The existence of platonic relationships is an issue that has been debated heatedly. In the Orthodox community especially, where interaction between members of the opposite genders for purposes other than marriage is strongly discouraged, it is difficult to find a place for platonic relationships.
This is not the first Yeshiva University newspaper article to be written about homosexuality within the Orthodox Jewish community. Harking back to at least 2003, the Torah approach to "the gay question" has been discussed as it relates to American politics, art, National Coming Out Day and even the movie "Borat.
In recent years, women's prayer groups have become prevalent throughout the Jewish community, yet still remain a controversial topic of debate. The issues revolving around women's prayer groups are rooted in the halakhot (Jewish laws) regarding a woman's mitzvah of tefillah (prayer).
Look beyond the classroom setting to the person teaching the class. Who do you see? Just another professor, or a person? While sitting in English class with Dr. Manfred Weidhorn, it's easy to get lost in the literature and forget the figure, but doing so would be missing out on the opportunity to learn about an incredibly fascinating life.
Shame. Despair. Denial. Isolation. From the pews of the synagogues, and the aisles of the kosher supermarkets, from every walk and way of life, comes a group whose existence is rarely recognized: a group of Jews struggling with addiction. While the secular community freely acknowledges the presence of addiction, with practically every magazine containing at least one celebrity tale of rehab, in the Jewish community it is seldom, if ever, discussed.