I never really appreciated the concept of freedom until I felt that I had lost it. So when my husband left the marriage after 10 years, slamming the proverbial door behind him, I was wholly unprepared when he refused to give me a get and trapped me in a marriage neither of us wanted to […]

Dear Jew in the City, What is the difference between a pilegesh (concubine) and a wife in the Torah? S.D. Dear S.D.- For the answer to this, let us turn to tractate Kesubos in the Talmud Yerushalmi (5:2). There, the gemara asks your exact question. Rabbi Meir explains that a wife has a kesubah (marriage […]

The Jews Who Saved Monticello Thomas Jefferson is buried at Monticello, his estate in Charlottesville, Virginia, along with Rachel Phillips Levy, a traditional Jew. How did a Jewish grave end up in Monticello? The answer lies in the history of a family whose own story is every bit as American as that of Jefferson himself. […]

A Brooklyn Bakery Appeals to Observant Jews and Pizza Fans – The New York Times writes about Isaac’s Bake Shop, a kosher, Orthodox owned bakery which has a surprisingly large non-kosher fan base. How ‘Bas Kol’ Became a Viral Hasidic Hit – A Yiddish song, sung at a Chasidic wedding becomes an internet sensation! 10 Stylish, Orthodox […]

*Author’s name has been changed to protect anonymity. When I finally came to terms with the fact that I was going to have to go through with a get (Jewish divorce), I did some research and quickly learned that there isn’t a lot of information out there apart from some awful films and some sites which […]