Shalom.I'm Chava (the Hebrew name for Eve). I grew up Orthodox in Brooklyn, was educated in the Bais Yaakov system, and I still live an observant Orthodox life. I'm married with children. I teach, I write, and I run this site.
The reason orthodox-jews.com exists is simple. For as long as I can remember, non-Jewish people have asked me questions about my community — at work, at the grocery store, at my father's old electronics shop. The questions were almost always genuinely curious, almost never mean. But the answers I could find online to point people to were consistently bad. Either written by academics who study us from a distance, or by outreach organizations with an agenda to convert people, or by ex-Orthodox writers processing specific personal pain.
None of those spoke to the person I was actually talking to: someone outside the community who was curious, thoughtful, and wanted to understand without being preached at or patronized.
So I started writing for that person.
What this site is, and isn't
It is: A resource for non-Jewish readers who want to understand Orthodox Jewish life. HR managers with Orthodox employees. Journalists writing about the community. Filmmakers creating Orthodox characters. People dating a Jewish partner. Curious neighbors. Students.
It isn't:A kiruv (Jewish-outreach) site. I'm not trying to convert anyone, pull anyone back to observance, or argue for religious superiority. It also isn't a dissent platform — if you're looking for critique of Orthodoxy from the inside, this isn't where you'll find it.
What I can speak to
I write from lived experience in my specific Orthodox community. I've spent significant time in Modern Orthodox, Yeshivish, and several Hasidic communities across the US, Israel, and Europe. I can explain what most Orthodox Jews believe, how most Orthodox communities function, and what differences separate the major streams.
What I can't speak to:I don't claim to represent every Orthodox Jew. Sephardic practice, Chabad Hasidic practice, and ultra-isolationist Hasidic sects each have specific details that practitioners of those communities understand better than I do. When I write outside my experience, I say so.
Why it's free
Every article on this site is free and always will be. I believe that reducing misunderstanding about Orthodox Jews is a public good. Misunderstanding feeds prejudice; prejudice feeds antisemitism. Clear, warm, accurate content from an insider is a small but real counter to that cycle.
The site is supported by voluntary donations, occasional sponsored content (clearly labeled), and paid services for professionals who need deeper expertise. If you've found articles here useful, you can support the work.
For professionals
If you're a filmmaker, journalist, HR professional, healthcare provider, or corporate DEI officer who needs expertise beyond what's on the site, I offer consulting, training, and speaking services. This is how I support the work financially.
Specifically:
- Film and TV cultural consulting. Script review, on-set advising, and authenticity review for productions featuring Orthodox characters.
- Corporate cultural competency training. Workshops for companies whose teams work with Orthodox Jewish colleagues, clients, or patients.
- Journalism consulting. Background briefings, fact-checking, and expert quotes for writers on deadline.
- Speaking engagements. Talks for universities, conferences, corporations, and interfaith events.
- Book projects. Cultural accuracy review and collaboration on Jewish-interest non-fiction.
Rates and engagement details: the Services page.
Honest limits
A few things I want to be transparent about:
- I use the name "Chava" publicly. My real-life identity is private for family reasons; the work and the experience are real.
- I write in first person because the content is most honest that way. My editorial choices are my own. When I'm not sure about something, I say so rather than writing around it.
- I respond to most reader emails personally. If you write me, you'll usually hear back within a few days (Sunday through Friday — I'm offline for Shabbos).
- When this site runs sponsored content, it's clearly labeled. I turn down sponsorships that would compromise accuracy or mission.
Get in touch
Questions you want answered? Something you think I got wrong? A specific topic you'd like to see covered? Email me.