Nissim Black has an impressive yichus (lineage), but not the most typical of a hasidic Jew. His grandparents were musicians who worked alongside Ray Charles and Quincy Jones. His parents were successful rappers in their own right. Black relates that music was always a part of his journey, even as Judaism was in the background. “I grew […]

I recently learned a lesson in kindness from a complete stranger, and it profoundly affected me. It was Thursday evening before the 1st of January that we discovered our inspection sticker was due to expire. The 31st of December. Being that the only business day left to take care of the inspection was on Friday I […]

Seal From First Temple Period Found at Kotel Supports Biblical Accounts A rare, well-preserved piece of clay dating to the First Temple period with the Hebrew inscription “governor of the city” was recently discovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem. “This shows that already 2,700 years ago, […]

I recently sat down with Emma Green, staff writer at The Atlantic where she covers politics, policy, and religion. Religion is one of her areas of expertise. I asked Green for her thoughts on how Orthodox Jews are depicted in traditional media. She admitted that there can be a lack of nuance. “In general, certain religious minorities […]

When I was 13 years old, my family took our first trip to Israel. We were not the least bit observant in those days. It was the first time I ate kosher food for a sustained period (by default), the first time I saw a mechitzah (divider) when we when to the Kotel, and the first time […]

My husband is a bit of a survivalist. What I mean by that is that he longingly dreams of things like being left in the woods and having to fend for himself by eating wild mice. He got this idea from a reality show he once saw. Yes – this actually happened. (As a side note […]