Dear Jew in the City, Are there any laws that tell people not to talk about their intimate lives? What are the exceptions? Sincerely, Hannah Dear Hannah, There are indeed such laws, and you’ve probably heard of them. Collectively, such laws are referred to as “tzniyus.” “Hey!” I hear you say. “Tzniyus refers to the […]
Sometimes you watch a story that has twists and turns, but you know the inevitable that’s going to happen no matter how many things are thrown the character’s way. That’s Dylan Kaplan’s life. His path to becoming both religiously observant and a Broadway producer (he produced Sweeney Todd which is on Broadway now!) has never […]
“Orthodox Judaism, Torah, I infuse it into my life and it provides a springboard for me to enhance my life, and [it puts] meaning in everything that I do.”
On Tuesday afternoon, I thought my neighbor was making a bbq and that it was about to rain. Neither of those things turned out to be true. Instead, the “bbq” and gloomy sky were a result of wildfires in Canada. This phenomenon is affecting 90 million Americans at the moment. I have a weird confession […]
Important change is happening in the Belzer Hasidic community. Unfortunately, when someone decides not to remain religious anymore, they can be cut off from their family and the community they grew up in, which often, is all they know. This doesn’t always happen, but it exists, and it is now being both publicly addressed and […]
Dear Jew in the City, How much separation does halacha require between men and women? Best, Jacob Dear Jacob, Thanks for your question. The answer is both objective and subjective. First let’s establish that separating the genders, at least on some occasions, is not a modern, Medieval, or even Talmudic innovation. It was practiced […]
