Dear Jew in the City, I saw that the Shema was trending recently. Can you tell me a little bit about this prayer? Sincerely, Jonah Thanks for your question, Jonah. There’s a lot to say about Shema. For starters, did you know that it’s a mitzvah? I don’t mean that it’s a mitzvah to recite […]
Impact, not intent, is what matters in DEIA spaces. Yet with the recent release of Netflix’s Maestro trailer, featuring gentile actor Bradley Cooper donning a prosthetic nose even larger than Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein’s actual nose, many people are downplaying the harm, because it lacked antisemitic intent. Bernstein’s children released a statement, supporting the schnoz. […]
Just as you have to pass by the thorn to get to the beauty of the rose, so follows the process of teshuva during the month of Elul.
My internship with the Beijing Academy of Sciences came to an end — unexpectedly. I was 26, it was 2014 and I didn’t know where to turn. I was hoping to find a new internship that could turn into a job in China didn’t have a plan B. I hardly knew anyone where I lived (a […]
Maestro, an upcoming Netflix drama focusing on the life and love of Leonard Bernstein, just saw its first official trailer released to Youtube. Herein we see Bradley Cooper – a non-Jewish actor of European descent (i.e. a white actor) – taking up the role of the esteemed Jewish composer. If that act of whitewashing isn’t […]
Dear Jew in the City, What is the Jewish perspective on the soul? Sincerely, Ezra Thanks for your question, Ezra. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I’m going to share an excerpt from one of my books, on the nature of God and other spiritual matters, appropriately named The God Book. Sources in the excerpt […]
