If a person relied only on recent headlines to judge the Satmar community as a whole – which I’d venture to say that most people do – they’d have a pretty negative view of it. And that’s because those who do daily acts of kindness and possess refined character traits are almost never reported on. That […]
My friend Tammy makes the best salad I’ve ever had. She fills it with yummies like avocados, caramelized almonds, and toasted sunflower seeds. When you eat salad at Tammy’s house – which I highly recommend you do should the opportunity ever arise – don’t be surprised when you find yourself taking third and fourth helpings […]
There have been several articles written recently in the mainstream media about the poor secular education in parts of the Orthodox Jewish world, particularly in certain Hasidic circles. In one piece, a man from a Hasidic community (who is no longer religious), describes how his secular education was lacking so greatly he was unable to make a […]
Dear Jew in the City, Here’s a question that no one seems to be willing to answer … how can one EXIT the Jewish community and why doesn’t the religion allow for it?! I was born to a reformed family who couldn’t tell you anything about “what it means to be….” I have never felt […]
She had been in my life since I was a young bride and had helped me make Shabbos almost every week. But then last Friday – without warning – she gave out. And by “she,” I mean my black plastic measuring cup whose handle suddenly snapped off while I was scooping flour. Of course it […]
When I began my journey back to Jewish observance in my mid-teens, Orthodoxy was not my original destination. In my mind, Orthodox Jews were not the kind of people you’d want to emulate. So I tried to become an observant Conservative Jew at first, hanging out with the most religious Conservative Jews I knew. There […]
