Dear Jew in the City, Why do Orthodox Jews use flip phones? Sincerely, Smartphone User   Dear Smartphone User, Thanks for your question. The short answer is pornography. The longer answer is somewhat more nuanced. For starters, not all Orthodox Jews use flip phones; most probably use smartphones. The use of flip phones is pretty […]

Dear Jew in the City, Recently, you referenced a relationship between Jews and Hindus. Can you please expand on that? Sincerely, Rebecca Dear Rebecca, Thanks for your question. That was in the article on Jewish-Muslim relations. What I wrote there was, “Avraham had other children, with his second wife, Keturah (who may or may not […]

Out of all the controversies surrounding Orthodox Jews, I never thought ice cream would be one of them. Yet today, “Can Orthodox Jews eat ice cream?” was a breakout Google search — thanks to FX’s new thriller, The Patient. The show features a Jewish therapist grappling with a particularly unique and dangerous client, as well as […]

Dear Jew in the City, Why do Orthodox Jews do circle dancing? Sincerely, Kayla   Dear  Kayla, Thanks for your very interesting question. It might surprise you to learn that circle dancing is not exclusively Jewish, let alone Orthodox. Circle dances can be found the world over, from Armenia to Sweden, from Greece to Germany, […]

Dear Jew in the City- What language do Orthodox Jews speak? Sincerely, Madison Dear Madison- Thanks for your question but it’s a little like asking what language Catholics speak. (I doubt very much you’d expect all Catholics to speak Latin!)  Hebrew is the traditional language of the Jewish people – that’s the language in which […]

Dear JITC- Does the animism of Marie Kondo’s popular KonMari method present any problems for observant Jews? Thanks, Ella Dear Ella- Thanks for your question. Let’s skip to the bottom line: you would be best served asking this of your own Orthodox rabbi, not a stranger on the Internet. Now let’s take the scenic route. […]