Dear Jew in the City, With the recent viral deepfake video of Jewish celebrities calling out Kanye, I got to wondering how Judaism views AI. There certainly seem to be ethical issues with it. What parts are kosher? What goes too far? Sincerely, Brian   Dear Brian, Thanks for your question. Please note that I […]

Dear JITC- Is there a problem with trick-or-treating according to Judaism? If so, why? Thanks, Jamie Dear Jamie- Thanks for your question. There are two types of holidays: religious and secular. Despite the commercialization decried by those who observe it, I think that most people would have no trouble recognizing Christmas as a religious holiday. […]

Dear Jew In the City, How do we handle Simchas Torah this year?  Thanks, Arielle _ Hi Arielle, Thanks for your very interesting question. Before I address it, I’d like to contextualize things for those who may need the dots connected, as well as for people who may read this in the future and need […]

Dear Jew In the City, This year Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat. What are the halachot concerning this? Thanks, Eliza _ Hi Eliza, Thanks for your question. When Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos, what’s different? Quite a bit when it comes to Shabbos, but surprisingly little when it comes to Yom Kippur. Shabbos is different […]

Dear Jew in the City, I was angered to read the updated Wikipedia definition of Zionism. They write that it “is an ethno-cultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century and aimed for the establishment of a Jewish state through the colonization of a land outside of Europe.” Surely Zionism is […]

Dear Jew in The City, How should we respond to Iran’s threat of war on Tisha B’Av? Sincerely, Yosefa – Dear Yosefa, Thanks for your question. This is a very serious matter, so I’m going to play against type this time by not cracking any jokes. Tisha b’Av is a day of communal mourning. On […]