NYT Profiles All Star The Hon. Ruchie Freier & Other Orthodox Jews in the News

Judge Ruchie, the Hasidic Superwoman of Night Court
Ruchie Freier is a 52-year-old Hasidic Jewish grandmother who has blazed a trail in her insular religious community with so much determination that the male authorities have simply had to make room. Eleven years ago, she became one of the first Hasidic female lawyers in Brooklyn, and last November, she was elected as a judge to civil court, making her almost certainly the first female Hasidic elected official in the country.

World Wide Wed: Saving Touch For Marriage
In the Jewish Orthodox faith, men and women reserve physical touch until after the wedding ceremony. In this episode of World Wide Wed, we meet Hadassa and Ze’ev, a young couple who unite their souls in the holy mitzvah of marriage before they’ve even held hands.

Meet England’s Hilarious — and Orthodox — Comedian
There are many Jewish comedians in show business, but few are Orthodox. And while most of them live in New York and Los Angeles, the United Kingdom has one of its own: Ashley Blaker, a former BBC writer and producer on the popular show “Little Britain,” and an internationally-acclaimed act. Now, Blaker is bringing his cheeky brand of Jewish humor to the Gramercy Theater on Thursday, Dec. 7.

Who Is Really ‘Insular’ — Hasidim? Or New York Times Editors?
The New York Times likes using the word “insular” to describe Hasidic Jews. But Lubavitcher Hasidim are serving as Chabad emissaries on college campuses and in far-flung locations such as India, Thailand, and China, Karliners are working as graphic designers, architects, computer programmers, and engineers, Satmars run B&H Photo. Lumping all these people together as narrowminded or prejudiced is itself an example of narrow-minded prejudice.

Feed Body and Soul at Detroit’s Kosher Restaurant-Art Gallery Combo
The kosher Soul Cafe is housed in the Farber Center, a metro-Detroit area education and activity center for adults with special needs run by the Friendship Circle of Michigan. These workers, many of them alumni of the Friendship Circle’s one-on-one program that pairs teen volunteers with special needs kids, are learning invaluable lessons that will eventually take them out of the Soul Cafe and into the wider world.

When An Orthodox Fashion Designer’s Husband Suddenly Died, Online Supporters Raised $1 Million For Her Family
A few months back, The Frock NYC founder Simi Polonsky was posting photos of herself on Instagram dressed in colorful modest-chic outfits — the kind of fashionable clothing that nonetheless adheres to Orthodox Jewish dress standards. These days, The Frock’s Instagram page is far more somber. Polonsky’s husband Shua passed away on Nov. 9 from a condition he had contracted only weeks before.

The “Wonder”ful Message Behind The New Movie
A local school is using the new movie Wonder as a powerful teaching tool. Yeshiva Day School of Las Vegas was on Fox News for their kiddush Hashem.

Why Be Thankful? 
Shulamith High School makes a Kiddush Hashem in their Thanksgiving video. What does being grateful mean to you?

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