Clik here to view.
Shidduch crisis or women’s liberation?
Chart from Mishpacha Magazine I’ve just read yet another article about the tragic shidduch crisis plaguing the charedi community. In Mishpacha Magazine, Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz laments that out of one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kicked out of the club: when special needs families aren’t welcome in Jewish...
I received a long message today that included many important subjects. The message is posted on my blog here. However, one very important issue that was raised had to do with students who require...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Mailbox – Long Time Baal Teshuvas Rethink Their Level of Observance
Below is a message I received from a reader about being a long time BT who is rethinking his commitment to the frum community. He brings up many different issues, but one main struggle is his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Defining Our Own Derech
Below is my response to a reader’s email previously posted here. Dear Burnt Out BT Baal Habayis, You write, “No experience is perfect, however, I am no longer seeing the frum way of life as better than...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The stigma of not being a Virginian
When orthodox Jewish abuse cases first started appearing in the news, they invariably involved grown men abusing boys ranging from pre-pubescent children to teenagers. To read the growing collection...
View ArticleClik here to view.
21st Century Eugenics in the World of Shidduchim
*Avi was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease as a young child. While he has occasional symptom flare ups, he leads a full life that is not limited by his illness. Regardless of this fact, although the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Advocating for your modesty during the Jewish conversion ceremony
I received an email from a young woman who will soon be converting to Judaism. She had read my two part post on the subject of the orthodox Jewish conversion process and was nervous about maintaining...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Does El Al Airlines Deserve to Be Airline Shamed? #AirlineShaming
I read an article entitled “Do You Deserve to Be Passenger Shamed?” that describes a Facebook page devoted to airline passengers behaving badly. Photos of people boarding planes barefoot, sticking bare...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Speaking out is a worse crime than the crime itself
The virtue of remaining silent in the face of injustice, or even criminal activity, certainly isn’t restricted to the orthodox Jewish community. However, along with other insular societies, frum...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sukkos and Simchas Torah are here…do you know where your children are?
The Sukkah is up, the cooking is almost finished, and the lulavim and esrogim are ready to be shaken to the beat of the yom tov arriving in a few hours. While Sukkos is always a much anticipated and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The balance of power
For many female baal teshuvas (BTs), how women are treated in Jewish orthodox society can be a sticking point. At the end of the day, I can’t honestly say that I found an explanation that fully...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gone Girl
Photo from bataliyah.blogspot.com The title sums up the whereabouts of women and older girls at Simchat Torah synagogue services. Over the last few days I’ve read two articles about the exclusion of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Peer Pressure
I was recently listening to a radio interview with someone who spoke about the pre-Rosh Hashanah seating fiasco at El Al airlines. The interviewee claimed that several years ago, a few prominent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New ruling exempts women 45 and up from modesty laws
I It is with a glad heart that I received word of a new psak exempting women aged 45 and older from the laws of tznius! As I look forward to my approaching 45th birthday, I can now also happily...
View ArticleClik here to view.
There’s a shark in the mikvah
A prominent modern orthodox Georgetown rabbi has been accused of secretly filming women showering at the mikvah. Dr. Barry Freundel has been accused of secretly installing at least one hidden camera...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why I am not a feminist
I was recently described in a Chicago Tribune article as being “a feminist Orthodox Jew,” and I disagree with the description. I have had this disagreement with more than one of my blog readers, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What’s in a name?
Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that I am fascinated by the subject of labels, credentials, gender roles, and the outer signs of conformity utilized to belong to a group....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sia – Hiding Her Face to Shine Light on Her Voice
I was watching a Saturday Night Live musical performance by a female singer named, Sia. I was fascinated by the shade she wore over her eyes, practically obliterating all view of her face. Upon...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Staying a little girl forever – pondering eating disorders among orthodox...
So many women and young girls I know are on diets. I’m no stranger to the battle of the bulge, and certainly getting older has made keeping the pounds off more of a challenge. However, I question why...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Emotional Penalties
I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that women are considered “overly emotional.” As the creatures of emotion that society paints us as, we are in a constant state of unpredictable ups and downs –...
View Article