Category: Judaism

Made in Montana Shalach Manos

This year I wanted to do a “made in Montana” theme. But as usual, I procrastinated until the last minute. And with trying to get our house ready to sell, everything is in chaos and disorder. But I am happy with what we came together with!

Luckily I was able to get a couple of things together (mostly due to the amazing companies I ordered from and also the help of the Bozeman Chabad).

Hamantashen is dairy and was made here in Seattle by Francine’s Desserts.

Montana beer from Total Wine.

The silver bags with chocolates and spice samples were made by Camino Spice. I verified with the certifying kashrus agency and the samples are all kosher, but I will also attach the kashrus letter.

*Orange wrapped chocolate is spicy!

And last but definitely not least: Bequet Caramels!

Bozeman, Montana – The Best Place

I hear the question often come up of “where can I, as a Jew, live that is not expensive and is outside of any city”. Since it is a well-kept secret, every Montanan is going to dislike what I’m about to say, but…

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The Orthodox Jew Who Misses Xmas

Well, while I do miss the smell of a pine tree and the sight of the twinkle lights, there are other ways to get that fix. I bought a candle and I hung some twinkle lights for Hanukkah. I’m good!

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Proud to be a Jew

After the tragic event of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, we all mourned the loss of the individuals who were brutally killed solely because they were Jewish. The question of “is anti-semitism rising in America” haunted and continues to haunt us all.

I was inspired to write about why I love being a Jew, and why I am proud to be called a Jew.

My article is in the latest issue of Nashim Magazine, please go check it out and make sure to share.

https://www.nashimmagazine.com/hot-topics/proud-to-be-a-jew

8 Nights in G-d’s Light, a Message of Hope During Hanukkah

Sometimes the world seems so dark and the future so bleak.

It feels like we are so small and the rest of the world will overlook every truth and everything we do right just to say we are wrong. They will side with our enemies. No matter how much pain and suffering they cause, no matter how horrible their true essence is.

But while I was feeling pretty down about this cold and depressing truth, I realized that Hanukkah is coming up. And I wonder, what it must have been like for the Jewish people who lived during that time.

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8 Hanukkah Gift Ideas – For Your Eight Crazy Nights

Looking for Chanukah-specific gifts? Check out our list of awesome Chanukah Gifts. You can see all of these and more at https://www.pinterest.com/outoftownjew/chanukah/

Now let’s see how many different ways I can spell Hanukkah in one post…

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Veestro Kosher Food Delivery

I’m really excited to try this the next time that we travel. Veestro now offers kosher food options. They will deliver it to your door, wherever you are (they deliver to all contiguous 48 states). All you have to do is kasher a microwave where you are staying. No more having to schlep food around with you or stay close to kosher restaurants.

All the meals are carefully packaged in insulated boxes designed to stay frozen throughout the journey to your door. They do recommend that you put all meals in the freezer after removing from the box. Meals you plan to enjoy with 2-3 days can be kept in the refrigerator.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

delicious to your doorstep

*Please note: if ordering for kosher purposes, please check that what you are ordering has a hechsher. Not all of their food is kosher.

Rebel in a Headscarf

If you’d like to read more about why other women cover their hair, please see my friend Sefira’s project: https://thewraproject.com/

In traditional Judaism, women typically cover their hair once they are married. This is often attributed to the Sotah ritual described in Numbers (5:18). There are many sources on this online, which go into a lot more depth. In this post, I am just going to talk about my own personal reason, beyond the common tradition, for covering my hair.

 

When I first started to cover my hair, it was kind of fun. It was different and instantly I noticed a change in how people interacted with me. Suddenly I felt that people were looking at me like I was more than just appearances. I noticed that my conversations with men weren’t as friendly and seemingly flirtatious as they had sometimes seemed before.

 

Then as time went on, I got bored and started to panic a little. I LOVE my hair. It’s one of my best features. Every single morning I would get up, get ready for work, put my makeup on, and think, “wow I look great”. Then it would always hit me that I cover my hair. And I would get a little depressed and the rebel in me would think, what if I just didn’t cover it today?! (At this time, and even now, I could not afford a good wig (called a sheitel in Judaism) and I figured that scarfs are comfier anyway).

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Halachic Infertility

Special warning: this post may contain information about periods and such that may make some quesy. If you are sensitive to such information, please don’t read on.

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Back when we were originally having trouble getting pregnant with our first child, we suspected it was from halachic infertility. We received a lot of advice which ranged from sort of helpful to pretty useless.

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Stitch Fix – The Best Way to Shop as a Mom and Orthodox Jew

So I went for it and got myself a “fix” for my birthday this week.

Opened Stitch Fix Box

 

Style cards included to help coordinate your outfits:

Laila Jayde Quinne Hoodie Knit Top Renee C Galinda Printed Maxi Skirt Lysse Kaidence Skirt

 

The final verdict was: I LOVED IT!!! Seriously, I wanted to keep everything but unfortunately could only afford one thing at the time (so I kept 2, ha!). I ended up keeping the purple hoodie because it was so comfortable and cute. Then I posted about it in a Facebook group and everyone confirmed my thoughts about the long skirt. I couldn’t decide which to keep, so I kept both.

 

Stitch Fix Selfie 1Stitch Fix Selfie 2

 

I was so happy with Stitch Fix because they listened to my preferences which included how I am an Orthodox Jew and I cover certain body parts and do not wear pants.  Do you know how frustrating it is to go shopping and to spend HOURS searching for something that is modest and your style? Sometimes to not even find anything.

 

The best part is, you can order your fix whenever you’d like. This isn’t a subscription you have to commit to. Just choose: On demand: I’ll schedule each Fix when checking out.

 

Please note that if you buy all 5 items a 25% discount is applied. Once you get your items and decide what you want to keep, double check the price with the items you want and with all five items, sometimes it is actually cheaper to keep all 5 items.

 

To return any items, USPS.com offers free pickup with your regular mail delivery. See this link for more info.

 

Want to try it out?

Get your first $20 styling fee waived for 30 days when you sign up using this link.

 

Here are my tips, if you are an Orthodox Jew and want to try Stitch Fix:

  • The “What types of jeans do you prefer?” question on your style profile… don’t answer it.
  • “What do you like to flaunt? What would you rather downplay?”
    • I answered “less is more, keep it covered” and “I’d prefer a more relaxed fit” for all of these questions.
  • Make sure you have a Pinterest Board of styles that you love for your stylist to look at.
  • Here’s what I put under “Final Thoughts”:
    • I’m an Orthodox Jew so I only wear skirts and my clothing covers my knees (skirt must cover knees when sitting), elbows, and collarbone. Often I will just wear a long sleeve shirt underneath other shirts. I usually wear closed-toe shoes.
  • When I ordered the fix I also made a note to see what I had written on my style profile under Final Thoughts.

 

See more of my Stitch Fix finds on Pinterest.

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