Dear JITC- When should forgiveness be granted? If someone did something really awful – how do we know the apology was sincere and not just lip service? When are we supposed to forgive if the iniquity wasn’t done to us but disgusts us? What does forgiveness look like? Is it tolerating the abuser? Allowing him […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article handles mature topics and is the second of a two part series. The first installment broached the topic from a philosophical standpoint, this second part discusses the practical how-to’s of speaking to your son. Several months ago I wrote about how Orthodox Jewish fathers can talk to their sons about puberty. […]

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 […]

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 […]