Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt was the Life/Features editor at the Forward. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, and Tablet, among others.
Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt
By Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt
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Life Orthodox Women Dare To Go To The Mikveh On Yom Kippur Eve — Like Men
For many Orthodox Jewish women, the mikveh is fraught with tension: a secret space for married women only — who immerse only after the completion of a menstrual cycle and after childbirth -– occasions inevitably tied to sexuality. Immersions are obligatory, and are done in the privacy of night, only after the stars come out….
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Life Part News Anchor, Part Rebbetzin: Meet Israel’s Favorite Newswoman
She’s known for her trademark headband wig, an unlikely uniform on Israeli prime-time news. Sivan Rahav Meir: Tall, rectangular glasses, modestly dressed, Meir is often either conducting exclusive interviews — Sara Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, the late rabbi Ovadia Yosef — or offering her own unwavering commentary on her night show. Born and raised in…
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Life The Rebbetzin’s Guide: What To Bring Your Host For Rosh Hashanah
So you’re invited out for a Rosh Hashanah meal — and you’re stuck as to what to bring? We’ve got you covered. For The Gourmand We’re itching for a copy of celebrity Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s Sweet (his publisher should have timed the release better, with the chief holiday of sweets upon us now), but…
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Opinion The ‘Orthodox Explosion’ Is Not About Numbers — It’s About Our Values
A recent article in these pages by sociologist Steven Cohen and others concluded, based on the Pew Research Center’s findings, that in 40 years, far fewer American Jews will identify as Conservative and Reform, and far more will identify as Orthodox. While the authors wrote of this as a “jarring” trend, it is hardly surprising…
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Life Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Ban Human-Hair Wigs (Again)
Five Israeli ultra-Orthodox rabbis released a statement this past summer, blasting wigs made of human hair for their idolatrous origins (which has long been a dispute among rabbis). As is well-known, in the year 5764, the rabbanim and great poskin [ruler] in our generation have ruled that wigs which contain any human hair from India…
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Life Keeping Holocaust Survivor Testimonies Alive — Through Holograms
As Holocaust survivors die out, many museums and study centers are scrambling to figure out just how to preserve testimonies in ways that will engage young people of the future. One answer may be holography. Illinois’ Holocaust Museum & Education Center will be unveiling its long-awaited, multi-million-dollar Take A Stand Center this October, which combines…
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Life Sick Of Bad Tinder Dates? This New Dating App May Be A Game-Changer.
Ayal Belling was tired of Tinder — sick of the swipes and sick of the superficiality of the photos-only game. So this Jerusalem-born Cape Town resident decided to create his own swiping dating app — a program that studies users’ social profiles, and forces users to be honest. Predict Dating App first scans your Facebook…
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Life This Hasidic Educator Teaches Secular Subjects To Boys — Despite Violent Opposition
Menachem Bombach is waiting behind the gate outside his school building on a dusty hilltop: long black coat, short beard, thin-rimmed glasses, the look of a refined yeshiva student, hands folded in front of him. He smiles and says, “Welcome, welcome!” It’s hard to believe that this gentleman’s home has become the site of frequent…
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