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Yitzchok Adlerstein

Columnist

Rabbi Adlerstein is the Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He holds the Sydney M Irmas Adjunct Chair in Jewish Law and Ethics at Loyola Law School, and also serves as a faculty member at Yeshiva of Los Angeles and its high schools. He is a co-principal in Jewish Mediation Service, which applies a Jewish ethical approach to problem solving.

Rabbi Adlerstein is a contributing editor to the quarterly Jewish Action, and the founding and senior editor of Cross-Currents, a popular Orthodox blog of Torah and current affairs. His essays have appeared in theLos Angeles Times, The National Law Journal, First Things, Tradition, Shma, the Los Angeles Daily Law Journal, and a host of Jewish and general printed and electronic media. His Be'er Hagolah, the classic defense of rabbinic Judaism by Maharal of Prague, was published by Artscroll/Mesorah Publications, whose new edition of Nachmanides' Commentary to the Torah he assisted in editorial review.

Rabbi Adlerstein received his ordination from the Chofetz Chaim yeshiva in New York. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Queens College, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Rabbi Adlerstein has lived in LA for over three decades with his wife Reena. They have eight children.

Works by Yitzchok Adlerstein

We Are All Refugees: Starting a New Year with God

Yitzchok Adlerstein | September 14, 2015

Each year, G-d gives us the opportunity to vastly improve our connection with him......

The Bright Spot of Orthodox Judaism

Yitzchok Adlerstein | July 08, 2015

Orthodox Jews suddenly find themselves almost alone in retaining a firm belief in a G-d......

Three Ways to Create Peace: Listen More, Eat More, Love...

Yitzchok Adlerstein | January 07, 2015

Most of these group-behavior makeovers require far less willpower and stamina than......

Sharing the Wealth on Yom Kippur

Yitzchok Adlerstein | October 06, 2014

At this time of war, tragedy, and global uncertainty, we share our spiritual bucket list......

The Last Jews Standing?

Yitzchok Adlerstein | August 20, 2014

Every Jew is a precious asset, and the Orthodox mourn the loss of every Jewish soul who......

"Choose Life": Beware Belgium's New Euthanasia Law

Yitzchok Adlerstein | July 08, 2014

We must reject the Belgian model, and reiterate the timeless truth that human life has......

The Unkindest Cut: Anti-Semitism Comes Roaring Back

Yitzchok Adlerstein | November 13, 2013

Renascent anti-Semitism is a global -- not local -- phenomenon....

The Jewish New Year, and Why the Quakers Are Wrong about...

Yitzchok Adlerstein | September 05, 2013

We are commanded by G-d to assiduously pursue good, yet we are also commanded to......

Are Christians the New Jews?

Yitzchok Adlerstein | February 20, 2013

If you are fortunate enough to possess the truth, you do not compromise or sacrifice it,......

Chanuka: A Contest Between Two Civilizations

Yitzchok Adlerstein | December 12, 2012

The old clash is far from over. At times, it takes humankind to places it would not......

Ancient Prescriptions For New Prisons

Yitzchok Adlerstein | September 25, 2012

Israeli prisons give us an example of the ways ancient wisdom can generate modern......

In Defense of Drones

Yitzchok Adlerstein | June 13, 2012

War should not be a showcase for true grit....

Wishing the Worst for Parents

Yitzchok Adlerstein | March 21, 2012

As more of us care for aging parents, the Fifth Commandment might become more important......

The Atheists' Gift to Christmas

Yitzchok Adlerstein | December 15, 2011

Pray for an atheist -- and thank him for making your holiday season more spiritually......

The Little Orthodox Engine That Could

Yitzchok Adlerstein | November 15, 2011

Very few people expected Orthodox Judaism to survive in America, let alone thrive....

Letter to our Christian Friends, Present and Past

Yitzchok Adlerstein | October 11, 2011

When you hear a leader of a people who drops all pretense of ever willing to live side......

9/11 Plus Ten: A Nagging Question That Won't Go Away

Yitzchok Adlerstein | September 09, 2011

Did the terrorists who attacked us believe in the same G-d that I believe in?...

The Quiet Death of Interfaith Activity?

Yitzchok Adlerstein | August 25, 2011

Israel must find its friends among religious individuals of all faiths, abandoning the......

Are Jews Hung Up About Memory?

Yitzchok Adlerstein | August 08, 2011

Remembering brings many blessings, even remembering the pain of the past. It can give......

Aftermath of a Brooklyn Murder

Yitzchok Adlerstein | July 20, 2011

After the grim discovery of Leiby Kletzky's death, the community begins the hard work of......

Delta Blues Hit the Jews

Yitzchok Adlerstein | June 29, 2011

Delta is going for small lie rather than the large one. By making the distortion subtle,......

Anthony Weiner Can Stay

Yitzchok Adlerstein | June 14, 2011

Our society trains its sights on the wrong people for adulation and admiration. It then......

Banning Circumcision: The Target Is Religion, Not Jews

Yitzchok Adlerstein | May 31, 2011

While the United States is still one of the most religious and religion-friendly......

Kabbalah and the Congo

Yitzchok Adlerstein | May 16, 2011

In the continuing debate about what bin Laden's demise means to us, we should not lose......

Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Latino (Museum) Problem

Yitzchok Adlerstein | May 02, 2011

The use of memory to teach others is more powerful than preserving it for members of the......

Getting the Little Picture

Yitzchok Adlerstein | April 18, 2011

To soar, to rid oneself of the dross that gets in the way of becoming what G-d designed......

Tiger Clergy

Yitzchok Adlerstein | April 04, 2011

People in places of worship expect to hear guidelines that are not followed by weasel......

How Sweet It Is

Yitzchok Adlerstein | March 15, 2011

The Torah tells us that life is full of things that change their promise and utility....

Mind Someone Else's Business

Yitzchok Adlerstein | March 01, 2011

Is there a middle path we can steer between a silence imposed by relativism, and a voice......

The Gentle Synergy of Believers

Yitzchok Adlerstein | February 08, 2011

Fear mongers spread a lie that the movement in many parts of the world toward strongly......

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