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When Role Models Go Off The Derech
Elisha ben Abuyah is probably the most famous example of a person lauded for his knowledge and faith in Judaism, who ultimately left the fold: “Elisha is said to have seen a child lose his life while...
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Radio interview on separate gender airline seating
I was interviewed along with Elana Sztokman this morning on The Current radio show on The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation! If anyone is interested in hearing my thoughts on separate gender airline...
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Amazon Warrior Women Unite?
“You shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son, and you shall not take his daughter for your son, for he will cause your child to turn away from Me, and they will...
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Vanity, thy name is woman
Last week my eighteen year old son accompanied me to drop something off at someone’s house who I didn’t know. I told him how nice it was to have a “bodyguard” to protect me from danger and that men...
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Ode to a Bar Mitzvah Boy
“Today I am a man, on Monday I return to the seventh grade.” – David M. Bader, Haikus for Jews: For You, a Little Wisdom It’s not easy being a twelve year old Jewish boy. Each week, you must watch as...
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The Kosher Switch and Sefiras Ha’Omer
I was talking to my husband this morning about the controversy concerning The Kosher Switch. The Kosher Switch is a product proposing to replace a standard light switch with an innovative device that...
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Do Blogs Have an Impact on the Chareidi Community?
Ultra orthodox Jews of the “Toldot Aharon” community attend and learn at a computer and Internet lecture in Ramat Gan. Photo by Yossi Zeliger/FLASH90 I was contacted by someone who is writing an...
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Self-Hating Frum Jews
“Please accept my resignation. I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member.” – Groucho Marx I was browsing a forum for Orthodox Jewish women the other day, and one of the threads...
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How to Start a Movement – The First Follower Theory
I ran across an older video this morning, in which Derek Sivers explains the importance of the first follower in the creation of any movement. He displays his theory through an amusing display of...
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Mazel Tov Kate!
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton and Prince William, welcomed their new baby girl, Her Royal Highness, Princess of Cambridge to the world on Saturday. It was an express visit to the...
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Public Shaming in the 21st Century
I recently read a book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon Ronson. In his book, he talks about the burgeoning phenomenon of public shaming on social media. Ronson brings up several examples of...
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The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
The IShtetle is abuzz with news of a latest sexual predator in our midst. The 5 Towns Jewish Times published a community alert warning us that a respected therapist and anti-pornography activist has...
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Child Sexual Abuse in the Modern Orthodox Community
On Saturday night, May 9, a program was held at the Young Israel of Woodmere, NY, about child sexual abuse. Ms. Rena Gopin-Wolf, a survivor of sexual abuse, shared her story and gave pertinent...
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Why Doesn’t the Chicago Police Department Want a Private Jewish Neighborhood...
The answer is simple. Anti-Semitism. Nah, I’m kidding. However, it’s likely that will be an underlying assumption by some who support a new community safety patrol initiative in West Rogers Park....
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From the Mailbox: The Damaging Effects of Sexual Humiliation
Dear Sharon, I’ve been following your Facebook posts on the Rabbi Freundel saga. While I personally don’t think that a 6 ½ year sentence and $13,000 fine is enough punishment, I’m glad that his victims...
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Kiruv 2.0 – Kicking Out the Riff Raff
HT Fred MacDowell Language alert for both videos: This morning I saw two videos of mass Shabbos protests over the past two weeks to “restore Kavod Shabbos at the Lake.” Apparently, Lake Carasaljo,...
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Man Veils – Taking Personal Responsibility For Shmiras Einayim
Shmiras einayim, or, guarding your eyes, is a mitzvah that seems mainly geared toward men guarding their eyes against the sight of immodestly dressed women. It also applies to men lingering their gaze...
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Representing Religious Jews or Representing the Face of Mental Illness?
A Kohen wraps himself in a plastic bag on a 2013 flight under advice from his rabbi to prevent him from becoming tameh as the plane flies over cemeteries. The Forward published an Op-Ed piece from a...
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Guest Post: A Male Apology
The day I knew would come has finally arrived. One of my dear friends, Ira Piltz, has allowed me to publish a guest post he has written. I knew this day would come because Ira is always a voice of...
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Recognizing Gender Fluidity Among the Jewish People
Photo: Baci Weiler donning tefillin Credit: Facebook I just saw a fascinating post on Facebook where a gender fluid person shared photos of being assisted in laying tefillin by a Chabad emissary in...
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