Torah Observant Jews Can Have It All! ORTHODOX JEWISH ALL STARS AWARDS

For "ever" it was a given that if a Jew wanted to "make it" in the world outside of the beis medrash, study hall, he or she would have to give up on or seriously compromise on Yiddishkeit. That was the impetus behind most of the assimilation of observant/traditional Jews who left the ghettos for lives in the "big world." And it's one of the main reasons that my parents were so horrified when I became religious over half a century ago.

Jew in the City

That's why I'm so amazed and just have to blog about ORTHODOX JEWISH ALL STARS AWARDS. Allison Josephs's aka Jew in the City has established an annual awards evening celebrating the success of Torah observant Jews in the United States.

Of course, I will always want more Jews to make aliyah, move to Israel and contribute their talents and energies to the State of Israel. But that's another issue.

I remember how daring and revolutionary it was in the 1960s for Jewish males to walk around with colored and decorated crocheted kippot. And women who needed to dress up had to have their gowns "fixed," since you had to choose between sleeves and backs. Rarely did a gown offer both.

Here in Israel, being Torah observant is also less of a barrier to success. The Moshiach is very close!