Dear Jew in the City, I read that until Talmudic times, Jewishness used to be passed on through patrilineal descent. Is that true? If true, why did it change? If false, why do people think that? Sincerely, Harry Dear Harry, Thanks for your question. We have discussed matrilineal descent before, so let’s recap that first. […]
If you tell Lily Brasch she can’t do something, odds are she’ll prove you wrong. On Friday, the Orthodox Jewish model became the first woman with muscular dystrophy to walk the runway at New York fashion week unassisted. She is the second person ever with the condition to appear — the first was actress and model […]
Shlomit Malka is making religion even more fashionable. The stunning model and Israeli television host has nearly 400K followers on Instagram and has recently started connecting more to her Jewish spirituality. She now keeps Shabbat — she doesn’t use her phone or go out — and makes Kiddush at home. She wears her Moroccan and Ukrainian heritage […]
Dear Jew in the City, Does a couple have to get divorced if they don’t produce children? Sincerely, Karen Dear Karen, Thanks for your question. Once again, I’m going to reiterate the distinction between halacha and halacha l’maaseh, i.e., between Jewish law and its practical application. Not everything you may see in the law codes […]
It’s been just a week and a half since Jonah Hill’s You People film was released on Netflix and has many members of the Jewish community up in arms. Pushing Jews into negative stereotypes and harmful tropes, this movie was only positive in that it’s uniting Jews in how damaging and antisemitic the film actually […]
“Time is like money. It’s not how much you have, it’s how you spend it,” Judge Freier says. It’s an expression her mother taught her and repeated throughout her life — one that Judge Freier clearly lives by. At 57, she was just appointed by her supervisors to the New York State Supreme Court. A […]
