Articles by Rivka Hia

I’m on Facebook, Therefore I am?

By Rivka Hia • Published: April 13, 2015 • Comment ()

If you had told me a month ago to deactivate my Facebook account, I would have scoffed and told you that I knew what was best for me. I’ve been a member of the site since 2007, shortly after they made it open to non-college students. I remember joining incredulously in eighth grade, merely from […]

Jew in the City’s 2014 All Star Event

By Rivka Hia • Published: December 11, 2014 • Comment ()

On December 2nd, hundreds of Jews gathered at the Museum of Jewish Heritage for the 3rd annual red carpet Jew in the City All Star Event. Jew in the City (JITC) is an organization regarded for its work in breaking down stereotypes about observant Jews. JITC publishes articles, creates YouTube videos, and utilizes social media […]

Carrying That Weight: Domestic Abuse Awareness on Campus

By Rivka Hia • Published: November 13, 2014 • Comment ()
Talia Lakritz (left) at Columbia on the Day of Action

I feel self-conscious carrying my pillow down Lexington Avenue. I feel like everyone is staring at me. I bring it everywhere, to the bathroom, to the cafeteria. I don’t get a break. But neither does she. This is what it means to carry your rape with you everywhere you go. Ever wonder what it’s like […]

The Observer: In Conversation with Senator Joseph Lieberman

By Rivka Hia • Published: September 22, 2014 • Comment ()
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Former Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), who represented Connecticut in the United States Senate from 1989 to 2013, has been appointed the Joseph Lieberman Chair in Public Policy and Public Service at Yeshiva University for the 2014-2015 academic year. Originally the Senator was not planning on occupying the chair, but Ira and Ingeborg Rennert (the chair’s […]

Banning the “H” Word

By Rivka Hia • Published: April 9, 2014 • Comment ()
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The “H” word is one that is commonly thrown around our circles. Heretic. Often the label is bestowed in jest, sometimes more seriously, but the use of the “H” word always comes about in the same way: someone brings up a religious phenomenon that makes their peers uncomfortable, or they question a current norm held […]

A Modest Wedding Proposal

By Rivka Hia • Published: March 13, 2014 • Comment ()

Ever get that awkward feeling when you’re at a frum wedding and you’re not sure when to dance with the bride/groom? “We did spend our whole lives together, but does she/he want to dance with me right now?” “Let the ladies in the color coordinated outfits go first, then her second cousin Zissy who flew […]

Goodbye Facebook Groups, Hello YU Hotspot

By Rivka Hia • Published: February 17, 2014 • Comment ()

As an avid Facebook user, I stumbled across a post for Yuhotspot.org, a new website for YU students which combines many of the features of popular social media websites. I had the pleasure of interviewing the website’s developer, Michael Peres, a Computer Science graduate from Canada who currently studies Engineering and Mathematics in Yeshiva University. Michael […]

The Faces Behind the Epithets: My Winter Vacation at Chovevei and Maharat

By Rivka Hia • Published: February 17, 2014 • Comment ()
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After finishing my last final, as my friends boarded planes for sunny beaches, I took the 1 train to Riverdale, home of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Chovevei) housed at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale (HIR), affectionately known as “The Bayit” to its congregants. For my winter vacation, I decided to join Chovevei and Yeshivat Maharat rabbinical […]

Plague of the Chained Women: What You Can Do

By Rivka Hia • Published: January 1, 2014 • Comment ()

On December 25, 2013 dozens of members of the Yeshiva University community were present in the Rubin Shul for a panel discussion on approaches to the Aguna crisis. The panel, sponsored by TEIQU, the Aguna Advocacy club, Women’s Studies Society and the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, was moderated by Rabbi Yosef Blau, Yeshiva […]

A Step Forward for Modern Orthodoxy: Inaugural Conversation with the Orthodox Leadership Project

By Rivka Hia • Published: January 1, 2014 • Comment ()

On the evening of December 23, communal and lay leaders in the Orthodox community gathered in Lincoln Square Synagogue for a long-overdue discussion on the status of women in Orthodox Judaism led by the nascent Orthodox Leadership Project. The Orthodox Leadership Project, as per its website, “aims to enhance the quality, integrity, and diversity of leadership in […]