A few years ago, I was discussing my newfound identity as a feminist with a friend of mine. We debated the function of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, an organization dedicated to advancing change regarding gender issues in the Orthodox community: my friend contended that the name itself is a paradox in terms. She felt […]
I attended the JOFA conference, a decision that was met with mixed reactions. When fellow peers began to ask me if I would be attending, I started to question the hesitations I’d had with attending the full day conference. What would be so un-halachic? Why did I hold such a grudge against the organization? Why […]
It’s been a crazy few months for the American people. We have been graced with the presence that is President Donald J. Trump. I use the word graced lightly, because in truth, we have just succumbed to the turmoil that we didn’t anticipate. Many of us were hoping for a brighter future when it […]
My family came to this country as refugees. Yes, a Jewish family. Yes, in the more recent years. Try the 1980’s-90’s. They were leaving the Soviet Union, an oppressive regime, for the United States, a country of foreign nature, but which promised opportunities and liberties. When they came, after months of rejection, bureaucratic difficulties, social isolation […]
The recent immigration restrictions imposed by the Trump administration that target seven countries with a majority Muslim population have come under heavy fire from across the Jewish spectrum. From J-Street to the Orthodox Union, rabbis and other leaders have bonded together to oppose a policy that unfairly targets people solely because of the religion they […]
If I were to stand on one foot and ask you to teach me all of Torah, what would you say? One of the first things I learned when I was becoming religious was the Talmudic passage in which a man goes to Hillel and asks him to teach him all of Torah while he […]
A teacher once asked me my opinion on a three-hour lecture series and set of workshops on the subject of tzniut. I was taken aback, surprised that she solicited my thoughts and appeared open to hearing them. I responded carefully, making sure to describe both the strengths and what I thought could be improved in […]
On December 23rd, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution condemning the construction of Israeli settlements, the first resolution to do so in thirty-six years. Resolutions against Israel sometimes seem to be a dime a dozen, but this one touched off furious debate. For the first time during his administration—and in a clear […]
A Facebook post involving a politically relevant article. Many comments. Discourse ensues, with patronizing comments masked to appear as a form of dialogue. Each party claims they’ve been deemed irrelevant and dismissed by the other. “You’re a liberal,” they snicker. And, “You are a racist,” is the retort back. These terms are used so freely […]
The Border Wall: Isolationism or Safety?
These articles are the first in a new series, in which YU Republicans and Democrats will deconstruct and explain a new policy position every month. In this edition, they tackle the proposed border wall. Democrats: Build Bridges, Not Walls President Donald J. Trump is a man of many promises. Throughout his unprecedented campaign and shocking […]