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News The Mirror in the Mikveh
Ellie Goldenberg and Emily Blum are getting ready to immerse for the first time in the mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath. One might assume that Ellie and Emily are soon-to-be brides; in traditional communities, women immerse in the mikveh for the first time before they are wed. But they’re not — Ellie is an 11-year-old…
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Life Cleveland Kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart and Us
Sexual assault cases don’t occur in a vacuum, even when they are so egregious that they defy the imagination. For example: the recent Cleveland story involving the long-term imprisonment and rape of three local women by an alleged perpetrator who comes across as a complete sadist. Coverage of this story has been rife with speculation,…
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Life Is Fashion Advice for Female Interns Sexist?
In a recent post on Slate’s DoubleX, Katherine Goldstein provides tips for female summer interns on what exactly is appropriate to wear to a workplace. The advice on how to avoid looking like a “skintern” includes avoiding see-through anything, concealing undergarments and leaving the four-inch heels at home. Goldstein ends the post by telling women…
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Fast Forward Lakewood Yeshiva Teacher Yosef Kolko Admits Abusing Boy
A former yeshiva teacher in the Orthodox town of Lakewood, N.J., Yeshiva teacher today admitted sexually abusing a boy after two more victims of his came forward to accuse him, authorities told the Asbury Park Press. Yosef Kolko pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault, attempted aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment, and was…
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Books Teaching Orthodox Couples About Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual dysfunctions within relationships are more common than ever today, with an estimated 40% of women and 30% of men suffering from sexual dysfunctions, according to a new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical school. Many women experience pain during intercourse, which could relate to conditions like vaginismus, dyspareunia, and vulvodynia, while common male…
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Life Why I Cried in the Mikveh
I went to the mikveh recently, and it was the first time that I didn’t cry. For married women, going to the mikveh comes at the end of the niddah, or the length of the menstrual cycle, plus seven days. It concludes niddah; after a woman dunks in the mikveh she can touch her husband…
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Fast Forward Jewish Women in New York Lose Virginity Later Than Others: Poll
Apparently, New York isn’t the den of sin it’s cracked up to be. At least, not for Jewish women. One in 8 Jewish women in New York over 18 years old is still a virgin, according to an unscientific study conducted by an online dating web site. That’s a markedly higher proportion than the approximately…
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Fast Forward London Rabbi Arrested on Sex Abuse Counts
Media outlets have identified Chaim Halpern as the man believed to be arrested in London on charges of sexual misconduct. The London Metropolitan police arrested four men they would not name on Wednesday morning in connection with an investigation into sexual misconduct. Two media outlets reported that one of those arrested is believed to be…
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