As one of the few Jews willing to admit to being politically conservative, I get asked the same question all the time, “How you can be both politically conservative and a Jew?” Most of the questioners are either liberal Jews who consider me something of a heretic, or a fellow conservative surprised to see the rare Jew within their ranks. more

My grandmother, Mania Schatz, deserves to win the Grandparents Award to recognize the hardships and accomplishments in her life. When she was a little girl, life in her community in Poland started off normally until the Holocaust began. My Grandma hid in a forest with her cousins and uncles. They stayed underneath trees and wood, and made fires to keep warm. She had to beg for food, but had to remain hidden or everyone would be killed. more

Let me introduce you to my Zaidy. He brought up nine children and has five grandchildren. I am the second oldest of his grandchildren. My Zaidy is kind to everyone he meets and is my role model for being a “mentch.” more

Since the time of Avraham the first Jew, Kashrus has been on the minds and in the mouths of Jewish people. The contemporary proliferation of religious dietary observance has not gone unnoticed by the food industry at large. more

This past Shabbat marked the end of the Choref Zman, the Yeshiva Winter Block. It was a Shabbat filled with feelings of accomplishment but also sadness that such a marvelous chapter in our lives was coming to an end. We sat in our Beit Midrash for Seudat Shlishit as the sun made its way slowly behin more

Recently, there was an Internet video that became so popular it was shown on television news. It showed an overweight, bullied child who for the first time in his life fought back. This video touched me greatly because, while growing up, I was that fat kid who was bullied every day until I fought back (with a little help from my mom.) more

A poem on Passover by David B. Chideckel of Woodmere more

When I get together with my brother-in-law, Yossi, our conversation is usually about the newest wines on the kosher market. When I found out that we would be attending the same wine tasting in Manhattan I was excited. Now I would be able to hear if he had a different angle on the Gotham Wine pre-Pesach tasting. more

Can a young holocaust survivor direct a drama program in a 1950s Catskills summer camp? Robin Garbose, an accomplished Hollywood-based Orthodox film director tackles the question with a movie musical, where lead character Miriam is initially a quiet and broken spirit, but she and her campers are both transformed by their interactions. more

Dear Aviva, Isn’t chessed supposed to begin at home? My wife is well respected by others because she is constantly helping others. She goes the extra mile and ends up short changing my kids and me. She could cook a three-course meal for someone who just had a baby while defrosting fish sticks for the kids’ dinner. How do I ask her to pay more attention to us without looking like the bad guy? -Chopped Liver more