A couple years ago, on a plane ride home from L.A., I sat next to an ex-Mormon woman who had an abusive childhood and suffered from bi-polar disorder. As she described the extreme and loveless environment she grew up in, not only did my heart break for her, but it also recognized her pain because […]

When I was around 8 or 9 years old, my grandfather told me that when he was younger he tried to get into a pool which had a sign on the gate which read, “No Jews, No Blacks, No Dogs Allowed.” From the youngest age, I saw so many similarities between the histories and plights […]

Last week it occurred to me that the Jewish community made a mistake focusing education so heavily on the Holocaust. Now before you freak out with that assertion, let me clarify that I believe that Holocaust education is extremely important. There have been studies which show that not enough people know about the Holocaust. So […]

I was about 11 years old when my mother mentioned puberty for the first time. I don’t remember the details, because she didn’t share much, but she let me know what a period was and told me that I should let her know when I get it, so she can help me. A few months […]

Orthodox Jewish Leaders Unite Against the Coronavirus Leaders at six top Orthodox Jewish organizations jointly urged their members to heed social distancing rules designed to fight the Coronavirus, a show of unity that underscores the importance of behavioral changes that amount to a massive upheaval in their communities. While limits on gathering during the pandemic […]

As we’ve said many times on this site: Orthodox Jews should not be held to a different standard than the rest of the world, but we know we always will be. At the same time, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, because what is the point of being observant if you don’t actually […]