The Kotel Is Top World Headline & Other Orthodox Jews in the News

How This Film About Modern Orthodox Women Turned Into a Surprise Hit
The film “The Women’s Balcony” has no fancy camerawork, no huge twist, no laugh-out-loud moments, no sex and no violence (although there is some yelling — it is, after all, a movie about Israelis). Yet the movie is a breakout hit in its native country and also is succeeding overseas. In Israel, it sold more tickets than any other Hebrew-language film last fall and into this year. In a country of some 7 million people, selling 100,000 tickets puts a film in the blockbuster category. As of March, “The Women’s Balcony” had sold 400,000.

The Deep Meaning Behind Ivanka Trump’s Hat in Israel
Joining her father President Donald Trump on his trip through the Middle East, Ivanka Trump has dressed more modestly than usual, and that streak has continued during their visit to Israel. The first daughter was photographed wearing a rarely seen accessory (at least on her): a hat. Hats are worn by Orthodox Jewish women following the concept of Tzniut, which is Hebrew for modesty or humility in both dress and behavior.

Trump Becomes First Sitting U.S. President to Visit Western Wall
At the Western Wall, Trump, wearing a black yarmulke, stood alone with his hand on the wall for several moments before tucking a note deep between the cracks. Many visitors to the Western Wall leave prayer notes in the wall’s crevices. Those notes are collected periodically and buried at the nearby Mount of Olives cemetery.

People Are Responding to the Ariana Grande Concert Attack in Manchester With Inspiring Acts of Kindness
Rabbi Shneur Cohen, a Chabad Lubavitch rabbi and emissary in Manchester, brought coffee and pastries to police officers on the scene. “We are Manchester,” he told a camera crew in a video posted to YouTube. “We will stand together strong, shoulder to shoulder, with positive acts of kindness.”

This Kosher Pizza Goes Slice-for-Slice With NYC’s Best
The words “kosher pizza” may not make sense together most places, but they do in Midwood, Brooklyn, home to one of NYC’s — and therefore, the United States’ — biggest Orthodox Jewish communities. Here, neighborhood fixture Pizza Time has been slinging kosher pies to Midwood’s devout Jews for over two decades, and it’s the go-to spot for a legitimately delicious New York pizza.

For a Young Bride, Joy — and Judgment
It’s bewildering that wearing an engagement ring has opened a young, soon-to-be-Princeton grad’s life to public comment. While she is an Orthodox Jew, it is a struggle that anyone who is newly engaged faces.

Oldest Jewish Prayer Book and Other ‘Buried’ Treasures on Show in Unique NY Exhibit
Seven hundred years ago a Sephardic Jew from the Iberian Peninsula immigrated to England, stopping in France where he bought an Ashkenazi siddur. Now, this 12th century siddur, thought to be the oldest in existence, is on display as part of “500 Years of Treasures from Oxford,” a new exhibit at the Center for Jewish History.

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