Category Archives: Judaism

By Robert J. Avrech | September 19, 2016

Jews and Guns

Tweet Before our son Ariel Chaim ZT”L passed away in 2003 at the age of twenty-two, he and I spent a good deal of time discussing the Second Amendment, the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Ariel was amazed that so many American Jews–overwhelmingly liberal and secular–aligned themselves with the advocates of gun control, in reality a […]

Also posted in Ariel Chaim Avrech, Gun Control, Israel Defense Forces, Jew Without A Gun, Jewish Holidays, Jews & Guns, Second Amendment, Talmud, Torah | Tagged Judaism, Liberal Jews, Talmud, Torah | 8 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | September 8, 2016

Justice, Torah, and the Minimum Wage

Tweet A few weeks ago I introduced Seraphic Secret readers to my close friend Curt Biren through his astute article about how the Jewish left perverts the true meaning of Tikkun Olam. Now, Curt has written another fine and timely article for the Acton Institute about the entwined issues of justice and the minimum wage, […]

Also posted in Minimum Wage, Torah | Tagged Acton Institute, Charity, Curt Biren, Labor Law, Minimum Wage, Property Rights, Talmud | 6 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | September 7, 2016

Discovered in Israel: Floor Tiles From Second Temple

Tweet Via: Times of Israel Hundreds of lavish stone floor tiles believed to have decorated the Second Temple in Jerusalem have been identified in rubble removed from the Temple Mount, archaeologists announced Tuesday. The bits and pieces of 2,000-year-old marble flooring were found in fill removed from the contested holy site in the late 1990s […]

Also posted in Israel, Jerusalem, Judaica | Tagged Archeology in Israel, Herod, Israel, Jewish Temple, Rome, Temple Mount | 4 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | September 2, 2016

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

Also posted in Art, Audrey Hepburn, Friday Fotos, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Judaica, Painting, Photography, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Alex Hay, Audrey Hepburn, Dora Carrington, Gene Wilder, Harry Callahan, Joseph Cornell, Mel Brooks, Mina K. Avrech Collection, Nava Segev, Paul Sample, Peter Blake, Saul Bass, Steven Hill, Tim Walker, Tuesday Weld, Via Celmins, Vincent van Gogh, Winslow Homer | 6 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | August 24, 2016

The Jewish Left Lies About Tikkun Olam

Tweet Here at Seraphic Secret we pay particular attention to the use and abuse of language by the left. The left has always lied and twisted reality to conform to its utopian ideology. But Barack Obama and the leftist media have ushered in a new Orwellian age where their morally depraved rhetoric has gone mainstream. […]

Also posted in Daf Yomi, Jewish Hollywood, Talmud, Tikkun Olam, Torah | Tagged Abuse of Language, Curt Biren, Daf Yomi, George Orwell, Judaism, Marxism, The Jewish Left, Tikkun Olam | 6 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | August 8, 2016

Hidden Hollywood: Rudolph Valentino and the Rabbi’s Beautiful Daughter

Tweet The great pioneering director D.W. Griffith hired Rabbi Isadore Myers as the Jewish technical consultant on his great epic, Intolerance, 1916. Griffith was so happy with Rabbi Myer’s expert advice and attention to detail that he said to the good Rabbi: “How can I ever repay you?” Replied Rabbi Myers: “I have a daughter who […]

Also posted in Carmel Myers, Hidden Hollywood, History, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Patsy Ruth Miller, Photography, Rudolph Valentino, Silent Movies | Tagged Ben Hur, Carmel Myers, Colleen Moore, D.W. Griffith, Dark Lover, Emily W. Leider, Intolerance, Iras, Mary Pickford, Patsy Ruth Miller, Rabbi Isadore Myers, The Shiek, Valentino | 7 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | July 27, 2016

Political Ideology in the Garden of Eden

Tweet by Karen Singer Avrech, Ph.D In Ameritopia, author Mark Levin points out that Leftist-Progressive ideology strives to create a utopian society. But utopia, Levin asserts, is incompatible with the ideals of individual liberty as formulated by the American Constitution. The schism between the goal of achieving a so-called perfect society where everyone receives an […]

Also posted in America, Bible, Big Government, Constitution | Tagged Adam & Eve, Free Will, Garden of Eden, Good and Evil, Mark Levin, Moral Relativism, Rabbi David Fohrman, The Tree of Good and Evil, The Tree of Life, Torah | 5 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | July 22, 2016

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

Also posted in Art, Design, Eve Arden, Family, Friday Fotos, Glamour, Great Dialogue, Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Israel, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Hollywood, Jewish Photography, Painting, Photography, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Agnes Martin, De Stijl, design, Ed Ruscha, Etrog, Eve Arden, Fernando Taborda, Furniture, Gerrit Rietveld, Hedy Lamarr, James M. Cain, James Nares, Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, Louis Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, Mary Nolan, Mildred Pierce, Moira Dryer, Naum Gabo, Paulette Goddard, Piet Cohen, Robert Capa, Robert Doisneau, Robert Riggs, Sam Francis, Susan Hayward, William Klein | 19 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | July 6, 2016

Hidden Hollywood: Latin Lover Ricardo Cortez is Kosher Butcher’s Son

Tweet Ricardo Cortez (1900-1977) was a handsome and talented leading man whose image, in the silent era, was that of a hot-blooded Latin lover. In truth, his name was Jacob Krantz, the son of a kosher butcher, born and raised in the mean streets of New York’s Lower East Side.

