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Twice this week, people have told me that Jews and Arabs both came from Chaldea and therefore share a bloodline. I say big deal. What matters is values not blood nor pagan origins, but the consequence of what was produced. The Bible takes pagan rites and stories and gives them a profound moral spin. Read More »
Your Moral Leader 
Jewish News
From Hirhurim : Bar-Ilan University launches Jewish education journal: link Englewood group, synagogue settle dispute: link Female rabbis find field still not level: link R. Read More »
Cornered By A Shiksa
Monica’s “Martinis and Melodrama” cocktail party is called for 7: 30 p.m. I walk up to her door and knock at 7: 30 p.m. I’m the first guest. Her dog Eliot Epstein barks furiously. Last time I was here, he bit me. Read More »
Marc Gafni’s life partner is author and teacher Mariana Caplan
I just found this online : “Dr. Marc Gafni holds his doctorate from Oxford University. He is a rabbi and an iconoclastic teacher of Kabbalah and World Spirituality. He is the director with Ken Wilber, Sally Kempton and Diane Hamilton of the Integral Life Spiritual Center and core founder and faculty member of iEvolve Global Practice Community. Read More »
Gay Rabbis Kumbaya Night Hosted By Jewish Journal
Why would clergy, of all people, want to go public with their sexual preferences? I am a humble blogger. I have no responsibilities. But you don’t see me tearing up the blogosphere talking about my sexual orientation. Read More »
When The Loss Comes Rolling In
Most of the time, I’m the happy-go-lucky moral leader you all love and enjoy. A moral leader for the whole family! I strike dramatic poses. I say dramatic things. I get into dramatic conflicts. I write out my dramatic feelings. Oh, it is all such fun. So grand! So childish. And then the loss comes rolling in. Read More »
The Startle Response
I’m reading Freedom to Change by Frank Pierce Jones , a professor of Classics at Brown University and a teacher of Alexander Technique . From page 178: The pattern of startle (which has been studied by high-speed photography) is remarkably regular. Read More »
Love On The Rocks
Psycho-therapist Donna Burstyn blogs : So what happens to a blended family when the family doesn’t blend? It’s hard to imagine people raised in different atmosphere getting married. I think it’s more of a miracle that people stay married than not. Read More »
Jewish News
From Hirhurim : Rabbi Avi Weiss backs off ‘Rabba’ title ‘for sake of peace’: link Should he be the last Chief Rabbi? (chalilah ve-chas!): link Latest issue of Jewish Action: link R. Steven Pruzansky: The Rise of Orthopraxy: link A literary tribute to Rabbi Dr. Read More »
Happiness
I’m reading Freedom to Change by Frank Pierce Jones , a professor of Classics at Brown University and a teacher of Alexander Technique . From page 42: Happiness is defined as “doing well something that interests you. Read More »
Remembering Angwin
One of the ways I classify the great places of the world is if I ever made it there. I never did in Australia. Never got further than a hearty kiss and some fondling above the belt. I just reconnected with an old acquaintance from Pacific Union College Elementary School — Rod. He was in the grade below me. He played quarterback. Read More »
Reconnecting With The Ex
I chat this afternoon with an ex-girlfriend from more than 15 years ago. She met me (I answered a singles ad her mom placed for her on a Messianic dating service) when I was really sick and she lifted my spirits. I had just gotten out of a horrible relationship with a woman more than 11 years my senior. This woman was nine years older than me. Read More »
Seventh-Gay Adventists
That’s a great title for a movie . I was raised a Seventh-Day Adventist . There were no out homosexuals in the religious communities I grew up in (Avondale College and Pacific Union College ). We would’ve dragged them behind a pack of kangaroos until they were cured of their disease. Read More »
Avi Weiss Agrees To Not Ordain Female Rabbis
From Hirhurim : Reform rabbis suggest interfaith couple blessingslink Ancient Cairo synagogue reopened: link Nefesh B’Nefesh to stage ‘mega’ events in 8 US cities: link David Greenfield condemns negative attack: link Weiss will not ordain Read More »
Another Teacher Bites The Dust
I had one teacher in elementary school who was a greater source of fantasy for me than any other woman in the world. How traumatic it would’ve been for me at age 14 if one of my beautiful teachers had repeatedly seduced. Oy, the stain on my soul! My eighth grade teacher later ran off with one of her female students. Read More »
Yisroel Pensack: Today’s Self-Appointed Chareidi Tznius Police Lack Support in Halacha
In 2001, “The Edah Journal” ran what it said was the first published English translation of a 1920 responsum (opinion on Jewish law) regarding women’s electoral rights by Rav BenZion Meir Hai Uziel, who was Sephardic chief rabbi of Jaffa Read More »
What Can I Do To Be Saved?
