When my father was in the final weeks of his life, languishing in Cornell hospital, I found myself reaching my breaking point. I was the only relative nearby that could come to the hospital on a regular basis. As a single parent, I was away from my kids for five Shabbosim in a row. It was […]

Hi JITC- Do Jews Believe in Hell? Sincerely, Hayley Dear Hayley- I don’t know where the idea that Jews don’t believe in Hell got started but we most certainly do believe in one. I’ve heard umpteen times on television that Jews don’t believe in Hell – including on the venerable Simpsons. And people figure that […]

This Shabbos morning began like any other. My husband gave the littlest kids their breakfast so that I could get a few extra minutes of sleep. After he left for shul, I got myself and the kids dressed, and we headed next door to our shul, PZ. The only excitement was that my oldest son […]

Dear JITC, My wife is sick. I am terrified to lose her and thinking of my own mortality. I’m trying to improve my emunah and bitachon as I deal with this but sometimes it feels like just words. How can I internalize this trust in God? Loving and Worried Husband Dear Loving and Worried Husband, […]

Judge Ruchie, the Hasidic Superwoman of Night Court Ruchie Freier is a 52-year-old Hasidic Jewish grandmother who has blazed a trail in her insular religious community with so much determination that the male authorities have simply had to make room. Eleven years ago, she became one of the first Hasidic female lawyers in Brooklyn, and […]

12 hours after Reva Judas’s first son was born he passed away. She experienced 6 miscarriages after that. Ellen Krischer gave birth to a stillborn at 37 weeks. For both of them, their agony was compounded by the taboo nature of their losses. While both, thank God, have children (and Reva even grandchildren) today, their losses […]