While the notion of a food crawl generally conjures up drinks in one restaurant, hors d’oeuvres and/or appetizers in another, a main course in yet a third, and dessert at a final venue, my own crawl-like experience is not self-contained…
Matchmaker, matchmaker
With phones literally ringing off the hook and iPhone abuzz, it is a typically hectic day for a matchmaker, or a shadchan, like Esther Levy in the Orthodox Jewish community of Midwood, New York. A typical “Jewish mother,” Esther is…
Israel’s dilemma: how to deal with illegal immigrants
On Sunday, it was reported that more than 300 of Israel’s Saharonim Detention Center detainees refused to return to their individual cells in protest, saying that they are being held illegally, against their will, and that they vehemently demand their…
Is “separate but equal” okay in Israel?
According to fast-breaking developments first reported this week by the Jewish Daily Forward and subsequently amplified in the New York Times, a compromise may be in the works that would allow women to lead services, carry Sifrei Torah (Torah Scrolls),…
Israel at the Oscars
The 85th annual Academy Award celebration boasted some of Hollywood’s premier talent. While most viewers were closely attuned to the celebrity sightings, spectacular gowns, provocative host, show-stopping performances, and the major awards themselves, some of us with strong Jewish and…
“Srugim:” Modern Orthodox Israeli singles on TV
Last year, when I studied abroad at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, I became aware of the then-popular Israeli television drama, “Srugim” (Hebrew for the knitted kippot or head coverings, normatively worn by Modern Orthodox men), which premiered in June…