Dear Jew in the City- How can there be many “right” ways to live a Jewish life? There seems to be only one way, living within the parameters set by the Torah. And if there is variation in the levels of observance within those parameters why is it acceptable to choose anything other than the […]

I was raised in an extreme religious environment that stressed fear and punishment over love and joy. Anti-Semitism was taught as a rebuke from a vengeful God. And it’s followed me everywhere. Because of this negative messaging, my relationship with Judaism was fraught from a young age. By early adulthood, I found myself drifting away. […]

For far too long, too many men in the secular world have been using women’s bodies for their own pleasure without having any consideration about the needs or wants of the humans being they are with. Since the Aziz Ansari scandal broke, the #MeToo movement is no longer just about rape and sexual assault. People […]

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 […]

Having run the gamut of observance herself, Faranak Margolese devoted five years to researching, interviewing, and surveying hundreds of people who left Orthodox Judaism in order to better understand the “off the derech” phenomenon. Her 2005 highly acclaimed book “Off The Derech: Why Observant Jews Leave Judaism, How To Respond To the Challenge” is perhaps […]