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Update

Shavua tov. I hope you all had a peaceful Shabbos full of wonderful discussions about Ilan. I’ve heard from a lot of you, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I hope you’re all coping as best as possible. The funeral is going to be held in NJ (I have no […]

Baruch Dayan HaEmet: Ilan Tokayer

Another friend of Ilan has written about his feelings of loss for Ilan here. Having heard so many stories over Shabbos about this New Zealander rabbinical student, I thought it might be healthy for me to follow his example. However, he wrote about the wonderful qualities of Ilan. For me, I think I need to […]

Baruch dayan haemet

There is no post today. There may not be posts for a few days. Baruch dayan haemet. How difficult that is to say right now.

How to Celebrate Your Conversion

Mazel tov! You must be getting close to your conversion if you’re thinking about how to celebrate it! My experience so far is that orthodox converts don’t celebrate nearly as much as liberal converts. Make your interpretations as you will. Nearly everyone has (or tries to have) a special meal with some friends and family. […]

Those Tricky Dairy Drinks…

Since I “went kosher” in June 2010, the most annoying thing remains drinks. I am apparently incapable of remembering that drinks can and will be dairy. I don’t drink milk and I rarely eat meat products, so my kitchen is almost entirely dairy. I rarely have to think about dairy v. meat except for what […]

When You NEED to Reveal Your Conversion Candidate Status

You may have previously read When Is It OK to Say “I’m Jewish,” Even If You Really Aren’t. But what about the other side? When MUST you disclose your in-flux status, even if you really don’t want to? I make no promises that this list is exhaustive, but I will update it if other important […]

UPDATED: Why You Shouldn’t Date During Conversion

NOTE: The Kvetching Editor wrote a response to this post here. I just want to point out that her situation is not what I’m describing. I’m talking about a single who enters the orthodox conversion process and then begins dating people who are already orthodox. However, for the record, I think dating is probably a bad idea […]

Shabbat Shalom! The Good News Edition :)

I’ve been a bit of a negative Nancy lately, so here is some good conversion news for you: North American Rabbis Protest Conversion Policy. Sure, the rabbis have rallied to protect all orthodox converts’ rights to make aliyah, but I’m more skeptical that such a rabbinic “uprising” would happen as a way to pressure the […]

A Non-Orthodox Response to the Current Orthodox Conversion Issues

For those of you following the conversion/aliyah issues with Israel and the greater Jewish community, you may want to check out yesterday’s blog post at On the Fringe-Al Tzitzit, Conversion Crisis Update: the New Jewish “Papacy.” I won’t express an opinion on the content (or maybe my jury is still out?), but I did particularly […]

How to Daven in Public Without Looking Like a Nutter

Quite honestly, you’re probably going to look like a nutter whatever you do. But that’s ok. You can minimize your public nuttiness with a few tips. This topic always makes me think of plane trips, so perhaps this colors my discussion. Feel free to add your tips in the comments! First, seek a private location, […]