Many Makom members immediately spotted the dysfunctional behaviors of Julia Haart from My Unorthodox Life based on the dysfunctional patterns in their own childhoods, which contributed to them being pushed out of their homes. Here are the thoughts of a couple of our members: I’m all for people expressing their feelings and talking about their […]

I have had tortuous abuse in my life, the silence being the factor which I’ve suffered from the most. The feeling of always having to quiet myself for fear of my secrets being out. It may sound like what a spy goes through after debrief and reintegration into civilian life, but it is the reality […]

Dear Jew in the City- How does Jewish wisdom direct us to work through trauma? Thanks, Shua Dear Shua- Thanks very much for your question. I don’t want to answer it. That’s not to say that it isn’t important. It’s very important. I just don’t think that it’s for me to answer. (It might not […]

Note: April is both National Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness month. Since this article’s original printing two years ago, Magenu has made improvements to what they offer. There is now an entirely new children’s curriculum on their site and a new 7th-10th grade curriculum. The organization has expanded their reach — they’ve gone into […]

Dear Jew in the City- As a child, my questions were silenced. I was told to just believe and not question. As I have gotten older, I have met Orthodox Jews who encourage questioning. But I’m still not sure it’s ok. What sources give us permission to question? Thanks, Chaya M. Dear Chaya M. – […]

We always focus on the obvious miracles of Chanukah: the miraculous military victory of a small band of fighters against a might army, the fact that the Maccabees found a small jar of oil in the rubble of the Holy Temple and that that oil burned for eight days, when it should have only lasted […]