One of the biggest disadvantages I had growing up in an extreme, unhealthy Orthodox Jewish community is that I learned from an early age to view the world as black and white. They’re wrong. We’re right. We follow Torah correctly. They don’t. We’re living the life that God intended when He created the world. They’re […]
I was raised in an extreme religious environment that stressed fear and punishment over love and joy. Anti-Semitism was taught as a rebuke from a vengeful God. And it’s followed me everywhere. Because of this negative messaging, my relationship with Judaism was fraught from a young age. By early adulthood, I found myself drifting away. […]
Dear Jew in the City- In the wake of the #metoo movement, it got me thinking, how would Jewish Law handle a “he said/she said” situation? How much evidence is enough to implicate someone according to the Torah in a case with no witnesses? Sincerely, A Concerned Woman Dear Concerned- I was sent this question […]
Jacob Benezra Has a Unique Story to Tell as an African American, Jewish Basketball Player When he arrives at the bench, the hoodie comes off to reveal that his head is covered by a bright blue yarmulke with an engraved orange basketball. At that point, something even rarer is divulged — an African American Jewish […]
Since 2007, Jew in the City has been reversing negative associations about religious Jews by highlighting an approach based on kindness, tolerance, sincerity, and critical thinking and making engaging and meaningful Orthodox Judaism known and accessible. At first, we thought we only needed to disseminate this information to non-Orthodox Jews. Several years ago, we sadly […]
AJ Edelman, the first Orthodox Jewish male Olympian; Jerry Wittenstein, a NASA scientist who helped put the first man on the moon; and the Secretary of Transportation of Massachusetts, Stephanie Pollack, are among 10 individuals who have been named the 6th class of Orthodox Jewish All Stars by Jew in the City, the organization dedicated to re-branding […]
