In the last several weeks, there have been three suicides in Israel in the ex-Hasidic community. While I don’t know the particulars around these tragedies, I unfortunately, have learned a few things about suicidal ex-Hasidim in the last few years, due to our work with the members of Makom. I am proud to say that […]

There’s something special about being one of the only Orthodox Jews for miles. I represent the Jewish community, whether I intend to or not. Sometimes I can’t help but stand out. I’m the only woman at the gym in a skirt, long sleeves, and headscarf. With my sheitel, I can blend. Although, when it’s over […]

Growing up as a secular Jewish American, the horrors of the Holocaust overshadowed my world as one of the leading reasons my fellow Jews were not religious. Many of their parents or grandparents had abandoned observance because they could not come to terms with a God who would allow such atrocities to occur. Nearly every […]

The Child Victims Act went into effect last week. In January, after it passed, I wrote about how it’s good for Orthodox Jews because we have an entire Talmudic tractate dedicated to compensating damages, but we have no statute of limitations on bringing a claim against a perpetrator. We are commanded to surely pursue justice, but […]

I didn’t become observant through a kiruv organization. I became observant due to a search for meaning in life during my childhood. Thankfully, as I started to increase my observance at the end of high school, NCSY was there to give me a network of support and friends to help me acclimate into the Orthodox community. I […]

It was the best community. It was the worst community. It was a God of love. It was a God of terror. It was a school where children thrived. It was a school where children were abused. It was a time for exploring all the kosher parts of God’s glorious world, it was a time for everything […]