As The Moral Leader, I get asked this question a lot. I’m reading a terrific book addressing this question — Freedom to Change by Frank Pierce Jones , a professor of Classics at Brown University and a teacher of Alexander Technique . Dr. Jones writes about John Dewey : I asked Dewey about his early experiences with the Alexander Technique. Read More »
The Stooge?
Daniel Joseph Neah was a longtime employee of David Rubin who plead guilty for a lenient sentence. It appears he is cooperating with the government. Read More »
Geert Wilders
Jim Goad emails: “I realize you’ve Jewed-up your look in the past few years, but has anyone else noted that the pre-bearded Luke Ford looks a lot like anti-Islamist Dutch politician Geert Wilders?” Read More »
Bad Use
After yoga class one evening, I was extolling the benefits of Alexander Technique . The woman talked about how yoga imparts similar benefits — it opens up the chakras. “Maybe,” I said. “I’m not so sure. I look around in yoga class and see so many people with bad use. They are just making themselves worse. Read More »
Technical Difficulties
All over my blog in the widgets section, I’m getting this: “Warning: call user func array() : First argument is expected to be a valid callback, ’shortcode unautop’ was given in /home/lukef0rd/lukeford.net/blog/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 166″ Anyone have a suggestion? lukeisback@gmail.com. Read More »
LA Jewish Day Schools Put On Benefit For Haiti
I’m told: Yesterday, Milken, YULA, Shalhevet and the New Jewish School collaborated on a benefit concert for Haiti. YULA was not there officially, for reasons of mixed seating and kol isha (sound of a woman’s voice) but the head of both yula boys and girls was there, standing in the back. Read More »
What’s Essential To You Is Usually Peripheral To Others
I often get people emailing in about blog posts and videos I’ve made. They want changes. They have corrections. They think I’ve been unfair. They offer feedback. What they don’t have, most of the time, is a link to the blog post or video in question. They don’t realize that the blog post they’ve been worrying about is not on my mind. Read More »
Jewish News
From Hirhurim : SALT today: link Matzav.com strongly considering removing comments feature: link Jewish Ideas Daily on women rabbis: link WSJ: A Synagogue’s Unorthodox Revival: link NYT: A Jewish Prayer: link Chief Rabbi Sacks wins Lamm Prize: link R. Yitzchok Adlerstein on the effort for Martin Grossman: link Rumors about RCA and R. Read More »
Jewish Las Vegas
Arthur J. Bloberger, the former editor of the Las Vegas Jewish Reporter, emails me: Hi Luke. I just wanted to give you an update on what’s been happening lately twixt the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas and myself, it’s former gentile Jewish Reporter editor. Read More »
Finding An Orthodox Wife
A young man converting to Judaism tells me: “The problem I have is that most orthodox women (90% +???) won’t recognize a ger unless he has an RCA-approved conversion.” I don’t think that’s true. Unless you want to be chareidi, you’ll be fine in Orthodox life with an LA Beit Din or non-RCA approved conversion to Judaism. Read More »
Beards No Longer Markers Of Moral Superiority
Adam comments: “You claim to speak from a position of authority on judaism by saying “take it from me, i have a beard”… well put, but are you aware that theres a whole subculture of homosexuals known as the bear gays who also sport beards? beards are no longer markers of moral superiority. also, osama bin laden, richard karn, etc. Read More »