Daniel Lapin

Daniel Lapin is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi , and the president and founder of Toward Tradition , a group that promotes stronger ties and friendship between traditional conservative Jews and Christians . Lapin is a native of South Africa who studied theology, physics, economics, and mathematics in London and Jerusalem , and emigrated to the United States in 1973 . Rabbi Lapin's Talmudic tradition emanates from the school of the Vilna Gaon and the Soleveitchik dynasty, while his philosophic outlook was molded by the school of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter . Lapin founded the Pacific Jewish Center , an Orthodox Judaism synagogue in Venice, California that is part of the recent Baal teshuva movement, encouraging Conservative and Reform Jews to adopt and return to a more observant traditional Judaism. Michael Medved was a member and is currently a board member of Toward Tradition . Actors Barbra Streisand and Richard Dreyfuss , although not politically conservative, participated in that religious community and synagogue. Lapin's teachings are also aligned with Modern Orthodox Judaism , in that while he promotes observant Judaism, he is strongly in favor of Observant Jews having interaction with other faith communities (in his view, mostly conservative and observant Christian communities) and broader political action outside of Judaism. Lapin and his family relocated to Washington State in 1991 , where he hosts a nationally syndicated weekly radio show. [1] Michael Medved also moved to Washington State around the same time as Lapin and hosts his own syndicated talk radio show based out of the same AM station in Seattle . Both Medved and Lapin promote conservative political principles, inter-mixed with traditional religious observance. Lapin was one of the Jewish voices in support of Mel Gibson 's movie The Passion of the Christ , and was a strong supporter of Terri Schiavo's parents efforts to keep their daughter alive. He has declared that the Anti-Defamation League and its allies were "dangerous organizations, organizations that are driving a wedge between American Jews and Christians." Referring to ADL national director Abraham Foxman , Lapin said that by calling Gibson's film antisemitic , "what he is saying is that the only way (for Christians) to escape the wrath of Foxman is to repudiate (their own) faith." Lapin believes the United States of America is the most Jewish-friendly state in history and that it is better for Jews to promote shared Judeo-Christian values with the majority. Lapin also rejects the idea that the Jewish left (which can be secular or even anti-religious) represents Judaism. Lapin has contributed articles to the Wall Street Journal , National Review , Commentary Magazine , The American Enterprise , and the Washington Times , and has taught at the Christian Coalition , U.S. Army , Harvard Law School , and the Family Research Council . He is also the author of America’s Real War , Buried Treasure and most recently Thou Shall Prosper . Lapin serves on the board of the Jewish Policy Center in Washington, DC .¹