In 1993, Karen Lehrman Bloch penned an essay in the September/October issue of Mother Jones titled, “Off Course,” in which she observed that women’s studies classes around the country were being “infected” with ideology. After touring courses at various campuses, Lehrman Bloch found that “in many classes discussions alternate between the personal and the political, with mere pit stops at the academic.” 

The story ignited a series of heated exchanges that poured over into the mainstream press, including radio talk shows. It was also Mother Jones’s first venture on the then-nascent internet, and one of Lehrman Bloch’s most important essays. Lehrman further explored post-modern feminism in her book, “The Lipstick Proviso: Women, Sex & Power in the Real World” (Doubleday, 1997).

Over the years, she has worked as an editor, cultural critic and curator, serving as editorial director at Assouline Publishing and an editor and contributor at The New Republic, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wilson Quarterly. Lehrman Bloch has also been a weekly Jewish Journal columnist (2017-2020). Educated at the University of Pennsylvania and the Sorbonne, she studied International Relations with an emphasis on political philosophy. She has also served as a guest scholar at The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, The Brookings Institution and The Cato Institute.

“I was drawn to all of the essential principles of classical liberalism: individualism, reason, heterodoxy, liberty, freedom of expression, decency.” – Karen Lehrman Bloch 

“I chose to become a lifelong Independent mostly from my deep sense of individualism,” Lehrman Bloch told the Journal. “But I was drawn to all of the essential principles of classical liberalism: individualism, reason, heterodoxy, liberty, freedom of expression, decency.” 

Nearly 30 years after entreating readers about the importance of heterodoxy, Lehrman Bloch, who is based in New York City, founded White Rose Magazine, a digital magazine that is dedicated to “fighting extremism, reteaching classical liberalism and exhibiting transcendent art and design,” she said. 

Named after a non-violent student resistance group in Nazi Germany, the magazine’s most recent issue is titled, “Reclaiming Feminism.” In full disclosure, I wrote an essay for the issue that focused on a terrorist’s daughter who funds sex slavery in the Middle East. 

White Rose Magazine publishes acclaimed authors and writers, including Thane Rosenbaum, distinguished university professor at Touro University and a regular Journal contributor. 

“We are living in increasingly illiberal times — speakers are shouted down, newsrooms peddle propaganda, differences in point of view result in moral banishment and cultural cancellation,” Rosenbaum told the Journal. “People live in fear that what they think or say will end in career ruin or friendlessness. White Rose [Magazine] is a safe haven for free thought, the openness to ideas that is the hallmark of liberalism.” 

The Journal asked Lehrman Bloch to discuss her first, great love — political philosophy — and to share insights on how classical liberalism is being subverted. 

Jewish Journal: Have feminist values shifted over the past few decades? 

Karen Lehrman Bloch: Yes, very much so. The most basic feminist value is freedom—enabling women to become the unique individuals that we are. But in the ‘80s and ‘90s, that was turned on its head. Women were essentially told that feminism was an orthodoxy of thought and behavior. Women were told who to vote for, what to wear, that being a mother was beneath them, etc. Women were re-shackled to an anti-feminist orthodoxy that lacked any awareness of personal responsibility. With rights come responsibility—it’s an adage integral to both feminism and liberalism in general.

JJ: When did you begin noticing a shift between the Democratic Party and classical liberal values, and what were those shifts?

KLB: The major shift began in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. The party began distancing itself from classical liberalism on one issue after another. There was no truth, post-modernists proclaimed, only our personal truths. There was no morality; all morality became subjective and contextual. With no truth or morality, leftists began creating their own version of reality, one that conformed to what they thought was “progressive,” but what ended up being racist, sexist, antisemitic, pro-violence, pro-censorship, etc. 

JJ: Did you feel there was room for diversity of opinion or respectful dissent among your former political circles?

KLB: Sadly, not at all. The big wake-up call for me was the summer of 2014. I began to defend Israel against Hamas and media lies. I stated facts. But that was too much for some of my former friends. Israel had become a hot button issue for Democrats, and my friends, despite their personal views, couldn’t be friends with someone who didn’t care what “the party” thought of them. In private, many of them would show their sympathy. But their cowardice — especially regarding Israel — their need to maintain “status” went against every aspect of who I am. Our friendships never fully recovered.

JJ: Is classical liberalism dead?

KLB: No, but it’s somewhat in hiding. Most of those who still retain classical liberal values won’t discuss it publicly. That’s beginning to change, but only slightly.

JJ: Were you shocked by the heated pushback against your 1993 essay in Mother Jones?

