What Makes The Hasidic Community Choose Tribe Over Offspring?
I, too, once believed in the moral righteousness of saving children from their own parents, to ensure they do not fall prey to the secular world.
New Square Rabbi Acquitted of Molesting Neighbor for Years
Moshe Menachem Taubenfeld, a prominent figure in the upstate New York Hasidic community of New Square, was acquitted by a judge of molesting a boy for several years.
Closing Arguments Made in New Square Hasidic Abuse Trial
Did a respected Hasidic educator shamelessly abuse a boy for five years — or is his accuser a liar? A judge will decide after both sides made their closing arguments in a riveting trial.
Did Hasidic Neighbor Start Sex Abuse Reign of Terror on September 11?
A man testified that he suffered years of child sexual abuse after visiting a respected member of his upstate New York Hasidic community for comfort on the day of the September 11 terror attacks.
How Shulem Deen Lost Everything and Found Himself
Losing one’s faith can be excruciatingly painful and lonely. Shulem Deen narrates his grim passage from faith to doubt in his riveting new memoir, ‘All Who Go Do Not Return.’
Show Me Your Yarmulke
You can tell a lot about a Jewish male by the type of yarmulke that he wears. Here’s our guide to the astounding variety of skullcaps, and what they mean.
Hasidic Enclave Keeps Its Secrets Amid Elusive Rebbe’s Tight Control
Grand Rabbi David Twersky enjoys near-divine status among his devotees. But some report being rebuffed when seeking help in sex abuse cases.
When the Mikveh Is an Ordeal of Faith
The peeping rabbi scandal reminds Frimet Goldberger of her own trips to the Satmar mikveh — and the relentless inspections of her body that came with them.
New Square to Neighbors: Stay Away from Our Holy Shtetl!
Frimet Goldberger pokes fun at the Hasidic village of New Square’s recent letter asking neighbors to refrain from buying property (and bringing impurities) too close.
What the Day of Atonement Meant to One Hasidic Woman
For married women belonging to the Satmar Hasidic sect, getting ready for Yom Kippur means a special visit to the ritual bath — and wearing white.
