Happy (almost) New Year! While many of us celebrate the new year at Rosh Hashanah time, the changing of the calendar from one year to the next also holds some undeniable weight. It’s another fresh start, another opportunity for change and growth and an additional moment to reflect on the past.   We’re reflecting on […]

My younger sister had her first baby a few weeks ago in Israel. We’re very close and I was really hoping to be there for her at this time, even just a little bit if I could. With the war, I wasn’t planning to go anymore with my husband and kids, as we initially wanted […]

On October 7, I didn’t spiral. Like all Jews, the last seven weeks have been torturous to live through. But had October 7 happened a few years ago, I would have now been in the mud, clawing my way through a deep depression, trying to find a reason to live. Years ago, the slightest hiccup […]

At the time that I’m writing this — November 23, 2023, my voice has been completely silenced on Instagram for 30 days after I was fighting for the Jewish people with a path of empathy, unity, empowerment, Torah & facts. For 30 days, I have been unable to create posts, share stories, comment on posts, go […]

Dear Jew in the City, You recently wrote about prayer and I was wondering: Do our prayers actually accomplish anything? Can my prayers make a difference in the world, or even in my own life? Sincerely, Joseph   Dear Joseph, Thanks for your question. As we discussed in that previous article, the purpose of prayer […]

During a family visit to Israel in the summer of 2015, we discovered the sprinkler section of Teddy park, situated roughly between the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and Mishkenot Sha’ananim (site of the iconic Jerusalem windmill).  My children were thrilled to run through the geysers spraying water twenty feet into the air […]