Also posted in Alma Rubens, Glamour, Greta Garbo, Hidden Hollywood, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Irene Dunne, Jewish Hollywood, Movie Posters, Movies, Photography, Ricardo Cortez, Silent Movies | Tagged Alma Rubens, Bebe Daniels, D.W. Griffith, Greta Garbo, Irene Dunne, L.B. Mayer, Mae Clarke, Maltese Falcon, Pidyon Ha-Ben, Ricardo Cortez, Stanley Cortez, Symphony of Six Million, The Torrent, This Bright World Again | 3 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | June 30, 2016

Rabbi Philip Harris Singer, z’l, 10th Yahrzeit

Tweet Today is the yahrzeit [anniversary] of the death of Karen’s beloved father, Rabbi Philip Harris Singer, Pinchas Zvi. This is the speech our son-in-law delivered on 6/23/16 at the brit milah [circumcision ceremony] for our grandson who was named for Karen’s distinguished father. Our son is named after Aliza’s maternal grandfather, Rabbi Pinchas Zvi Singer, A”H. […]

Also posted in Brit Milah, Family, Rabbi Pinchas Zvi Singer, Torah, Yahrtzeit | Tagged Celia Kahn, Karen Singer Avrech, Karen's Father, Phillip Harris Singer, yahrtzeit | 8 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | June 9, 2016

The Story of Ruth Reenacted 100 Years Ago in Israel

Tweet The Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Pentecost, begins this coming Saturday night. The holiday has several traditional names: Shavuot, the festival of weeks, marking seven weeks after Passover; Chag HaKatzir, the festival of reaping grains, and Chag HaBikkurim, the festival of first fruits. Shavuot, according to Jewish tradition, is the day the Children of Israel accepted the Torah […]

Also posted in Israel, Jewish Holidays, Photography, Shavuot | Tagged American Colony, Boaz, Book of Ruth, Library of Congress, Naomi, Pentecost | 5 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | June 8, 2016

Rare Cache of Silver Coins Dating to the Hasmonean Period Discovered in Modi‘in

Tweet A hoard of silver coins dating to the Hasmonean period (126 BCE) was exposed in April in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently conducting near Modi‘in, [Modi’in is located 22 miles southeast of Tel Aviv and 19 miles west of Jerusalem] with the participation of local youth. The excavation is being carried out […]

Also posted in Archeology, Israel, Torah, Wine | Tagged Ancient Israel, Antiochus VII, Avraham Tendler, Bar Kokhba, Dr. Donald Tzvi Ariel, Hasmonean, Jewish Revolt Against Rome, Modiin, Ritual Baths, Wine | 1 Response

By Robert J. Avrech | May 27, 2016

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

Also posted in Art, Elizabeth Taylor, Friday Fotos, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Marilyn Monroe, Photography, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Adam Tihany, Adolph Von Menzel, Bert Hardy, Charles Demuth, Edward Hopper, Elizabeth Taylor, Fede Galizia, Gabriele Münter, Henry Fonda, High Sierra, Jeff Gusky, Joel Shapiro, Marie Antoinette, Marilyn Monroe, Nina Leen, Olga Chekova, Ruth Orkin, Stuart Davis, William Michael Harnett | 7 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | May 6, 2016

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

Also posted in Actors, Art, Brigitte Bardot, Friday Fotos, Hollywood, Hollywood Cars, Hollywood Stars, Holocaust, Painting, Photography, Star Ads, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Adriana Duque, Allan Ramsay, Brigitte Bardot, Carmen Herrera, Dore Gold, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Hogan's Heroes, Humphrey Bogart, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Lee Remick, Marlene Dietrich, Michal Barat Koren, N. Jay Jaffee, Robert Clary, Sari Srulovitch, Teaneck Firehouse, Ty Cobb, Utamaro | 12 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | May 4, 2016

And Then There Was Trump

Tweet When there were seventeen Republicans running to carry the GOPs standard against the Democrats, I supported Carly Fiorino. When Carly suspended her campaign, I shifted to Marco Rubio. When Rubio lost his home state of Florida and dropped out of the race, I supported Ted Cruz. People kept asking me, what happens if Trump […]

Also posted in America, Donald Trump, IslamoNazis, Israel, Jew-haters, Jew-hatred, Jewish Holidays | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Gourmet Glatt, Hillary Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Ivanka's Orthodox Conversion, Marco Rubio, Melania Trump, Ted Cruz | 27 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | April 26, 2016

Male in Female Bathrooms, Modesty Anyone?

