A fresh look at Jewish history.
Yiddish Civilisation by Paul Kriwaczek is not a new book (it was published in 2005), but I happened to spot it in a small independent bookstore two weeks ago, the first I’d ever seen or heard of it. What a lucky find. The book offers a running history...
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Despite being one of the most conspicuously Jewish Jews--a Chasid, the Jewish identity quandary that so many struggle with is not an issue for me.
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I.
his hands were speckled in cheerful red polka dots
and Cain thought (just as he reached the end
of his psychonautical journey)
that he’d become a clown, a happy change
from his goddamn law career, the stiff tweeds…
I come
to my daughter’s place
invitation in my purse
among my to-do lists, my half-read book,
my nibbled-on snack, my nearly-gone drink.
A Jewish tradition
A superstition
inviting the dead to their loved ones’ weddings.
My daughter is …
Book Review
A review of the book "Mitzvah Girls," by Ayala Fader.
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Where is the film
of the woman banging pans in rage
because her husband is late and the kids are fighting
or the man smiling because he caught the train
just in time
or the child fretting: he wants …
It’s All Kosher (No. 2): Bored and Lonely
A former chasid turns to the Unpious Posek for help in dealing with his boredom and loneliness.
The Wrong Questions
It is okay to be hopeful, I tell myself, to be nervous, to look forward to my husband’s apologies on the way home, but I can’t make it too obvious.
Golden Handcuffs
By Baal Habos
When the joy is gone and the benefits are mostly illusory, leaving may no longer be an option. A Dubneresque tale.
Sex Ed
By Yoel Parnes
Casting a stripper as his teacher, a former Yeshiva boy is left with more questions than answers.
Occupy Rodney Street
By Samuel Katz
Every revolution needs a bus ride, and the Hasidic world has now had theirs. But can a revolution ever come to the Hasidic world?
A Little Bit of Love
Aug 31, 2011 / 5 Comments
Terrified of a god she doesn’t believe in, FreiFem fears the worst.
Is Placenta Kosher?
May 23, 2011 / 6 Comments
FreiFem wonders what blessing one makes on a placenta.
Be a River
May 11, 2011 / No Comments
In the first few years after I left the frum community, it felt as if my story defined me so totally I didn’t know how to filter it. Now, I try to avoid mentioning it.
