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Sep. 4, 2001

Letter to Baruch Selevan about Newspaper Reporting on R. Lamm's Parents' Wedding (2001)

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לכבוד מו״ר הגדול שליט״א, אחדש״ת, הריני מתכבד לשלוח המחאה רצו״ד שמע״כ מחלק לצדקה כדרכו, ומוכן אני לציית לו ככל יושר יצווה עלי. לפני כמה שבועות הודעתי למע״כ על הד״מ של בני יהושע ז״י דפרשת וישלח אי״ה, ואח״כ שלחתי לו הזמנה להשתתף עמנו בסעודת משתה ובסיום למשניות סדר נזיקין, שיתקיים ביום א׳ לסדר ויצא. יודע אני כמה מעמיסים על כת״ר, וחס אנוכי על עתותיו הן ועל כוחותיו, ולכן לא האמנתי שיכבדני.
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Letter from R. Maurice Lamm Praising R. Lamm (2003)

I'm sorry to say this, but... you are really the Gadol Ha’bayis – you’re helping so many in the family, as always, but these days especially my kids and grandchildren, that they are all amazed when they come together and you are invariably the subject and the model they teach their kids when they talk about the family. It is always “the Lamms” who are the ideals, “the quintessential family.” How Mom and Pop would swoon if they just heard the echoes in Olam Ha’ba. I envy you – and, yes, I love you. Gut Shabbos, Moish
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Letter from R. Seth Farber about R. Lamm's Views on Conservative and Reform Judaism (2009)

Please look over and let me know what you think. Setting the record straight on Rabbi Lamm – Rabbi Norman Lamm’s recent interview with the Jerusalem Post has generated much discussion around the Jewish world. As leader of Centrist Orthodoxy and Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Lamm is clearly at the apex of Modern Orthodox Jewish life. Thus, his statement “...we will soon say Kaddish on the Reform and Conservative movements” has been repercussive. While some non-Orthodox rabbis have challenged his claim by stating that Conservative and Reform Judaism are alive and well, others have taken his statement as an opportunity to further interdenominational dialogue. Across the non-Orthodox world, Rabbi Lamm has been portrayed as a triumphalist who has affronted his colleagues and fellow Jews. Unfortunately, Rabbi Lamm’s comment has been distorted, and even more unfortunately, the reputation of a man who has long fought a lonely battle to support his Reform and Conservative colleagues has been tarnished. The full citation from Rabbi Lamm reads “with a heavy heart, we will soon say Kaddish on the Reform and Conservative movements.” Rabbi Lamm has not – and apparently has never – adopted a denigrating attitude to the non-Orthodox denominations. As recently as two months ago, Rabbi Lamm wrote – in his obituary for Rabbi Emmanuel Rackman – that he believes a disservice was done to American Judaism because denominational tags were allowed to dictate one’s commitment to Judaism. Rabbi Lamm has been one of the great spokesmen for a moderate Orthodoxy which respects and believes in Klal Yisrael. He actively participated in interdenominational dialogue through the Synagogue Council of America, and he argued on many occasions, both from his pulpit and in his writings, that there will be an “unbridgeable and cataclysmic rupture within the Jewish community” unless Jews from all the denominations, including Orthodoxy, listen to each other and try to find a way to work together…
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