I grew up in western Michigan, which was largely populated by Dutch immigrants who all seemed to have perfectly shiny, straight, white blonde hair. It was the total opposite of my frizzy, brown “Jewish” looking hair.  Our town had very few Jews living in it, so my family was always in the minority. This was […]

My paternal grandfather’s family assimilated so long ago that my great-great-grandmother used to spoil my grandfather by sneaking him pork chops in place of veal chops! Only one of my four grandparents was raised religious – my mother’s father. But like the rest of my recent ancestors, he too walked away from the ways of […]

I was listening to a podcast the other day about the importance of maintenance (in business, specifically, but also in all areas of life), and how easy it is to drift off course incrementally if you’re not paying attention. This is something that I find directly relevant to my life as an Orthodox Jewish woman. […]

While there have been a spate of stories detailing the lives of those who left Jewish observance, people often wonder, where are the memoirs for those who have returned? Enter award-winning author and humorist Judy Gruen, a passionate ba’alas teshuva whose memoir The Skeptic and the Rabbi: Falling in Love with Faith presents her personal journey, complete with laughs, tears, […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article handles mature topics and is the first of a two part series. This installment broaches the topic from a philosophical standpoint, the second part will discuss the practical how-to’s of speaking to your son. Sitting down with your son to discuss how to interact with the opposite sex as he reaches […]

The Manischewitz at my family’s Passover table left a bad taste in my mouth. By the time I was a teenager, I knew I didn’t want it, the jarred gelatinous fish lumps, the giant crackers or any other part of Judaism in my life anymore. Insert decade of drinking and drugs here. I searched, I […]