My 8 year old was going to have a sleepover for her birthday party. It was a big deal, with lots of planning and excitement. Making cupcakes, seeing a movie, getting their nails done, etc.

We invited a few kids from the neighborhood, one of them was our secular ( possibly not Jewish?) next door neighbor's kid, a cute second grader.

Today, one of my ( Read more... )

Some people asked how the conversation with the principal went. I guess it could have been worse ( Read more... )

This past week was Parshas Shoftim and so in parsha class this past Friday, my daughter learned about the Jewish legal system ( Read more... )

There are three Orthodox schools here. One is far, far, far right of center. The girls get married before high school has ended and the school publishes its own text books so that no one should ever read about divorced parents or boyfriends. That school was out of the question for us.

Then there is the school that is just plain old right of center ( Read more... )

My oldest daughter was invited into an online chavrusah, using skype or something like that. The chavrusah leader has chosen The Garden of Emuna to study, so we went out and bought the book.  It's a pretty well known sefer, I've read lots of posters on womens' websites who swear by it.

At the outset, I can say that the book does try to present a ( Read more... )

This article raised many questions for me.

Sending your kid away at 6 years of age? So he can get a Jewish education? How does that work?

I mean, I'm not one of these crunchie mommies who think all children should be breastfed and homeschooled until they are 20, really I'm not.  Still, sending  all your kids away at  age 6 seems extreme. At that ( Read more... )

Last week, our 14 year old sensitive and gentle son came into my car crying because a teacher pinched and humiliated him in front of an entire school of over 200 kids and staff . And his crime? For not standing up for ashrei at mincha quickly enough.

Miraculously, our boy doesn't blame the Aibershter and is still happy to daven mincha.

Later that ( Read more... )

From here:

My 12 year old Charedi daughter came in to me this evening and asked me if husbands and wives are allowed to hug and kiss.
( Read more... )

About a month ago, I wrote a post about the state of women's education in chabad.

So it seems  that the state of men's education in chabad is not much better.  From this post in this thread:

Most guys cannot learn Gemara at all. Most guys don't know any hebrew grammar. Most guys can't learn any chassidus beyond sichos and maamarim of the Rebbe; and ( Read more... )

When a student behaves

immodestly
- she becomes a provocation to the
onlooker, and there is no telling where things may lead.

Whatever the cause, with her remains the

responsibility for what ensues, even if nothing could

have been further from her mind.

From here. Bottom of 2nd page.  Originally cited here.

How is this not a defense of pedophelia? If I ( Read more... )