The following guest post was sent to me from a father in New York. For more background on the Meisels sex abuse scandal, see these posts by Frum Follies: Rabbinical Court Accuses Seminary Operator Elimelech Meisels of “Unwanted Sexual Contact” Israeli Beit Din Announces Removal of Meisels … [Read more...]
Only Men Safe from Rockets at Ashdod Rabbinate
July 16, 2014 by 3 Comments
In which exclusion of women doesn't stop for for war. Visiting the rabbinate can be a joyful time, like when you are registering for a wedding. But it can also be traumatic in case of a funeral, divorce or custody battle. These days, just leaving the house involves calculating how close you will … [Read more...]
Guiding Couples Through Infertility
June 15, 2014 by
This post originally appeared in February, 2010. I am republishing it today because Racheli Sprecher Frankel, whose talk I summarized below, is the mother of 16-year-old Naftali Frankel. Last Thursday, Naftali and two other young boys were hitching rides home when they were kidnapped by Hamas … [Read more...]
A Daughter’s Tribute to Shimon ben Shraga
June 9, 2014 by 5 Comments
I recently finished The Watchmaker's Daughter, a sensitive and touching memoir by Sonia Taitz. Taitz grew up as the child of Holocaust survivors in Washington Heights, New York City, where my husband and I also lived for a time. It turns out that we attended the same synagogue as her … [Read more...]
Is Cohen a Good First Name for a Jewish Boy?
June 5, 2014 by 12 Comments
A while back I wrote a post about the up-and-coming baby name Cohen. A reader writes: I've been reading your baby name blog and it has been so helpful! We just had a baby boy last year who we considered naming Cohen and ultimately decided not to because it might be offensive to some. We are … [Read more...]
Open Letter: Save My Nieces from Lev Tahor Abuse
May 23, 2014 by 5 Comments
The following update was sent to me by Oded Twik, whose sister's family is part of the extreme hassidic group of Lev Tahor. Please Save My Nieces from Lev Tahor Abuse: An Open Letter to Canada By Oded Twik On May 29, 2014, a family court in Ontario will decide the fate of my two oldest nieces, … [Read more...]
Exclusive: Squalid, Dangerous Conditions of Lev Tahor Children in Guatemala
May 8, 2014 by
For an update, see Save My Nieces from Lev Tahor Abuse. Statement by Oded Twik on Behalf of All Family Members of Lev Tahor in Israel: I, Oded Twik, recently visited my sister, a member of Lev Tahor, in Guatemala. The following is based on my first-hand observations, which are outlined in the … [Read more...]
Why Do People Still Believe Moti Elon is Innocent?
April 24, 2014 by 1 Comment
In 2010, well-known religious Zionist rabbi Mordechai (Moti) Elon was accused by the religious forum Takana of forcible sexual acts on young men who approached him for counseling. Last December, Elon was convicted and sentenced to six months of community service. It's hard to imagine the shock … [Read more...]
Things We Did Not Learn in Ulpana
February 16, 2014 by
On Facebook, Tiferet Shaham wrote an open letter about sexuality for graduates of religious high schools in Israel. She hopes it will be beneficial to both men and women, secular and religious. Below is my summary in English. Open Letter to Young Girls and Women on Positive Sexuality, or How to … [Read more...]
Israeli Baby Name Help, February 2014
February 1, 2014 by
Several readers asked recently for baby name advice and suggestions: Anonymous #1: We don't know the sex yet, but trying to at least come up with a few choices for each so we're not scrambling... Opinions/popularity (and among which 'group') for: Eden Alma, or Alma Eden? Our last name is … [Read more...]
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