Mental Illness affects up to 20% of the population, and so many more when you consider the impact on families. While there is always room for improvement, particularly where stigma is concerned, Orthodox Jews have come a long way in terms of acceptance and care for those who suffer from Depression, Anxiety, OC(P)D, Bipolar Disorder, […]
Not wasting and protecting Hashem’s earth and creations are foundational Jewish ideas. We even have a “birthday for the trees,” i.e. Tu B’Shvat, which begins tomorrow night. Quite shockingly though, there are too many members of the Orthodox Jewish world who regularly litter and have not embodied these Torah values. While no one knows exactly […]
Does Orthodox Judaism promote compassion and non-judgment or fire and brimstone? As a secular Jew growing up, I believed it represented the latter. There was nothing appealing to me about it. Then, I began to learn and meet Orthodox Jews and discovered that the Torah is “D’rachecha darchei noam v’chol n’tivotseha shalom.” (Its ways are those of […]
Having run the gamut of observance herself, Faranak Margolese devoted five years to researching, interviewing, and surveying hundreds of people who left Orthodox Judaism in order to better understand the “off the derech” phenomenon. Her 2005 highly acclaimed book “Off The Derech: Why Observant Jews Leave Judaism, How To Respond To the Challenge” is perhaps […]
Zvi Gluck, who was born and raised chasidic in Brooklyn, grew up in an environment where helping people in need, starting new initiatives, and sitting on organizational boards was part of his parents’ everyday life. He always knew he’d do the same, and “kids at risk” was the first place he started. While working with […]
The Torah on one foot according to Hillel is “what is hateful to you don’t do to your neighbor.” However, because the process of Jewish divorce, according to Torah law, gives the upper hand to the husband, men will sometimes abuse this power and use a get (Jewish divorce document) as leverage against their wives […]
