I have always considered myself an open-minded, non-judgmental person. As a kid, although we were not particularly religious, my parents were strict that that my sisters and I had to marry someone Jewish (for the sake of Jewish continuity), but they were  always very clear that it did not matter what color or ethnicity the […]

After experiencing the death of my father over three months ago, I have decided to share some thoughts, in the hope that they can help all who try to comfort mourners during such difficult times. Specifically, I will focus on aspects of the funeral, the shiva (seven days of mourning) and post shiva. Some may be surprised […]

Praying, observing new mitzvos, attending rallies, sending donations to Israeli soldiers, and calling the White House are some of the actions people around the world are taking in order to help out as we wait for the return of the three Israeli boys (Eyal, Naftali, and Gilad) who were kidnapped last week by terrorists on […]

When you put yourself online – especially in a public way – you open yourself up to haters, trolls, and all sorts of nasty stuff. (Yay internet!) Thank God I don’t come across mean comments about myself too frequently, and I’ve managed to increase the thickness of my skin for when I do. But every […]

Dear Jew in the City, I really enjoyed watching your videos and found them to be quite informative. It’s very beautiful to see someone who makes a proactive move to make a Kidush Hashem and to clarify a lot of misconceptions that people have with Orthodox Jews. Since you are so open-minded and honest about the […]

Thanksgivukkah. We’ve been hearing a lot about it lately. From yam latkes to cranberry filled sufganiot, this historic confluence of holidays has created a lot of playful buzz these last few weeks. Now I like a good menurkey as much as the next guy, but I believe there’s a poignant message behind this mash up of […]