KLB: What was interesting was that it was so heated despite the fact that it was the cover story of a very liberal magazine. So on the one hand, you would think that it would have motivated readers to think a bit about how things had changed. Instead, especially in the women’s studies/activism communities, they were aghast that a liberal publication dared to publish the truth. This was happening to all publications, which is why they stopped publishing facts and began to alter everything to adhere to the ever-growing leftist orthodoxy. Today these publications are unrecognizable.

JJ: What dangerous ideologies are most pervasive in the United States today?

Unlike classical liberalism, which is based on a set of principles that could lead to different opinions, leftism tells you what to think about every subject and censors those who dissent.
– Karen Lehrman Bloch 

KLB: Leftism is a fascist ideology. Meaning, unlike classical liberalism, which is based on a set of principles that could lead to different opinions, leftism tells you what to think about every subject and censors those who dissent. What started in the universities has now reached kindergartens. Also, during the past month, we began to observe that extremism on the right is beginning to be normalized. Conspiracy theories about the “Deep State” and the “Rothschild cabal” have been turning up on my newsfeed, most disconcerting from many right-wing Jews. So we’re going to begin to focus on that as well. 

JJ: How can more Americans actively champion heterodoxy of opinion and ensure that extreme, fringe voices are less magnified? 

KLB:  A lot depends on how we deal with social media. As a classical liberal, I would prefer that the government’s role in this is minimal. But we’ve already seen that even tech companies have no problem instituting and reinforcing censorship. That’s not a good sign that we’re going to be able to self-regulate. I again go back to the underlying ideology: Once classical liberals really do begin to speak up—once the center is restrengthened—the fringe voices will be re-marginalized and tech companies will be forced to adjust to a heterodox reality. We are a long way from that. But we have to start somewhere.

For more information, visit whiterosemagazine.com.

When the war in Ukraine broke out, Zane Buzby, founder of The Survivor Mitzvah Project, sprang into action. To help Holocaust survivors there, her nonprofit organization is checking in on 350 survivors, delivering extra aid like food and life-saving medication and, if the survivors are able to make the journey, getting them across the border. They live in more than 50 towns and cities, and 50 of them are between 90 and 102 years old. Most of them cannot afford doctors, medications or surgeons, and half of them are bedridden or have mobility issues.

“We have been in constant communication with each survivor we help, in the form of home visits, written correspondence and telephone calls in their native language,” Buzby said. “It is of utmost importance, especially now, that we continue our communication, letting survivors know they have not been forgotten. This is critical for these elderly individuals who, for decades, have been isolated, alone and forgotten by the world.”

It is of utmost importance, especially now, that we continue our communication, letting survivors know they have not been forgotten.” – Zane Buzby

Jews have been in Ukraine for over 1,000 years, and prior to the Holocaust, Ukraine was home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Over the course of two days, the Nazis murdered about 34,000 people, and the ravine where it happened is known as Babi Yar, the largest mass grave of the Holocaust. Recently, Russian bombs hit the site and seriously damaged it. 

Buzby, who has supplied direct aid to over 2,500 Holocaust survivors in nine countries, including Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia, Transnistria and parts of Russia, said that there aren’t accurate records available on the number of survivors left in Ukraine. Sources estimate there are around 10,000 survivors living there. 

“Since the war began, we have spoken to survivors in hospitals that are being bombed, in bomb shelters and those who are trapped in their apartments because they are bedridden or blind,” she said. 

The survivors have been relaying troublesome messages to her. “We hide when there are alarms, but we are on the road to Kiev, and our army is at Uman, so they are trying to protect us,” one of the survivors told Buzby. “How long that will last, who knows. We hide in a bomb shelter across the street. I was at my daughter’s, who lives on the same street, but it’s always better at home. Do we sleep at night? Hardly.”

All Ukrainians are being traumatized by the constant violence happening throughout the country. But for Holocaust survivors, the war brings up frightening memories of the past. 

“The PTSD is affecting those who have already been through a war in Ukraine,” Buzby said. “The incessant explosions, dead bodies in the streets, the smell of gunpowder in the air, the constant sirens, the lack of food and fear of starvation, all contribute to this massive fear because they know too well that this might never end. It brings memories and nightmares of their families being starved, shot or blown to bits.”

Buzby pointed out that people may think that world aid organizations or large charities are taking care of survivors. However, the pallets of food and medical supplies being shown on TV “are not yet reaching most of those caught inside Ukraine,” she said. “Only those who have managed to cross into Poland, Hungary or Moldova are receiving food and water, heat, shelter and medical attention.”

The situation in Ukraine is only getting worse, and there is no end in sight. Now, Buzby said, is the time to support the survivors there.

“The only way to help survivors directly is to keep donating generously until the last survivor is safe from bombs, bullets and the inevitable starvation that comes with Russia’s war on civilians which harms the most vulnerable of our people, the last survivors of the Holocaust,” she said. “Elderly, isolated, ill and alone, they need our help now.”

