August 10, 2023
With no moral equivalencies being made to Palestinian terror attacks against Jews, Roi Sharon’s journalistic book forces us to confront acts of Jewish terror aimed at Arabs. Yitzchak Blau’s Alt+SHIFT review focuses on the wild weeds in our own garden, a dangerous and evil growth that needs to be opposed and eradicated. While the overwhelming majority of the Religious Zionist world opposes this phenomenon, it is time to admit that we have a serious problem.
July 20, 2023
In R. Benny Kalmanzon’s “Al Ma Avda haAretz” the recently retired Rosh Yeshiva of Otniel analyzes the aggadot in Gittin about the Second Temple’s destruction and makes an important contribution to the growing world of aggadic study. Yitzchak Blau’s Alt+SHIFT installment suggests the book will enhance one’s understanding and appreciation of these texts in advance of Tisha B’Av.
July 6, 2023
For today’s fast of 17th Tammuz, Yitzchak Blau discusses the affecting Israeli film “Agadat Hurban” (Legends of Destruction), which captivated audiences with its release two years ago. Aside from its appropriateness as we commence the Three Weeks, Blau argues that it is even timelier in light of current civil strife in the Jewish State.
June 15, 2023
R. Ilay Ofran of Kibbutz Yavneh, head of the mekhina Ruah haSadeh, and a psychologist, has become an important voice in the Religious Zionist community. His recent book, profiled by Yitzchak Blau in this week’s Alt+SHIFT, addresses the challenges involved in maintaining our religious tradition in the contemporary world.