Hannah Pollak, at The Blogs

Hannah Pollak

Dec 25, 2023, 5:53 PM

Some days ago, I had the distressing but meaningful opportunity to participate in a rally in support of Esther, a woman who has been chained since 2018 by Chaim, her halachic husband who refuses to give her an unconditional...

Nov 22, 2023, 10:29 PM

ACT Therapy, Chanukah and the wars of Israel

A few months ago, someone I met taught me about ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This psychotherapy technique encourages the patient to accept their internal and external realities and to respond according to their beliefs and values. One particular...

Nov 10, 2023, 2:03 AM

October 7: The day my generation lost its innocence

I remember thinking to myself how fortunate I was to have been born after the end of millennia of overt Antisemitism. As I learned Tanach and Jewish History in high school, I saw the stark contrast between my reality...

Sep 21, 2023, 4:55 AM

Teshuvah, rigidness and flexibility

Some days ago, I had an interesting conversation with someone. Coming into this conversation, I intuitively believed that a person who is firm and unbending would naturally be more disciplined and regimented, attributes that are certainly conducive to personal...

Jun 29, 2023, 7:45 AM

Public image and baseless hatred

Jewish Law is quite concerned with one's public image. Don't get me wrong. While ultimately it's all about "knowing before Whom you toil," Halacha also acknowledges that the individual Jew does not live in a vacuum. We are all...

May 30, 2023, 9:01 AM

Missing the point of Bikkurim

Children Participating in a Play at a Shavuot Celebration, Tel Aviv, 1970

I think that learning about how non-Orthodox Jewish movements observe the Jewish holidays – societally, ideologically and practically, is quite interesting and enlightening. Learning about what others do and think is instructive in terms of my self-definition and my...

Jan 18, 2023, 5:31 AM

Is outreach only meant to be Jew-ish?

I recently found myself in a room where the statistics of assimilation were being shared with a group of non-Orthodox high school graduates. The numbers were gloomy. They were meant to be dramatic and move the people in the...

About Me

Hannah Pollak is a college student pursuing a career in Jewish education. She was born and raised in Chile, South America. Today, she lives in New York, where she is learning Torah and getting a degree at Stern College for Women.

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