You can donate to The Survivor Mitzvah Project on their website.

How do you illustrate the commitment and vision – along with the contributions and challenges – of 50 years of women in the rabbinate? You produce an art exhibition highlighting female rabbis who were “firsts “in their time. 

“I feel passionate about the work rabbis do and the radical transformation women rabbis have made in Judaism,” Ronda Spinak, founder and artistic director of The Braid and co-director of The Braid’s Story Archive of Women Rabbis, said. “What better way to celebrate this moment in history than to see their stories shared in a work of art?”

Twenty-four leading contemporary Jewish women artists immersed themselves in their respective rabbi’s worlds to create works informed by the rabbi’s life story, vision and mission. These “chosen” rabbis represent the achievements of the nearly 1,500 women rabbis of all movements who have transformed Jewish tradition, worship, spirituality, scholarship, education and pastoral care.

“Each of the artists’ works is exceptional in capturing the vision and vitality of their subject and offering a visual surprise to the viewer,” Jean Bloch Rosensaft, director of the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), said.

The works in the exhibition range from representational to conceptual portraits of the rabbis created in a variety of mediums, including photography, textiles, painting, mixed media, collage, illustration and recycled materials.

California-based photographer Penny Wolin did a compilation of photographs of Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR entitled “Orange.”

“I think all this work speaks of women in Judaism and women rabbis,” said Wolin. “It shows that we change, we grow, we learn, we embrace new ideas. That’s the beauty of how Jews operate. So I’m very proud about that. That’s why I think it’s so great. It says, ‘We’re here.’”

While The Braid is based in Santa Monica, the seed of this idea may have started in New York several years ago. Spinak said they were presenting a portion of their play “Stories from the Fringe” in a home in New York City as a fundraiser for the Jewish Women’s Archive.  

“This play was the first to put the true personal stories of women rabbis on stage,” Spinak said. “An artist was there, Carol Hamoy. And she mentioned to me that she’d be interested in looking more closely at some of the stories she heard that evening and perhaps making an art piece.”

Spinak started developing the idea with Lynne Himelstein, co-chair of The Braid and co-director of The Braid’s Story Archive of Women Rabbis, who had been partnering with Spinak on interviewing women rabbis for more than 10 years.  

“The first major obstacle was finding a venue that believed in the vision of this project,” Spinak said. “This took several years, but finally HUC-JIR, particularly Jeanie Rosensaft saw the potential.”

This was way before COVID.

“Our shared goal was to honor the transformational contributions of women in the rabbinate whose struggles and successes set in motion the first steps toward inclusion, diversity, equity and empowerment of new leaders for the Jewish people over the past 50 years.”- Jean Bloch Rosensaft

“Our shared goal was to honor the transformational contributions of women in the rabbinate whose struggles and successes set in motion the first steps toward inclusion, diversity, equity and empowerment of new leaders for the Jewish people over the past 50 years,” Rosensaft said.

The Braid has more than a decade of expertise, interviewing nearly 200 women rabbis across denominations around the world. The Heller Museum has 30 years of deep curatorial experience, collaborating with leading contemporary Jewish women artists in thematic exhibitions illuminating Jewish identity, values and history.

For the physical exhibit, each work is augmented by the accompanying wall labels with the rabbis’ biographies and QR-code links to their video interviews. The portraits are presented chronologically by year of ordination to reveal each decade’s pioneers as inspiration for the next.

Holy Sparks is also available online and accessible to anyone, anywhere at the-braid.org/hscatalogue. The online catalogue includes images, artists’ statements and rabbis’ biographies.

“It has been the ideal partnership in raising public awareness of 50 years of women in the rabbinate,” said Rosensaft.

For Himelstein, the project has had a profound effect on her life, and by extension, her family. She began Torah study with her own rabbi and, having grown up with only male rabbis, she finds a female rabbi to be much more relatable.  

“The influence of women in the rabbinate has profoundly changed the way men are practicing as well,” Himelstein said. “ [How exciting it is to] have the honor and privilege to hear these remarkable stories.”

There exists a sitcom, and some may argue that it is the greatest sitcom of all time. I would have to agree with them. The show is “Everybody Loves Raymond.” There also exists a universal truth about the show’s creator, Phil Rosenthal. And that is: Everybody loves Phil.

Well, I do anyway. Having spent time with him in real life – and watched him for years on his Netflix show, “Somebody Feed Phil” – Phil is one of the friendliest, warmest and happiest people I have ever come across over two decades in my career in show business. 

