JITC Branches
From the archives
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 JITC- Does Coronavirus mean we’re in the end of days? People I know say this is the end and either Moshiach or the war of Gog and Magog is imminent. Thanks, Joe Dear Joe- I’m sorry but this question made me shake my head a little because of the things people are telling you. […]
What does Father’s Day mean to you? Perhaps it’s a celebration of someone special in your life. Or perhaps it’s a painful reminder of a relationship that isn’t what it should be, or a relationship that is no longer or a dream yet to be. And sometimes it’s just complicated. My father passed away suddenly […]
My internship with the Beijing Academy of Sciences came to an end — unexpectedly. I was 26, it was 2014 and I didn’t know where to turn. I was hoping to find a new internship that could turn into a job in China didn’t have a plan B. I hardly knew anyone where I lived (a […]
Popular videos
In a world obsessed with devices, it occurred to me that we are living in an age where silence dominates many situations. Silence between couples, silence between families, silence everywhere you turn as people tap, tap, tap on their devices. What an isolating existence. But what if there was an antidote to silence? What if […]
Big Bang Theory star, Mayim Bialik, asks Jew in the City can science and religion work together in a Jewish framework? While there are some Orthodox Jews who believe in a literal account of the creation story, many of us hold that the events must be understood another way. RAMBAM, also known as Maimonides, stated […]
Recent videos
Many men, Jewish or not, have encountered bearded men asking them if they’re Jewish. Whether on the streets of Manhattan, on an airplane, or in Home Depot, Chabadsters approach people, asking them if they would like to wrap tefillin. This approach might seem “aggressive” to some, but Yossi Farro credits Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks saying […]
“I was their star teaching fellow but I couldn’t get a teaching job,” said Aaron Twerski. Looking the way he looked — like a Hasidic Jew — made it difficult for Twerski to attain a professor appointment at Harvard Law School, despite glowing reviews. Twerski went onto a pivotal role at the U.S. Department of […]
