Dear JITC- Why do Jewish men wear hats? All the best, Carla Dear Carla- Thanks for your question. It has been asked before: A man asked his rabbi, “Why do Jewish men wear hats?” The rabbi replied, “Because our forefather Abraham wore them.” “How do you know that?” the man inquired. “The Torah says, ‘And […]
Learning to Pray When Words Fail Julie Shulman decided to study linguistics because she wanted to help people with speaking disorders. She never imagined how personal this mission would become when her husband, business-development manager Ayal Shulman, suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. Despite the initially grim prognosis, his cognitive function is intact. But his speech […]
Mayim Bialik and I have shared a special friendship and study partnership over the last many years and have collaborated on several projects at JITC, but it was super fun to sit down with her recently (28 min video interview below) to discuss something amazing she created – her new book “Girling Up” (which spent five and […]
Herman Wouk: Remembrances The enduring appeal of Herman Wouk’s many novels speaks volumes — and though he’s well past the century mark, he’s still writing. The man who wrote “The Caine Mutiny,” Herman Wouk, was once a naval officer himself and has just published the book he says will be his last at 102. Emma […]
When my father was almost 50 years old, he became an Orthodox Jew. My mother, two years his junior, did too, but she always had a positive association with religious Jews and Judaism. Her “Bubbe” and “Zeide” were frum, spoke only Yiddish, learned Torah, and had long seders. Her love of the alter heim, its food […]
Even though eight-year-old Laila and her family are from New York, they never had much experience with Orthodox Jews until Laila was diagnosed with cancer. Laila’s mother recalls that when treatment began, that changed in an instant. “Memorial Sloan-Kettering gave us more direct exposure to Orthodox Jews. They have a big presence at there.” Laila’s […]
