The word “cult” is trending right now in conjunction with the words “Orthodox Jews.” We can likely thank Julia Haart for that uptick on Google, as she’s the anti-Jewish gift that keeps on giving. I haven’t watched season 2 of My Unorthodox Life yet. I already gave up too many brain cells on watching most […]
I am regularly accused of being an apologist for the Orthodox community by those who have left observance and are angry, while simultaneously accused of being too negative by community insiders who don’t want to discuss the problems. I hope my analysis will not disappoint either group. I’ve always tried to approach issues with nuance, […]
Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers and is always observed on the first Monday of September. It began in the late 1800’s, when labor activists lobbied for a federal holiday to acknowledge the many contributions workers have made to America’s workforce. While media usually highlights the negative stories […]
Many think they know about Orthodox Judaism thanks to TV shows like “Unorthodox” and “My Unorthodox Life,” a.k.a. media that shows off the community in a negative light without any sort of context that these are dysfunctional families. But where are the stories of inspiration? Where are honest, nuanced alternative narratives to balance that out? […]
A Hasidic family (name undisclosed) from Brooklyn found a wallet during an outing to Governors Island last Thursday. The wallet contained $1,400 in cash. Intent on performing the mitzvah of hashavas aveida (returning lost items), the family contacted State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein in hopes of tracking down the owner of the wallet: Christopher Collins, who […]
While Hasidic Jews are often depicted in the media as being emotionally unstable, Gelly Asovski, one of the first Yiddish speaking Hasidic female therapists in Monsey, is trying to bring more mental healthiness to her community. Born and raised in Monsey – and raising her own family there as well – Asovski was not too […]
