Editor’s Notes

Insights from editor-in-chief, Alex Abel

Hey everyone! I’m Alex—a Baalat Teshuva (returnee to Judaism) who has always been passionate about telling stories. I started out in women’s magazines and loved it. While I was working, I became religiously observant. At the time, it felt like I was living a double life and I had dreams of one day being able to blend the two worlds.

Since then, I got married and now live in Moscow, Russia with my husband and son. What started out as a desire became a need. I was away from New York City and my previous life and was desperate for an outlet that could also contribute positively to the Jewish world.

I’ve learned a lot over the past several years and continue to become awed and inspired daily. Here is a place to share my thoughts unedited (well maybe slightly for grammar purposes) and introduce some background behind the stories on the site.

As an observant Jewish woman, I am constantly growing, thinking and just trying to be better. This page is where we can just talk.

Have something you want to say? Email me at alex@chaionlifemag.com.

Recent Notes

Editor's Letters ➤ May 8, 2024

Iyar 5784: Let’s Connect

Chodesh Tov everyone! While a new month is always exciting — we have a special davening (prayers), we eat bread to signify a more festive meal, we are supposed to abstain from certain chores — there is...

Editor's Letters ➤ October 18, 2023

How I’m Getting Through These Difficult Times

I sat at the play Leopoldstadt this summer, watching the events of the Holocaust unfold on stage. It’s a Broadway performance (now closed) that documented the life of one big family in the years leading...

Editor's Letters ➤ March 2, 2023

Adar 5783: Change in an Instant

“You’re so calm,” a colleague said to me on a Zoom call the other day. It was almost a shock to hear as I feel like in the past week, I’ve been a bit of...

Editor's Letters ➤ December 28, 2022

Tevet 5783: Finding Godliness in the Dark

What can I say about Tevet? To be honest, before this year, Tevet felt like one of those months you kind of just gloss over. While Chanukah is still going on at the start Tevet, there’s a bit of a letdown after such a big and festive celebration. This year though, I'm looking at Tevet in a totally new light.

Editor's Letters ➤ November 10, 2022

Cheshvan 5783: We Just Need to Focus

Hello, everyone! At this point, we’re knee-deep in Cheshvan. We’ve had some time to reflect on the Jewish holidays that have passed (and TBH already feel like forever ago) and get back into a rhythm. The beauty of the month of Cheshvan is that we get to revel in routine. Holiday time is amazing yet also a bit crazed. Now, we have time to settle and just process.

Editor's Letters ➤ August 30, 2022

Elul 5782: My Hope for the Upcoming Year

Hello, old friends! I know, I know, it’s been quite a while since you’ve heard from me, so let’s catch up. A lot has happened in the last few months. For starters, I moved out...

Editor's Letters ➤ February 10, 2022

Adar 5782: Feeling as a Means to Joy

I realized that disregarding my feelings to reach this higher state of joy was completely counterintuitive to the goal. By taking the time to listen to my body, its stresses and challenges, I gave it space, cultivated a stronger internal relationship within and felt so much more connected to myself and Hashem as a result.

Editor's Letters ➤ November 10, 2021

Kislev 5782: How Do You Define Home?

The past two months have been a bit of a whirlwind. My husband, son and I left Moscow to go back to America for the Jewish holidays, stayed there for six weeks and from there went straight to Israel for three more weeks, for my sister’s wedding. The entire experience was magical and so special amidst the exhaustion that naturally came with it all. It was a period that brought immense connection, spirituality and reflection — in some unexpected ways.

Editor's Letters ➤ August 8, 2021

The Beauty and Power of Elul

Elul is one of those months that always seems to sneak up on me. Wasn’t Pesach, like, yesterday? So much has happened this year, yet it’s hard to believe we’re already facing a new one.

Editor's Letters ➤ July 23, 2021

Tisha B’Av Reflections: Hashem, Let’s Go Home

On Tisha B’Av, there is a lot of pressure to feel sad. For some, this mourning comes naturally, but for those where it doesn’t, guilt can creep in and become the mainstay of the day when you’re trying so hard to get into the zone. This year, I banished the guilt.