Last week we married off our daughter, our eldest, to a wonderful young man, in the hills of Jerusalem. The groom, like our daughter, chose to leave the place he was born and return to our ancestral homeland. He chose to bravely serve his land. Even though it is only days after the wedding, he […]
We’ve made some big discoveries at Makom (our branch that helps disenfrachised Charedi Jews find a positive place in Orthodoxy) in the last few months. For years, I thought the underlying reason people came to Makom was due to trauma with a capital T: sex abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse. All of those reasons still […]
For the past few months, I’ve been writing a weekly article for Jew in the City, celebrating amazing people who shine a positive light on Orthodox Judaism. But this week, I’m going to celebrate myself. I’m reflecting on a memory that surfaced strongly for me earlier this year, when I turned the big 5-0. Don’t […]
American-Israeli Judith Colp Rubin has had ups and down with accepting her 21-year-old son’s decision to become a baal teshuva seven years ago. In the wake of her husband’s illness and death, her son began to find meaning, purpose and community in Judaism. While she has come to terms with his study in yeshiva, his […]
Dear Jew in the City- How do you balance Kibud Av v’Em when you’ve chosen a different path within Judaism than your family? Sincerely, B.T. Dear B.T.- No joke, this is literally the first “Ask Rabbi Jack” question I ever received, though I received it from the parent. Decades ago, on my very first day […]
Over the past few months, Covid-19 has shut down synagogues, forced minyans to move outdoors and kept many people home alone for the holidays. But for Robyn and Gregg Stern, Covid did something quite unexpected. It was the impetus for them to commit to being shomer Shabbos. “My wife and I had an ‘a-ha’ moment,” […]
