Purim Afterthoughts

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

Purim is the one Yom Tov all Jews can celebrate. Special knowledge is not required and the demands of its observance are easy enough.

Closing Our Eyes To The New Haman (Part II)

Posted on: March 7th, 2012

Last week I described some prophecies concerning the wakeup calls that would come to our people when the arrival of Mashiach was near. Unfortunately, we have yet to attune ourselves to the sound of those footsteps.

Closing Our Eyes To The New Haman (Part I)

Posted on: February 29th, 2012

I dare not remain silent. I dare not ignore the wake-up calls and the catastrophe they portend. So I ask you to read my ensuing columns on the subject with open minds and receptive hearts. I will limit myself to the wake-up calls we have witnessed over the past couple of years, though they began considerably earlier.

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Singles In Crisis – A Reader’s Thoughts

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

Last week’s column was meant to be the last, for now, on the subject of shidduchim. Because of the problems singles experience in finding their soul mates, I had devoted several columns to the subject and was prepared to move on – until I received an e-mail I feel is a must read in order for us to gain a better understanding of the pain some of our singles are experiencing.

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Shidduch Challenges: Where Is Your Soul Mate?

Posted on: February 15th, 2012

In this concluding column I would like to focus on the big question so many have asked: Since our faith teaches that every person has a soul mate – bashert – designated by Heaven, how is it that so many cannot find their partners?

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Shidduch Challenges – How To Find The Right One

Posted on: February 8th, 2012

Several weeks ago, in response to a letter from by a young woman in her thirties who wrote of the painful plight of singles, I wrote a column that has since mushroomed into a series of articles.

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Shidduch Challenges: Nothing Has Changed

Posted on: February 2nd, 2012

We have myriad matchmaking programs all over the world, from word of mouth to computerized, from well-intentioned individuals and professional shadchanim to singles organizations.

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More On Shidduch Challenges

Posted on: January 26th, 2012

Some readers may wonder why I’ve devoted so many recent columns to this subject. The answer is that finding one’s shidduch has become a problem that has reached crisis proportions in the Jewish world. And despite all the efforts of individuals and community leaders, the crisis shows no signs of abating.

Shidduch Challenges

Posted on: January 19th, 2012

I believe in my last column we established that when it comes to shidduchim we cannot rely on our own “seichel” – for while singles may believe they made the right choice, they might just discover the opposite to be correct.

Jewish Dating: “Glamour Girl” or Aishes Chayil?

Posted on: January 11th, 2012

Could it be she wished to tell you that nowadays many men can be superficial in their search for a life partner, looking for a “glamour girl” rather than an aishes chayil? Could it be she tried to tell you it would be wise for you to be more flexible, more open-minded, and not lock yourself into limiting your options to just a certain “type”?

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Anguish That Does Not Go Away: Reader Responses

Posted on: January 4th, 2012

For the past few weeks my column has focused on the difficulties singles experience while trying to find their soul mates.

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Anguish That Does Not Go Away: The Singles Problem (Part Three)

Posted on: December 29th, 2011

The woman in her mid-thirties who initiated this discussion a few weeks ago bemoaned what she considers the indifference and the insensitivity of most people to the plight of singles.

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Anguish That Does Not Go Away: The Singles Problem (Part Two)

Posted on: December 21st, 2011

Last week I shared a letter from a 30-plus young woman who was very troubled over the challenges confronting singles. She felt the Jewish community was not sufficiently engaged in reaching out to and helping the many singles desperately looking for their soul mates.

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Anguish That Does Not Go Away: The Singles Problem (Part One)

Posted on: December 15th, 2011

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis, Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, one of many you surely receive each week about shidduchim. I hope to act as a representative of all the sad and lonely unmarried men and women in our society. I am hoping that if you share my message in whole or in part with our community, it will have an effect – even if it’s minute.

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Crises And Wake-Up Calls: The Only Answer

Posted on: December 7th, 2011

For the past several weeks I have been discussing the various crises currently engulfing us. With this column I will conclude the series (at least for now). What I write is based not on whim or opinion but on that which is rooted and documented in our Torah.

Responding To Wake-Up Calls: What Must We Do?

Posted on: November 30th, 2011

For the past few weeks I’ve been discussing the crises facing our people. I’ve been asked by many of our readers the question that should challenge all of us: What are we to do?

Readers Ask: What Are We To Do?

Posted on: November 23rd, 2011

For the past few weeks I have been writing about the crisis our Jewish community is witnessing, a crisis reminiscent of pre-Holocaust Europe that caught the Jewish community sleeping and unawares.

Sound The Alarm

Posted on: November 17th, 2011

My column usually focuses on guiding and advising those who have difficulty navigating the turbulent waters that challenge their personal lives. From time to time I depart from that format to comment on the issues that affect our very lives as a people. Of late this has occurred more frequently than usual. Events are unfolding so rapidly that before we can absorb one, another befalls us.

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I’m Afraid

Posted on: November 9th, 2011

Yes, I’m afraid. When I say these words, most people do not understand, and they attribute my fears to the fact that I am a survivor and live in the shadow of my Holocaust experiences.

Yom Tov Family Crisis

Posted on: November 2nd, 2011

Last week I interrupted a series of columns on the subject of “holiday mayhem,” concerning the problems faced by many families whose adult children come home for Yom Tov with their families.