Bintel Brief
My roommate plays loud music during Shabbat dinner. Can I ask them to stop?
I didn’t used to keep Shabbat, but now my roommate’s loud TV and music feels very sacrilegious.
Dear Bintel: How on earth are we supposed to do Passover this year?
I can barely answer my email. How can i turn over my whole kitchen?
My boyfriend won’t answer my calls on Shabbat. Should we break up?
I’m in Israel, he’s in the US, but he won’t let me break Shabbat to talk to him.
I’m Christian, but my grandparents are Jewish. Can I celebrate Passover?
I grew up celebrating Passover with my grandparents, but now my husband says it’s appropriative if we do our own.
Will my friend think it’s weird that I don’t sleep with my husband on my period?
Niddah is a private topic, and hard to talk about with non-religious friends.
Letters to the Column: Belgium Jews, and where to send Jewish books
A few of our readers wrote in with extra advice for a few recent questions.
I got vaccinated, but my family thinks I cut the line. Should I have waited?
I got vaccinated, but my family thinks I stole the vaccine from someone who needed it more. Was I wrong to get the jab?
My roommate’s girlfriend is visiting her orthodox family — is it bad that I’m worried?
There’s reason to worry, but not because of religion.
My nephew’s Bar Mitzvah is delayed, but I don’t think that’s right
I don’t think it’s fair to my nephew to delay his Bar MItzvah.
Do I need to prepare kosher food for my visiting friend?
From its start in 1906, A Bintel Brief was a pillar of the Forward, helping generations of Jewish immigrants learn how to be American. Now our columnists are helping people navigate the complexities of being Jewish in 2020. Send questions to bintel@forward.com.