JITC Branches
From the archives
Dear Jew in the City, For St. Patrick’s Day, we learn about the “luck of the Irish.” Do Jews believe in luck? Best, Marsha Dear Marsha, Thanks for your question. Before I answer, let tell you about the expression “luck of the Irish,” because it doesn’t mean what people think it means. It may […]
At week number whatever this is of stay-at-home orders, many of us are feeling a little… bored. Last night, even my 6th-grader, who I don’t think had complained even once since his school closed, finally voiced some dissatisfaction with doing the same thing every day. (His school is actually doing an excellent job maintaining a […]
Succot is here, and there are lots of accompanying laws. This many walls. This many tefachim. This type of roof. Do all the walls need to be complete? What must the roof be made of? So many halachos. Why all these dictates? Is Jewish Law trying to make sure that we each build the exact same […]
Last week, a Sephardic member of our shul (synagogue) asked me which Middle Eastern country my family comes from. “None,” I explained, “We’re Ashkanazi.” “Really?” he exclaimed, “I was certain you were Sephardic.” After this encounter, I got to thinking: despite being completely Ashkanazi, with both sides of my family hailing from Ukraine, Russia and […]
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
At the 2nd annual Jewish Media Awards, held at Lincoln Center on November 12, 2024, showrunner, TV writer and executive producer Jeff Astrof was honored as an Orthodox Jewish All Star for his outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. During his acceptance speech, Jeff—best known for his work on Friends and as the co-creator of […]
At the 2nd annual Jewish Media Awards, held at Lincoln Center on November 12, 2024, Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking was honored with the Keter Shem Tov Award for authentic Jewish representation in global media. Aleeza Ben Shalom, the show’s star matchmaker, accepted the award on behalf of the series. “We got to see Jews from all […]
