Dear Jew in the City- What’s the difference between a halacha, minhag, chumra and inyan? Which ones are mandatory and which are optional? Thanks, Eli Dear Eli, Thanks for your question. Let’s start with halacha. “Halacha” means law. These can be Biblical or rabbinic. The Torah gives us mitzvos – commandments – like “keep Shabbos,” […]
The entire Jewish world was shaken on Saturday when a terrorist held four people at a Colleyville, Texas synagogue hostage on Shabbat morning. Luckily, the vice president of Congregation Beth Israel synagogue was able to dial 911 discreetly and get help. What followed was an 11-hour standoff between authorities and Malik Faisal Akram, a British national who was holding […]
An eight-year old Jewish boy was spit on by a woman who proceeded to go on an anti-Jewish rant in Brooklyn today. The incident was reported by the boy’s father, according to News 12. This story comes at an unsettling time, shortly after the Texas synagogue hostage situation this past Saturday. These incidents are becoming […]
Dear Jew in the City- Should I throw out Chain Walder’s books? Thanks, Sara Dear Sara, For those who have been living in a cave for the past few months, Chaim Walder was a rabbi and therapist who wrote a number of acclaimed books that help kids address a variety of personal and emotional issues, including abuse. […]
Editor’s Note: This article discusses witchcraft, which is one of the three cardinal sins in Judaism. Tu B’Shvat and witches are an unlikely pair but the two have roots that go farther back than one may think. Interest in witchcraft has been rising in the last few decades, particularly among women, millennials, and minorities. There already was […]
Modesty is not a word you’d typically associate with a former Playboy Bunny. Yet Crystal (Harris) Hefner, widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, just turned to Instagram to express how her values have taken quite an unexpected turn in the last five years since her husband passed away. She posted about how she’s been on […]
