The Orthodox Jewish Girl Who Became A Cop Because of 9/11

When picturing an Orthodox Jewish woman, most people conjure up an image of a lady carrying a baby, not a gun. But for Ariella Loew, it seemed like there was no reason she couldn’t do both! Loew grew up in Lincolnwood, just outside of Chicago in an Orthodox family and though she had never seen […]

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Why Do We Need Selichos Anyway?

Dear Jew in the City- What’s the history of Selichos? Why did it come about? Best, Mark Dear Mark- Thanks for your question. As far as the liturgy goes, Selichos are fairly contemporary. By that I mean that they are measured in mere centuries, rather than millennia. Some of the prayers we recite, like Shema, […]

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What’s The Jewish View On Suicide Vis-a-Vis Mental Illness?

Dear Jew in the City, I know that suicide is technically prohibited in the Torah, but what about people with mental illness? Is ALL suicide prohibited equally? Does Jewish law consider mental illness a justification for suicide? How do we reconcile the Torah’s prohibition of suicide with our modern understanding of mental health? Thanks, C.S. […]

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“Jews Don’t Count” Wins at JITC’s 2nd Jewish Media Awards

At JITC’s 2nd Jewish Media Awards, held at Lincoln Center on November 12, 2024, the groundbreaking documentary “Jews Don’t Count” received the Keter Shem Tov Award for its courageous storytelling. In his acceptance speech, creator David Baddiel said: “I made the film before October 7th, 2023. And it seems to me that what’s happened since […]

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Long Story Short Has Many Poignant Jewish Moments & Some Tropes

More and more often these days, we are seeing that even if a show or film is not perfect from a Jewish representation perceptive, there is a lot to celebrate. That’s exactly how I would describe Netflix’s new cartoon dramedy by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Long Story Short. Let’s start with the good. Spoiler alerts ahead. Jewish […]

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How to Fit An Accounting of the Soul Into Your Busy Elul

I was listening to a podcast the other day about the importance of maintenance (in business, specifically, but also in all areas of life), and how easy it is to drift off course incrementally if you’re not paying attention. This is something that I find directly relevant to my life as an Orthodox Jewish woman. […]

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