#hasidic
Why Did a Hasidic Newspaper Photoshop Women Out of a Pic?
Dear Jew in the City,
I would like to know what your thoughts are on the recent articles about the newspaper Hamevaser’s photoshopping of female leaders out of the photo of the French Unity March in Paris the other day. By the way, I love your site and I’ve gained a lot of insight into how to be a more observant reform convert.
Thanks,Steve
Dear Steve…
Read more: http://jewinthecity.com/2015/01/why-did-a-hasidic-paper-photoshop-women-out-of-pic/#ixzz3QoT2YRlj
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Announcing Jew in the City’s 2014 Orthodox Jewish All Stars!!
“In 2012, when we created this award, we focused on shattering people’s misconceptions about Orthodox Jews and what they could accomplish professionally. Last year, when Chanukah historically intersected with Thanksgiving, we celebrated the religious freedoms that exist in the world today which allow people of all faiths to excel in a variety of career paths,” said Allison Josephs, Jew in the City founder and director.
“This year, our message is our most crucial one yet: With anti-Semitic attacks on the rise across the globe, we are celebrating ten individuals who proudly observe Jewish traditions as they’ve soared to the tops of their fields.”
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Hey! I have a question about streimmel. I always wondered how it can be autorized, because it’s with fur and the way to obtain it is cruel (as far as I know). The Torah tells us that we can’t hurt animals. Do you know why it’s ok to use them ?
Thank you in advance :)
[I know the asker’s account is already deactivated by now but I’m still answering anyway for anyone else interested.]
Hi,
It is true the Torah prohibits us to treat animals cruelly (tzar baalei chayim). However, nowadays, animals are not killed for shtreimelach.
Shtreimelmachers [Shtreimel makers] buy fox tails from goyim who already killed the animals for its body fur. The body fur is worth a lot of money. The tails on the other hand are worth nothing and usually sold for very cheap. Shtreimelmachers pay lots of money for these “leftover tails” but not enough money to kill an animal solely for the tail.
PS: I heard this from my shtreimelmacher.
The Baal Shem Tov wooden synagogue of Piatra Neamt
Located in northeastern Romania, the city of Piatra Neamt used to be an important trade hub as early as the Middle Ages. A genuine melting pot, inhabited by Romanians, Saxons, Hungarians and Jews, back in the time of Stephen the Great, the city was one of the king’s princely courts. The Jewish community there grew in time, accounting for half of the city’s population at the end of the 19th century. The Baal Shem Tov synagogue is a living proof of the Jews’ flourishing history in this area. There is a local legend connecting the name of Baal Shem Tov to the synagogue in Piatra Neamt. Legend has it that at a certain moment he had withdrawn to mount Ceahlau to meditate and he would go to spend the Sabbath in Piatra Neamt at the synagogue; an older one that had been built on the same place. Baal Shem Tov died in 1760, six years before the construction of the present-day synagogue, but when they started refurbishing it, they found evidence of the existence of a an older synagogue on the same site. Its other typical element, the fact that it is made of wood, as well as the architectural elements such as the dovetail corner joints, but also the wood used in construction, oak and fir-tree, make it very similar to the wooden monasteries on the Bistrita River valley. It was erected with craftsmen from Piatra Neamt, and the material coming from the same place, but it was commissioned by the Jewish community there.
