Yosef Silfen, at The Blogs

Dec 4, 2023, 3:52 AM

Since October 7th, IDF solders have answered the call of duty to sacrifice their heart and souls for Am Yisrael. Outside the land of Israel, many Jews have pondered, what sacrifices can we make for Am Yisroel? Most Diaspora...

Sep 4, 2023, 3:10 AM

Showing Up

In two weeks, Jews across the world will celebrate Rosh Hashanah. During the Rosh Hashanah season, many have a custom to set ambitious long-term goals. Some of us aim to join a gym and drop 30 pounds. Some of...

Aug 6, 2023, 10:39 AM

The HASC Experience

In the tri-state area, many 18-, 19- and 20-somethings work at Camp HASC for the summer. This one-of-a-kind sleepaway camp has given children and adults with special needs more than 50 unforgettable summers. HASC’s camp grounds feature the warmest...

Feb 12, 2023, 11:47 PM

The Extra Mile

Eleven years ago, the New York Giants drafted 26-year-old defensive tackle Markus Kuhn. At the age of 22, he moved away from Germany to play football and receive a college education at NC State University. For nearly five seasons,...

Dec 8, 2022, 6:34 PM

The Decision

Edited by Max Gruber In three months, high school seniors will choose a college to attend. Fellow writer and longtime friend Akiva Chevitz labeled this choice “The Decision.” It mimics LeBron James’s famous decision to leave Cleveland for Miami in...

Oct 23, 2022, 11:40 PM

Make Some Room

This week, some children will resume pre-K. Some teenagers will resume high school. Some young adults will resume college. As they do every year, nerves and excitement will fill the end of summer air. October rainfall always brings with...

Jun 1, 2022, 6:58 AM

Lessons from my graduates

Since graduating college, I have taught classes in the Makor College Experience. This post-high school program teaches adults with cognitive disabilities the life skills needed to strive for their highest level of functioning and independence. Yeshiva University’s Wilf Campus...

Mar 23, 2022, 7:10 AM

Shomer Negiah: To be or not to be?

At modern orthodox high schools and camps, teenagers get asked the following question. Are you shomer? This phrase shomer, refers to being Shomer Negiah. The question, are you shomer, asks, do you keep this law? Years ago, our rabbis...

Oct 18, 2021, 12:10 AM

One in a billon

Growing up, my role models consisted of famous athletes and TV actors. At social gatherings, I would recite witty one-liners, like Adam Sandler. While shooting hoops at home, I would dress up in a Kevin Durant jersey and matching...

Jul 5, 2021, 7:24 AM

Beautiful, not pretty

Twenty-three-year-old guys daven for two things: marriage and parnasa. Prayers like “Hashem, please let me nail this interview at Morgan Stanley” or “Hashem, please give me a pretty, sweet, positive, hard-working wife” occur frequently within my peer group. For thousands...

About Me

From the suburbs of North Jersey, hails 24-year-old Yosef Silfen. As an undergraduate, Yosef studied English and Talmud at New York’s Yeshiva University. Following his May 2020 zoom graduation, Yosef taught English at Breuers High School and Judaic studies to the special ed students of Makor College Experience. Long term, Yosef hopes to enter a psychology doctoral program and become a clinical psychologist. In print, Yosef has published several op-eds for the Times of Israel and The Jewish Link of New Jersey. If you want to check out his spunky writing style, search up Zach Pollack, One in a Billon. Beautiful not Pretty: The Inspiring Bracha Etzion. During free time, Yosef likes to swim the breath stroke, perform amateur improv, study Torah, and visit his nearby grandparents. His favorite books are Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albon and A Tzadik in our Time, by Simcha Raz. His favorite movie quote is. “You got a lot of stuff kid” (Doc Hudson from Cars).

Contact Me