisyahu, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Caan are among those stepping forward to salute the Telethon’s 25th anniversary and encourage viewers to support Chabad’s educational and nonsectarian social service programs. This year’s show will broadcast live from Hollywood on Sunday, September 25th, from 3 pm to midnight, PDT. It...

Even after Yaakov died, Esau continued to seek revenge against him for the taking of the birthright, attempting even to sabotage his burial in the Cave of the Patriarchs. The Gemara (Sota 13) recounts how the children of Yaakov arrived at the cave to bring their father to burial, and, behold, they found Esau waiting for them there. He had some interesting "news": the remaining burial plot in the cave belongs to Esau. The stunned sons tried to remind Esau that he sold the spot to Yaakov. After an exchange of words (brought down in the Gemara), it was agreed...