After running like a maniac I finally made it on the train at 3:20pm. I left 20 minutes after I was supposed to leave. And, as you know, on a Friday, every minute counts... I had sat in the meeting like a cool cucumber 'casually' checking my phone: 3:03 3:05 3:09. Okay that’s it. I [...]
Author: Sarit Steinfeld
I was born in Israel and grew up in Toronto. Being the only Orthodox Jew at work, I began to chronicle my (awkward) experiences of being observant in the modern workplace. After making aliya in 2019, I broadened my repertoire of writing to discussing all things Jewish in the Modern World that we live in such as travelling, living in Israel and more.
5 Things I Learned from Another Jewish Holiday Season at Work
1. September is the time of year I discover all the other Yids My organization has about 64,000 employees. I’m pretty certain I know all five orthodox Jews. So when Rosh Hashannah comes around, all the other yids (secular or otherwise) join in taking time off to celebrate the High Holidays. And I get very excited. [...]
My Vacation Complex
If you're orthodox like me, I can guarantee, you've already pulled out your handy dandy Jewish calendar to the months of September/October and made the grim calculation of how many vacation days you will have left once the holiday season passes. By now you've likely also drafted that awkward email to your boss outlining the [...]
My Homeland, a.k.a the Elephant in the Room
Sometimes being an Orthodox Jew in the workplace goes beyond the awkwardness of keeping kosher, early Fridays, and an endless array of religious holidays. Sometimes, it comes with the tension of saying the word Israel. Yeah, I'd say it can be pretty contentious. Especially when it gets news coverage (i.e. always). Whenever I say I'm [...]
My Big Fat Awkward Networking Story
So, I work for the government. As you can imagine, it's a huge organization. But it's kind of a very small world. Like any workplace who you know is, well, everything. So by the time I finished my Masters, like any new grad, I was already ingrained with the whole “network, network, network” thing. People [...]
What’s in a Bagel?
Beygeling (or Bageling) definition: Inserting a Jewish phrase or concept into a conversation in order to determine whether the other person is or isn't Jewish. Or to let them know that you're part of the tribe. A couple of weeks ago my good friend was chatting at work with a group of colleagues about the best [...]
Top 10 FAQs I get as an Orthodox Jew in the Workplace
I'm lucky to be surrounded by some pretty amazing colleagues. They are also very curious (in a good way!). Here are the top ten most commonly asked questions and my attempted responses. Number one undoubtedly goes to: #1 What makes something kosher? The varying levels of responses may include: The basics: We don't mix meat and [...]
