Israel’s Top Pop Star Won’t Break Shabbos & Other Orthodox Jews in the News

Orthodox Community Confronts Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment within a community is a difficult topic no matter the context, but within religious communities it’s a topic that isn’t commonly discussed. Dr. Linda Freedman, a psychotherapist, spoke at New Toco Shul on Feb. 14, 2018 with the hopes of shedding light on the value of these conversations.

Georgia Tech Goes Kosher
Before Georgia Tech began offering kosher food this year, students such as Eithan Martinez were eating vegetarian or driving a distance to find kosher fare. Some who were keeping kosher told Chabad they stopped when it became too difficult to find appropriate options and others who considered coming to Georgia Tech changed their minds when they learned there was no kosher food – not anymore.

Kosher High-Tech Office Lures Jerusalem’s Ultra-Orthodox
At Bizmax, a shared workspace, all the entrepreneurs are ultra-Orthodox Jews, a rarity in a community where many men shun work for religious study. “The high-tech industry is very fit for the haredim,” said Yitzik Crombie, using the Hebrew word for the ultra-Orthodox.

Pop Sensation Won’t Perform at Shabbat-Desecrating Eurovision
Israeli pop star Omer Adam has refused to perform at this year’s Eurovision song contest due to fears that he would be forced to desecrate Shabbat. Adam, arguably Israel’s most popular music star, was known to be traditional, but his newfound observance of Jewish law first became prominent after he refused to perform at a music festival on Hanukkah in 2017 despite being offered 1 million shekels because he did not want to desecrate Shabbat.

Spirit Airlines Turned Our Flight Into an Anti-Semitic Nightmare
A Borough Park couple is accusing Spirit Airlines of turning a trip to Florida into an anti-Semitic “nightmare” from start to finish, harassing them throughout the flight, and having cops escort them off the plane after landing. Chana and Yisroel Beck arrived at Newark Airport along with their 6-week-old, 2-year-old and 3-year-old daughters, eager to embark on their trip to Fort Lauderdale, but it “turned into a traumatic experience — a nightmare from the way we were treated and how we were escorted off without being told what we did wrong.”

If you found this content meaningful and want to help further our mission through our Keter, Makom, and Tikun branches, please consider becoming a Change Maker today.