The Secular Humanist wing of the Jewish community has conceived of a new holiday: Yom HaTzedek aka Day of Justice. According to these Social Justice Warriors, Judaism isn’t about religion, it’s about “protests and activism.” (Or, it should be, in their opinion.)

Participants from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and other liberal organizations will gather in NYC on June 17 for a celebration. Judging by the turnout from last month’s trial-run—that had a whopping 30 participants—I seriously doubt this will catch on.

History has proven that watered-down “feel good” Judaism does not increase participation. Quite the opposite: the only segment of the Jewish population that’s actually growing is the Orthodox.

Jews do not need new holidays; we need to celebrate the existing holidays! Substituting Tikkun Olam’s message of “Repairing the world” for actual Jewish Law and tradition is ridiculous. The beauty of Judaism is that it stands for all-time, without needing to be reinvented. 

The only people who would be attracted to a “Day of Justice” are those who do not—or will not—follow actual Judaism. The same folks who claim Judaism is nothing more than bagels, lox and Seinfeld. They want to remove every aspect of religion and call it a friendship circle. They reject Torah, they reject Kashrut, they reject Shabbos, some even reject Zionism! 

Yes, we have different Jewish movements, and that is perfectly ok. I’m not saying that there is only one way to be Jewish—far from it. But there has to be a minimum level of belief and practice. By following the Commandments, we are focused on justice every single day, not one day. Perhaps if the secular would actually study Torah, they’d already know that…

The Anatolian Toy Museum in Turkey is displaying a doll that was made with the real human hair of a holocaust victim. 

The museum director, when asked about the origins of the doll, called its history a “touching story.” I call it deranged and disgusting!

Some folks believe the doll is merely a fake. I personally don’t doubt it’s authenticity, because there are many sick people who collect Nazi memorabilia (even more troubling, it was purchased from a German curator). The fact that a so-called museum would actually participate is the mind-blowing part.

The victim, who “donated” this hair, is unidentified, but she surely didn’t give her consent. Her hair was violently and viciously shaved from her head in a concentration camp, for goodness sake. This is literally trafficking in human body parts, no different than the monsters that made lampshades out of skin. It’s not a work of art, it’s a work of genocide. 

We need to respect the dignity of the dead. Yes, there is a historical purpose in displaying what was stolen from them—their teeth, their hair, fake limbs, wedding bands, etc. But it needs to be done by a legit source, in a dignified way, and never for profit, particularly if the item was a sicko trophy bought from a Nazi worshiper. 

This doll needs to be destroyed, not displayed. It’s nothing more than exploitation and I find it very offensive.