Tweet It’s happening with astonishing speed. The radical left has moved from the redefinition of marriage to the nullification of gender. If you feel that you are a woman, then justice demands that you and your penis have the right to use the women’s restroom. Those who disagree are labeled bigots. Giant corporations buckle under […]

Also posted in America, Christianity, Judaism & Christianity, Masculine/Feminine | Tagged Bone Marrow Transplant, Categorical Imperative, Culture Wars, Hasidim, Liberty Science Center, Male-Female, Mental Illness, Modesty, Public Restrooms, sexuality, Target, Transgender | 8 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | April 26, 2016

The Jewish Story is Under Assault

Tweet Those who read this blog on a regular basis know that Yossi Klein Halevi and I went to yeshiva high school together. At the time, Yossi was active in Rabbi Meir Kahane’s Jewish Defense League. Yours truly was sort of terrified of the JDL guys who used to hang out by the lockers and […]

Also posted in Jerusalem, Jerusalem Denial, Jew-haters, Jew-hatred, Jihad Watch, Passover, Yossi Klein Halevi | Tagged Anti-Zionism, Judaism UNder Assault, Seder, Torah, Yossi Klein Halevi | 7 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | April 21, 2016

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions, Passover Edition

Also posted in America, Eleanor Parker, Friday Fotos, Jewish Holidays, Painting, Passover, Photography, Photography, Signs, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Bird's Head Haggadah, El Lissitzky, Eleanor Parker, Ethiopian Passover, Frank Stella, JDC, Ludwig Wolpert, Meichel Pressman, Moritz Oppenheim, Moshe Zabari, Passover Seder, Persian Passover, Yemenite Passover | 4 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | March 24, 2016

Purim: The Deeply Anti-Progressive Jewish Holiday

Tweet Today is the holiday of Purim. And it is no accident that Benjamin Netanyahu referenced Purim when delivering a powerful address to the U.S. Senate in an unsuccessful bid to curb Obama’s legitimization of a nuclear Iran. Purim is an old ( 5th century B.C.E.) but agnonizingly familiar story: A Jew-hater named Haman hatches […]

Also posted in IslamoNazis, Israel, Jewish Holidays, Obama Watch, Purim | Tagged Ahasuerus, Amalek, Court Jews, Esther, Haman, Iran, Jan Victors, King David, King Saul, Megillat Esther, Mordechai, Persia, Purim | 5 Responses

By Robert J. Avrech | March 21, 2016

Hillary Clinton at AIPAC, It’s Behavior, Stupid

Tweet Whenever I discuss Judaism, I frequently define the corpus of Jewish ritual, law and thought as a behaviorist religion. Normative Orthodox Judaism does not involve itself in theological or philosophical discussions. When we learn Torah (the Written Law) and Talmud (the Oral Law), G-d is a given. The 613 mitzvot — prescriptive commandments and […]

Also posted in America, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Israel | Tagged AIPAC, Benghazi, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Israel, Judaism, Suha Arafat | 4 Responses

How I Married Karen

The new book
by Robert J. Avrech

Available in All Major Book Stores

Adobe Digital Edition's version is available through the Lulu store!
About Me
Robert J. Avrech
Los Angeles, California
I'm an Emmy Award winning screenwriter. I'm also an observant Jew, a religious Zionist, a conservative Republican, and a member of the NRA. I've been writing and producing in Hollywood for over twenty-five years. But the focus of my life is my family: my radiant wife, Karen—with whom I have been in love with since I was nine years-old—and my two daughters, who, thankfully, look like Karen. Not too long ago, we had three children. But our son, Ariel, died at the age of twenty-two from cancer. We miss him terribly. We think about him practically every minute of every day. People tell us that time heals, but Karen and I know this is not true. Time grinds away doing its terrible work. Ariel is gone. Yet absence becomes presence.

Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
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Annual Ariel Avrech
Memorial Lectures
Young Israel of Century City

Thirteenth: May 22, 2016
Ben Shapiro: "How You Can Save Israel"

Blog Post
MP3 Audio Stereo (70 MB)

Twelfth: June 7, 2015
Larry Elder: "The New Black Anti-Semitism"

Blog Post
MP3 Audio Mono (50 MB) | Stereo (100 MB)

Eleventh: June 8, 2014
Michael Medved: "Shifting Alliances: Why Liberals No Longer Reliably Support Israel — And Conservatives Do." Blog Post | Audio (mp3 97MB)

Tenth: June 9, 2013
David Horowitz: "The War Against Judaism on the University Campus." Blog Post | Audio (mp3 16MB)

Ninth: June 3, 2012
Joel B. Pollak: "The Mainstream Media's Betrayal of Israel." Blog Post | Audio (mp3 15MB)

Eighth: June 5, 2011
Yossi Klein Halevi: "What is Expected of a Survivor People: Lessons My Father Taught Me." Blog Post | Audio (mp3 18MB)

Seventh: June 13, 2010
Dennis Prager: "Happiness is a Mitzvah, Not an Emotion." Blog Post | Audio (mp3 80MB)

Sixth: June 21, 2009
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky: "Conformity in Jewish Life: Vice, Virtue or Affectation?" Blog Post | Audio (mp3 64MB)

Fifth: June 15, 2008
Rabbi Dr. Gil S. Perl: "What Was the Rosh Yeshiva Reading: Intellectual Openness in 19th Century Lithuania." Blog Post | Audio (mp3 70MB)
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