Orthodox Jews often emphasize marriage too strongly, undermining the lives and souls of the singles among them. It's wrong, and it spurs unnecessary hurt, insecurity, and alienation.
From Hasidic questioners to rebellious nuns and priests, limit-pushers within tight-knit groups have a special camaraderie. I'm jealous.
Most Jewish communities, whether Orthodox, secular, or somewhere in between, silence something key to my mind or my soul. I dream of a place to call home.
A weird learning disability, odd discussion topics, and more: I freak people out.
They keep telling us that we're nonconformists, rebels, against the system. We're not. All we want is to conform.
For so many years I defined myself by standing out, by being iconoclastic. How did I become a person who wants to look like everyone else?
So often, the world is far from bounteous, but, when I changed my behavior, I felt something beautiful.
