When it comes to Jewish holidays, some often joke that the celebrations revolve around a similar pattern: “They [our enemies] tried to kill us, they couldn’t kill us, so let’s eat!” Chanukah originates in the middle of a literal war on our Jewish way of life. Surviving forced assimilation by threat of death is a […]
While Ryan Turell is stirring up a lot of excitement for his draft to the G League, NBA’s minor league organization, playing his first game last night, it turns out another Orthodox Jew had already been drafted to the NBA 42 years earlier. In 1980, David Kufeld was the first Orthodox Jew to be drafted […]
Many think they know about Orthodox Judaism thanks to TV shows like “Unorthodox” and “My Unorthodox Life,” a.k.a. media that shows off the community in a negative light without any sort of context that these are dysfunctional families. But where are the stories of inspiration? Where are honest, nuanced alternative narratives to balance that out? […]
HBO Max recently announced the production of a new dramedy series based on the life of Nissim Black: a black non-Jewish rapper turned Hasidic rapper. Black has been approached by numerous networks, like Netflix and celebrities like Queen Latifa, who wanted to do a documentary on his life. But when director Sally Richardson, who Black […]
We often hear about the racism that Black people in America face, but rarely about the antisemitism and racism Black Jews face. In honor of Black History Month, Allison Josephs spoke with Elisheva Rishon, a Black Orthodox Jewish woman about her experience in both communities — she’s a part of each one yet an outsider as […]
It’s official. Former Knicks star, Amar’e Stoudemire has joined the team. But the uniform for this team includes a yarmulke, tzitzis, and a black hat. How did Amar’e Stoudemire, now known as Yahoshafat ben Avraham, become an Orthodox Jew? A big part of his journey came about due to learning with a man named Rabbi Harry […]