I’ve been lucky enough to interview Phil a couple of times over the years, and I got to catch up with him recently about his upcoming event with Temple Israel of Hollywood, “TIOH Speaks Shabbat: Phil Rosenthal & Lily.” It’s taking place on Friday, April 1 during Shabbat services and over dinner. 

While Phil has a background in food through his show, in 2021 his daughter Lily, an actress, and fellow actress Olivia Sui brought together LA restaurants for a series of sold-out collaborations. During the Shabbat event, Phil and Lily will be talking about their Jewish roots and love of food.

“This is special to me because my daughter is 24 and a full-grown person,” Rosenthal said. “She will be the best part of this thing.”

“This is special to me because my daughter is 24 and a full-grown person,” Rosenthal said. “She will be the best part of this thing. She is so charming, lovely, sweet and funny, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. For old man Rosenthal to sit on the stage and let people enjoy Lily, that to me is everything.”

Rosenthal and his family are longtime members of the synagogue. Lily and her brother, Ben, went to day school there, and his wife, “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Monica Horan, attends services regularly. 

“I support the temple because it is a place of good,” Rosenthal, who cites Hasiba and Shiloh’s Steakhouse as his favorite kosher restaurants in LA, said. “My wife attends services more than I do because she converted to Judaism, and converts are always much more into it. They chose it, but I had no choice. My attitude is I paid my dues and went to Hebrew school for 12 years. I did it. But I love everyone who goes there.”

In addition to Horan, food is one of the great loves of Rosenthal’s life. For four seasons, he’s traveled around the world, eating foods from all different cultures and filming his adventures for his Netflix show “Somebody Feed Phil.” It was renewed for a fifth season in early 2021, but a release date has yet to be announced.

The show featured video calls with Rosenthal’s parents, Max and Helen, who were just as endearing as their son; it was clear where he got his charm from. Sadly, Max passed away in 2021, and Helen died in 2019.  

“The Zoom call, or the Facetime or Google call, is the modern-day equivalent of the postcard, which gave me an organic reason to put [my parents] into the show,” said Rosenthal. 

One of Rosenthal’s fondest memories was eating his mother’s matzo ball soup. 

“There wasn’t great food in our house because we didn’t have a lot of money,” he said. “Both of my parents worked and they didn’t have time to devote to create gourmet meals for the kids, who hated everything anyway. I don’t know if it was because the food wasn’t great or I was picky, I have no idea. What came first: The chicken or the rotten egg? But [my mom] did make a mean matzo ball soup. In fact, we featured it in the New York episode of the show.”

That soup stuck out so much in his mind that he includes it in his imaginary last meal. “I was asked what my last meal would be, and I decided it would be a collection of childhood favorites like pizza, hot dogs, fried chicken, ice cream and chocolate, and end with my mom’s matzo ball soup,” he said. “I believe it should come full circle back to whatever your mom made.”

Rosenthal’s parents were always supportive of him and his brother, Richard Rosenthal, the showrunner and executive producer of “Somebody Feed Phil.”

“The thing that gave my parents the most nachas was to see their two boys [working together],” he said. 

In 1989, Rosenthal got his start in show business when he moved from New York to LA. Just seven years later, “Everybody Loves Raymond” premiered. It went on to run until 2005, earned over 70 Emmy nominations and won 15 awards. 

What made “Everybody Loves Raymond” so great is that you feel like a fly on a wall in a very entertaining family’s household. It’s all grounded in reality. Everything that happens is plausible, and so the comedy comes out of real-life situations. According to Rosenthal, that was intentional.

“The more specific you make that family in the sitcom, the more relatable it’s going to be,” he said. “We all have a family, or hopefully have some kind of family. Even if it’s not people you’re related to who you formed a family with, you understand the specifics of personality and relationships and behavior.”

He continued, “We had one rule in the writers’ room: Could this happen? That’s it. Could this happen in real life?”

Rosenthal said that many shows ignore that rule for the sake of being funny. “I always felt that if you live by that sword, you die by that sword. You’re only as funny as your last joke because the audience doesn’t have real life to tie it to. It’s a collection of jokes and one-liners and [they’re] not tethered to reality. The audience has no other reason to hang on except for those jokes and laughs.”

With his work on “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Somebody Feed Phil,” Rosenthal keeps a key piece of guidance he once received in mind.

“The best advice I ever got was from an old showrunner who said, ‘Do the show you want to do because in the end, they’re going to cancel you anyway,” he said. “It’s also a good philosophy for life.”  

“The best advice I ever got was from an old showrunner who said, ‘Do the show you want to do because in the end, they’re going to cancel you anyway,” he said. “It’s also a good philosophy for life.”  

You can purchase tickets for “TIOH Speaks Shabbat: Phil Rosenthal & Lily” on TIOH’s website.