”I walked into the store stressed and pressured. As that I’m newly engaged, this errand was one of too many which were overwhelming my schedule. After waiting for a while, I finally got the help I needed. As I was waiting for the saleswoman to ring me up, another woman in the store was schmoozing […]

Shalt Thou Eat An Impossible Burger? Religious doctrine scrambles to catch up to new food technology, as plant-based and cell-cultured meat reach for greater authenticity. Theologians and the devout parse what should be allowed. Shortlist for Business Book of the Year is Announced WSJ reporter Gregory Zuckerman’s The Man Who Solved the Market, a narrative […]

While Hasidic Jews might enjoy some alcohol with their rebbe at a Friday night tish, said alcohol would never have been produced by a female descendant of a prominent Hasidic rabbinic dynasty. Until now. Gitty Halberstam isn’t what you picture when a Hasidic woman or “bootlegger” (what she sarcastically calls herself) comes to mind. But […]

Dear JITC- I have been privately not religious anymore for over a year and a half now. I don’t keep Shabbos or kosher privately, and I stopped keeping both publicly when I’m away from home or no one is around. This was never really my intention, but life happened in many painful ways. I used […]

Dear Jew in the City- I was raised to see Rosh Hashana as a terrifying time of year, that I would be judged by God in (aka Who Will Live and Who Will Die). I’ve obviously made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve met people who approach the holiday in a more positive way. What’s […]

Orthodox Jews Sick of Being ‘Photographed Like Animals’ by Tourists Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish residents are fed up with tourists who swarm their insular neighborhoods by the busload — all to gawk at their clothing and customs. “People snap pictures of you like you’re on some sort of display — like you’re in a zoo,” said […]