Karen Schwartz

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Former contributing editor @marieclaire, sometime @NYTStyles, former @NewYorkSun. Still your Twitter friend.

Articles

Celebrating Shavuot Where the Sun Never Sets - In Jewish communities surrounding the Arctic Circle, the focus of Shavuot turns to the day

1 week ago | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

Shavuot looks a little different in places where it never gets dark. The two-day holiday, which will begin at sunset on June 1, 2025 and goes until nightfall on June 3, 2025, marks the 3,337th anniversary of the Jewish people receiving the Torah at Sinai. It’s a time when dairy treats such as cheesecake, blintzes and ice cream are served, but more central to the holiday is hearing the reading of the Ten Commandments and studying Torah until dawn on the first of its two nights.
Rabbi Donates Kidney to Someone He’s Never Met - Rabbi Sholom Raichik got tested and discovered that he could change a life

1 week ago | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

When Maryland Rabbi Sholom Raichik got the chance to save a life, he didn’t hesitate. A little more than two weeks ago, he donated a kidney to a woman he’d never met. “All I know is that she’s a woman in her 70s, and she did send us a very nice note that I got on the day of the donation,” Raichik says. “The kidney has taken well, and, please G‑d, it will continue.
Rise of New Kosher Restaurant on Aruba, Reflects Growth of Jewish Life - Piccolo is the first year-round kosher restaurant on the island

2 weeks ago | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

The opening of Piccolo marks a culinary milestone in the growth of Jewish life in Aruba. The contemporary steakhouse, located at the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino, features an open-concept kitchen, all set against a backdrop of jewel-toned greens and soft white fabrics. It is also strictly kosher, under the supervision of Chabad-Lubavitch of Aruba.
Operation Passover: How 300 Volunteers Delivered Matzah to 16,000 Michigan Families - Statewide intiative brings 'Bread of Faith' to Doorsteps across Michigan

1 month ago | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

This article is being published in collaboration with the Detroit Jewish News. DETROIT—Levi Eber came in from Arizona to deliver matzah. A yeshivah dorm counselor in Scottsdale, he’s spent the week driving around Traverse City, Michigan, and surrounding areas, five hours a day, to deliver shmurah matzah and talk about Passover with residents. He’s been to some remote areas, says Eber, where he saw deer and drove long dirt roads in the snow to try and bring Yiddishkeit to Jews near and far.
Thousands Gather for Festive 'Shabbat 2400' at Binghamton University - Originally named 'Shabbat 1,000' 31 years ago, annual event has outgrown moniker

2 months ago | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

Nearly 2,000 students, alumni, faculty and supporters gathered on a recent Friday night for Chabad-Lubavitch at Binghamton’s 31st annual mega Shabbat celebration. Held at the university Events Center, it celebrated Jewish pride with an evening of traditional food and community. On a regular Shabbat, the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life at Binghamton University hosts about 600 students at its main center near campus and another 100 students at a downtown location.
Over 200 Jewish Servicemen Gather for Annual Aleph Conference - The five day conference celebrated those who facilitate Jewish life for over 15,000 Jewish service members and their families

2 months ago | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

Over the course of five days in early March, the streets of Bal Harbor, Fla., were filled with Jewish men and women who had flown in from around the world. However, these were not the typical religious Jews who normally walk the streets. These Jews were dressed in full military regalia. One of the attendees was Doc Bleich, who spent the better part of a recent week doing important learning.
In Post-Oct. 7 World, Bringing In the New Year With Jewish Resolutions - From coast to coast, a great spiritual awakening

Oct 7, 2024 | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

Aaron Lee was raised in San Francisco’s Jewish community. But it wasn’t until recently, when some Chabad boys in his San Francisco neighborhood stopped him to put on tefillin, that he suddenly felt the need to delve deeper into Jewish study. The Oct. 7 attack on Israel had left him wary of antisemitism, he says, as did the secular world’s conversation around it. He’d been a writer and even quit writing.
Chanukah Comes to the Incarcerated and Their Families - Aleph Institute sends student volunteers to more than 100 prisons around the country

Dec 13, 2023 | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

Chanukah isn’t over yet, and rabbinical students Mendel Leverton and Zalman Kaplan have already covered nearly 1,000 miles of Ohio this week. The purpose of their roadtrip? Visiting Jewish inmates across the state, bringing the light and joy of Chanukah into society’s darkest corner: the prison system. The students have been to around a dozen prisons on their journey.
In Downtown Detroit, Menorah Lighting an Antidote to Antisemitism - ‘Menorah in the D’ draws thousands of college students, residents and guests

Dec 13, 2023 | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

It’s finals week at Michigan State University—when every available moment is usually spent studying—but senior Alex Mision and a group of Chabad on Campus students stopped what they were doing and got on a bus from East Lansing to Detroit on the first night of Chanukah to take part in a public menorah-lighting.
Jewish News

Oct 3, 2023 | chabad.org | Karen Schwartz

A Jew entered the Alter Rebbe’s study and said, “Rebbe, I am a simple man. Please explain to me: What is this holiday of Shemini Atzeret?”The Alter Rebbe held his head in his hands for a moment. Then he answered:“For a long journey, you might make a concentrate of the food and drink you will need for the way. At...

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Karen Schwartz @pithywidow

14 Nov 24

Guys I’m on Bluesky. Hope you’ll find me there (same handle).

Karen Schwartz @pithywidow

13 Nov 24

Are those the flames of hell

Aaron Rupar @atrupar

images of Biden and Trump meeting in the Oval Office (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty) https://t.co/pb4jtSlVzl

Karen Schwartz @pithywidow

12 Nov 24

We need more people like this. RIP.

peeebs with 3 e's @itspeeebs

Heaven just got a little more joyful. 🎶💜 NPR: Ella Jenkins, the first lady of children's music, has died at 100 https://t.co/xLUDvMcvEu https://t.co/CIRhDMZyXa

Karen Schwartz

Articles

Celebrating Shavuot Where the Sun Never Sets - In Jewish communities surrounding the Arctic Circle, the focus of Shavuot turns to the day

Rabbi Donates Kidney to Someone He’s Never Met - Rabbi Sholom Raichik got tested and discovered that he could change a life

Rise of New Kosher Restaurant on Aruba, Reflects Growth of Jewish Life - Piccolo is the first year-round kosher restaurant on the island

Operation Passover: How 300 Volunteers Delivered Matzah to 16,000 Michigan Families - Statewide intiative brings 'Bread of Faith' to Doorsteps across Michigan

Thousands Gather for Festive 'Shabbat 2400' at Binghamton University - Originally named 'Shabbat 1,000' 31 years ago, annual event has outgrown moniker

Over 200 Jewish Servicemen Gather for Annual Aleph Conference - The five day conference celebrated those who facilitate Jewish life for over 15,000 Jewish service members and their families

In Post-Oct. 7 World, Bringing In the New Year With Jewish Resolutions - From coast to coast, a great spiritual awakening

Chanukah Comes to the Incarcerated and Their Families - Aleph Institute sends student volunteers to more than 100 prisons around the country

In Downtown Detroit, Menorah Lighting an Antidote to Antisemitism - ‘Menorah in the D’ draws thousands of college students, residents and guests

Jewish News

Journalists covering the same region

Matt Austin

Summer Huechtker

Gannon Medwick

Benjamin Schachtman

Gareth McGrath

Contact details

Emails

Socials & Sites

Coverage map

X (formerly Twitter)