While there have been a spate of stories detailing the lives of those who left Jewish observance, people often wonder, where are the memoirs for those who have returned? Enter award-winning author and humorist Judy Gruen, a passionate ba’alas teshuva whose memoir The Skeptic and the Rabbi: Falling in Love with Faith presents her personal journey, complete with laughs, tears, […]

Hello Jew in the City- I relate to praying as something that I must do three times a day. While, whenever I think about it, I conclude that Hashem IS in control (at least to a large degree), but I do not truly believe that Hashem listens to my praying. As such, saying tehilim or otherwise davening for something […]

Osher Bar & Grill: L.A.’s First Glatt Kosher Sports Bar With its family-style smooth wood tables, sleek bar, industrial beams, exposed-brick walls and 13 large television screens, Osher Bar & Grill looks like it could be a regular sports bar in Anytown USA. However, what sets Osher apart from similar establishments is that it’s Los […]

You’ve heard of The Three Tenors, but have you heard of The Three Cantors? Yanky Lemmer, one of the three, was born and bred in Borough Park as a Belzer Hasid. After yeshiva, Lemmer went to Israel and was paired with a kollel student to learn for an hour a day. Lemmer’s chavrusa, Elimelech, invited him […]

Dear JITC- So I’m pretty newly religious, I just finished college, and I think I am ready to start dating and get married. The one thing that I am concerned about, all the frum people I know date for such a short time! How am I going to know that he’s the one that fast? […]

Far too often the hasidic community is painted with a broad brush by the media, lacking nuance or showing the humanity of its inhabitants. Paula Eiselt’s documentary 93Queen does the exact opposite. It offers an up close and personal perspective of an ostensibly different world, yet one driven by human beings, struggling to make positive changes […]