It was the best community. It was the worst community. It was a God of love. It was a God of terror. It was a school where children thrived. It was a school where children were abused. It was a time for exploring all the kosher parts of God’s glorious world, it was a time for everything […]

It’s a longstanding joke that becomes less funny during the annual dairy celebration that is Shavuos: Jews and milk products don’t get along. But whether you’re lactose intolerant, vegan, paleo or just looking to have your (cheese) cake and eat it too (after a meaty yom tov meal), having faux-dairy options that are kosher and […]

Although Jews are known for their humor, most people assume that Hasidim don’t have a funny bone in their body. This assumption isn’t without cause: Hasidic Jews generally don’t smile in public. Enter Yoely Lebovits, Satmar Hasid, and the first boy in his community to be named after the rebbe. (News of the Satmar rebbe’s […]

While no one could say that observant Jewish members of the United States Armed Forces have ever had it easy, there are many trailblazers who have made it possible for today’s Orthodox Jews in the military to thrive. But what were things like for Orthodox Jews who fought in World War II? JITC Board member, […]

Herman Wouk, Legendary Author Who Brought Judaism Into the Mainstream, Dies at 103 Herman Wouk, the bestselling Orthodox Jewish author whose literary career spanned nearly seven decades and who helped usher Judaism into the American mainstream, died Friday. He was the author of two dozen novels and works of nonfiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The […]

Growing up as a Reform Jew in Southern Connecticut, I knew very little about the Orthodox Jewish community, let alone Hasidim. I knew that theirs was a separate kind of Judaism. I knew that many religious Jews wouldn’t even consider me a Jew. At least this is what my father would tell me. (Though in […]