chronicles of an Orthodox Jew in the modern world
When I was six years old and living in Israel I would take the public bus to school along with all the other independent little Israelis. One morning I got a late start and the thought of walking into class last made me cringe (still does). And so, as I rode the bus that day, I [...]
Zvi and I love to travel. We’ve been to over a dozen countries and have never let being Orthodox stop us. Here are some tried and true tips based on our adventures. Tip #1: Find the nearest Chabad and enjoy the delicious meals they have to offer. Just try not to think about the fact [...]
I’ve been thinking a lot about names lately. Anyone who’s seen me recently can probably guess why. For the rest of you, I’m carrying around a big belly and it’s getting close! So as we’ve been entertaining names, these have been our considerations: Do we give our child a Jewish, but easy-to-pronounce, name? A Jewish, [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The Modern Yid 