Opinion

Why Did Waldo Go to Therapy?

By Orly Benaderet • Published: April 29, 2013 • Comment ()

Therapy. Psychologist. Social worker. Shrink. These words make many people cringe with discomfort, unsure about what really happens in that mysterious room. Recently, a close friend confided in me that she is seeing a therapist. “I love my therapist!” she raved. Before beginning therapy, she had felt suspicious towards the practice. She said she’d rather [...]

Shomrei ha-Saf, the Guardians of the Gate: Reflections on an Israeli Media Event

By Elisha Fine • Published: April 29, 2013 • Comment ()

I am an American with an Israeli passport. Or maybe, an Israeli with an American passport. I can’t always decide. English is my first language, but only after refusing at the age of five to speak another word of Hebrew (only partially remedied much later in Ulpan) and thus to join my English-speaking playmates. I [...]

Accepting Our Own: The Bias Against Black-Hatters

By Yael Farzan • Published: April 29, 2013 • Comment ()

wall-street-journal-picture-of-chassidim

It was a recent Friday night in the Heights when, in the middle of a neutral conversation, someone suddenly slipped a derogatory aside about the ultra-Orthodox. I was sitting across from her at the Shabbat table, involved in the stimulating discussion until this point. Immediately, a round of giggles and titters rippled from the other [...]

Reclaiming the G-Word

By Hannah Dreyfus • Published: April 29, 2013 • Comment ()

Why don’t we talk about God? We talk about politics. We gruffly pontificate about the state of affairs in the Middle East – the merit of the settlements, the Palestinian unrest, the most recent outrage from the haredi community. There is never a dearth of commentary on Obama’s performance – or the synagogue rabbi’s performance [...]

Half Shana Bet: Is It Worth It?

By Elana Kook • Published: March 20, 2013 • Comment ()

“Wait, there’s dairy dinner in the 215 caf?” “There are shuttles that can take me around within campus?!” “Huh? What’s an sstud? And why are they taking over my YU inbox?” These are just a few of the questions perplexing the approximately 50 students who have just arrived at Stern this semester. The Shana Bet [...]

Warmed by the Light

By Bequi Frankel • Published: March 20, 2013 • Comment ()

As a former student of SCW participating in the joint nursing program with NYU, I have had the shocking and enlightening experience of quickly transitioning from one of the most conservative, right-wing institutions to one of the most liberal. I smiled to myself, pondering this humorous juxtaposition, while my professor spent the first moments of [...]

Why I Wanted to be a Fellow in the First Place: Presidential Fellowship Faux Pas

By Tikki Dulitz • Published: March 20, 2013 • Comment ()

Every year, an elite group of graduating students applies to spend their first year post-college working for various YU offices around Yeshiva University. A highly coveted position, the Yeshiva University Presidential Fellowship Program has many applicants, all fighting for (varying year-to-year) about 15-20 spots. The Yeshiva University Presidential Fellowship, run by the Office of the [...]

Banning the Right Books: A Response

By Samantha Klein • Published: March 20, 2013 • Comment ()

Dear Tali, I understand your argument and you make some important points, especially about the need to refine our educational methods. At the same time, I do not think it was right to condemn a pedagogical system which has the goal of helping others lead more halakhic lives. Personally, The Magic Touch changed my life. [...]

LIKE This? Facebook Self-Sabotage

By Hannah Dreyfus • Published: March 20, 2013 • Comment ()

I’m about ready to un-friend Facebook. Think about it: if you had a friend who prattled on relentlessly about other people and their lives – every gory, finicky detail – wouldn’t you get sick of it too? Yes, we’ve all heard Facebook trashed and blamed for the downfall of mankind before. Social networking sites have [...]

Nowhere But Here: A Community of Questioners

By Hannah Dreyfus • Published: February 19, 2013 • Comment ()

I personally detest the word ‘frum.’ There are few words within the Jewish world more shamelessly and flagrantly misused and abused than this evocative little adjective. Attempting to define the term is as inevitably offensive as complimenting your great aunt’s cooking. Why? Because it is necessarily, essentially exclusive. Stereotyping and snubbing en masse, the word [...]

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