Jews are a refugee people, and as an ethnic minority we have never had a solid home base since our exile from our homeland in 70CE, due to Roman colonizers. As such, our ethnic food has become the food of the places that have housed us. While classic Ashkanazi foods like brisket, matzah ball soup […]

Dear Jew in the City, Why is honey kosher if bees are not? Sincerely, Ryan Dear Ryan, Thanks for your question. It’s an excellent question, but I’m going to explain it for those who may not know why it’s excellent. There’s a general rule in kashrus that the products of non-kosher animals are likewise non-kosher. […]

Out of all the controversies surrounding Orthodox Jews, I never thought ice cream would be one of them. Yet today, “Can Orthodox Jews eat ice cream?” was a breakout Google search — thanks to FX’s new thriller, The Patient. The show features a Jewish therapist grappling with a particularly unique and dangerous client, as well as […]

Dear Jew in the City, I saw in Unorthodox a kitchen covered in tin foil. Why do Orthodox Jews do this? Thanks, Brad Dear Brad, Thanks for your question. Whenever I receive a question that starts “Why do Orthodox Jews…,” my initial reaction is, “They don’t” because such questions usually represent gross generalizations. This was […]

The kosher restaurants of 2021 are attracting far more than just an Orthodox Jewish clientele. Young crowds of non-Jews, eager to try innovative dishes are packing these places alongside those who dine there for religious purposes. From the gourmet Mexicali-style meat restaurant Lenny’s Casita in Los Angeles, to the French-inspired Barnea Bistro in Manhattan, to […]

Jews in Belgium have been feeling less and less welcome in their home country, as the ritual slaughter ban which prohibits shechita, imperative to the making of kosher meat, has been upheld by the highest court in the country. While the law from 2017 makes the creation of kosher (and halal) meat illegal in the […]