Since El Al flight 002 from New York to Tel Aviv diverted to Athens this past Friday in order to land before Shabbos, much ink has been spilled. As a “flying commuter,” I have taken numerous flights during this time slot for work. This flight was different, though, due to numerous delays. The stress level and frustration […]

I don’t remember exactly when I first learned about “shelo asani isha,” but I have to imagine that I wasn’t too happy about it. There is a section of the siddur called birkas hashachar (morning blessings), which is recited every morning by observant Jews. One of the blessings within birkas hashachar is said by men and blesses God for having not […]

This Shabbos morning began like any other. My husband gave the littlest kids their breakfast so that I could get a few extra minutes of sleep. After he left for shul, I got myself and the kids dressed, and we headed next door to our shul, PZ. The only excitement was that my oldest son […]

Dear Jew in the City, I recently read your article on faith, but this is where things get a bit fuzzy for me: “If reason and discernment are necessary in guiding our emunah, what pushes me towards belief (and trust) in God? When I look at the complexity of nature and cosmology; when I see certain […]

While there is undoubtedly a stark divide between the secular and Haredi world – especially in Israel – sometimes friendship and a shared vision can close the gap. On the surface, Yael Leibovitz and Chani Zusman, two Israeli Jewish women could not be more different. Zisman is an Israeli-born Haredi mother of four who has always […]

Dear Rebbetzin Chaya- I didn’t grow up religious, so I left a world of egalitarian Judaism. And I’m happy with that decision. Then again, on Simchas Torah it seems like there’s nothing for women to do. How do I come to terms with the fact that I don’t want to do hakafos but also feel […]