Last week the Forward published this first person article where a secular Jewish man described his Jewish divorce in a rabbinic court. It was seething with such palpable hatred of Orthodox Jews and Orthodox Judaism that I read it on edge, waiting for the big reveal – for the grave offense that the beis din (rabbinic […]

On the occasion of my eldest’s bat mitzvah which took place this past Sunday, I got to thinking about what it means to be the parent of a child who becomes a bat mitzvah – and an Orthodox one at that. In my pre-observant days, my bat mitzvah was mostly about memorizing the Torah portion, […]

There’s a new “Cheerleader” in town – a song that’s been playing on the radio (and now in my head) non-stop. At first blush, it seems kind of sweet: the singer “OMI” (don’t ask me why there are only capital letter in his name – at least he has one) found a wonderful girl, even […]

These last two weeks which began with Faigy Mayer’s suicide, continued with the stabbings (and murder of a sixteen year old girl, Shira Banki) at the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade, and ended with the firebombing and murder of a Palestinian toddler, Ali Dawabsha (possibly by extreme religious Zionists, though no one has been charged with the […]

Baroness Rosalind Altmann, U.K. minister of pensions; Ahmed Zayat, owner of American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown-winning thoroughbred racehorse in thirty-seven years; and Ilana Wernick, Emmy winning co-executive producer of the hit TV series Modern Family, are among 10 individuals who have been named 2015 Orthodox Jewish All- Stars by Jew in the City, the […]

You can listen to the “Jew in the City Speaks” interview above or on NachumSegal.com Fifteen years ago Debbie Fox, a social worker and Orthodox Jew, joined the team at Jewish Family Services in Los Angeles. She and a group of rabbis were tasked with fielding reports from the local Jewish community. In only six […]