After 97 years of having female contestants parade around in next to nothing, to be commented on and literally judged, Miss America (formerly known as a beauty pageant) is throwing in the towel when it comes to swimsuits. Gretchen Carlson, the chairwoman of the Miss America board of directors, announced this on Good Morning America today. […]

Of course I believe in Hashem, but he’s the Boogey Man waiting to strike me down.  These horrifying words were uttered by an attendee at the first Makom shabbaton several years ago during dinner. Where did such an abhorrent idea come from? How could a person possibly have a relationship with God if she felt […]

As the Jews prepare to receive the Torah this Shavuos, let’s be honest – faith is harder to come by than ever. In a world where science has almost everything figured out, who needs God? In a time where it is exceedingly uncomfortable to see our nation as different from others, how could we believe […]

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last twenty-four hours, you have already heard of the Laurel/Yanny debate which exploded online after a Reddit user posted an audio clip which sounds like “Yanny” to some and “Laurel” to others. (Team Laurel over here!) There are even those who hear both or a […]

Growing up as non-observant Jews, we ate whatever we wanted. And we loved our treif food. Bacon, veal parmesan, shrimp cocktail, and even escargot were part of our repertoire. When I started believing in God and Torah in my teens, one by one, I kissed those delicacies goodbye. I was determined to live up to […]

My family didn’t know any Orthodox Jews personally was I was growing up, but we knew “of” them. They were “extreme,” “closed-minded,” and “chauvinistic.” Then, when I was 16, I met some for the first time up close, and something surprising happened. These people were educated, open-minded, and kind. The women were empowered and the […]