Marathon Mother Celebrates First U.S. Win & Other Orthodox Jews in the News

‘Secular Jews Need to Stick Up for Us’: Fighting Anti-Semitism, Orthodox Search for Jewish Solidarity
The gap between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews has surfaced in light of the recent wave of violent assaults against Orthodox Jews in Jersey City, Brooklyn and Monsey in New York’s Rockland County. “Especially in American Jewry, there is ignorance when it comes to Haredim” – Orthodox Jews – said Eli Steinberg, a member of the community and a resident of Lakewood, New Jersey.

Orthodox Jewish Mother of Five Erases Records, Stereotypes Heading into Miami Marathon
Israeli marathon runner Beatie Deutsch is breaking records just four years after taking up the sport. But that isn’t what makes her so remarkable. It’s the stereotypes and cultural barriers she shatters every time she crosses a finish line in a long skirt, long sleeves and a head scarf.

Keeping Kosher, With a Side of Jokes
As an Orthodox Jewish man who adheres to the faith’s commandments and customs, Ashley Blaker is accustomed to praying multiple times a day, observing the kosher dietary laws and wearing modest attire. The only difference between Mr. Blaker and many of his fellow Orthodox Jews is that he frequently pokes fun at his lifestyle as part of his job.

Blind Colombian, Peruvian Rookie, ultra-Orthodox Israeli Woman Highlight Miami Marathon
Beatie Deutsch, a 30-year-old New Jersey native and ultra-Orthodox Jewish mother of five from Jerusalem, won the half-marathon women’s division in 1:16:49. “Hi! It’s your wife. I won!’’ Deutsch told her husband, Michael, in a phone call minutes after finishing. “It wasn’t a great [finish] time, but it was hard — windy.”

With Baltimore Roots Running Deep, Adam Neuman Finds a New Path as Big Ten’s Chief of Staff
Neuman’s path to his current position is not typical in college athletics. The youngest of three brothers, he played sports growing up in Pikesville and was named the Most Valuable Player on his high school basketball team at the since-closed Yeshivat Rambam, a Jewish day school in Baltimore.

What Do You Do When You’re Harassed For Being Jewish on the Street?
My husband, a rabbi at an Orthodox synagogue on the Upper East Side, was walking home from synagogue on Friday night with our three-year old son. He stopped to say Shabbat Shalom to a young community member, and a man accosted them. The man — tall, in his 40s, African-American, carrying a tablet — was within arm’s length of our child, screaming profane accusations about “you Jews.” When they kept walking, the man started following them. Eventually, he turned into a local pharmacy.

Yiddish Translation of ‘Harry Potter’ Sells Out in Only 48 Hours
Only 48 hours after preorders became available, the Yiddish translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold out its entire first edition run of 1,000 copies, the publishing company Olniansky Tekst Farlag announced on its Facebook page. “It’s crazy, it’s hard to believe,” Olniansky told the Forward. “We thought that we wouldn’t be able to sell more than 1,000 copies of a non-Hasidic book.”

An Orthodox Jewish Group Donates $47,000 to the Family of Slain JC Officer, Joseph Seals
An Orthodox Jewish group, the Chevra Kaddisha of Flatbush donates $47,000 to the family of slain Jersey City officer, Joseph Seals. He was killed in the Jersey City Massacre alongside two Hasidic Jews and a kosher store worker.

Blood and Organ Donor Saving the Lives of Strangers
Eric Steger’s devotion to his faith is only matched by his commitment to life. Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner, a patient at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, found that out when Steger gave him 60% of his liver. It saved his life, but that’s not the first time Steger has shown such generosity.

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