In the past year, dozens of high profile comments worldwide have been called “anti-Semitic.” While labeling them this way may discourage the speaker from using similar rhetoric in the future, that isn’t always the case. Additionally, not every act of violence, teasing or, hate against Jews is the same in intent or outcome. In the […]
Growing up as a child, I had an idyllic life. The oldest of (then) three boys, we were a rambunctious bunch. My mother was nurturing, singing songs to us every night as we tried to fall asleep. My father was super smart. He was a fountain of knowledge on wide range of topics, including the […]
Dear JITC- I’m confused as to whether being Jewish is a religion, a race, a cultural identity or all three. If it’s not a race, then how come Jewishness is inherited? All the best, Miranda Dear Miranda- Thanks for your question. This is a tricky topic so let’s define what things are. A race is […]
It Took A Protest At The Husband’s House To Get This Jewish Woman A Divorce With the help of a network of sympathizers including many divorced women, a divorced woman was able to finally receive good news. ORA worked to protest on her behalf in order to free her from agunah status. The New Yorker […]
The Child Victims Act went into effect last week. In January, after it passed, I wrote about how it’s good for Orthodox Jews because we have an entire Talmudic tractate dedicated to compensating damages, but we have no statute of limitations on bringing a claim against a perpetrator. We are commanded to surely pursue justice, but […]
Dear JITC- Is there a way to feel out a rabbi’s opinion on something before committing to following their psak? Best, Shterna Dear Shterna- You’ve probably heard that one is not permitted to “shop around” for a psak (ruling) that one likes; rather, one should have a rav whose positions one follows consistently. But what’s […]
