Jewish Money Matters

Jewish Money Matters


Episode 126: Mixed Messages About Money in the Orthodox World

June 04, 2020

B”H

You’re listening to Jewish Latin Princess. I’m Yael Trusch, your Host. What a week, and what a time we’re living in! I am sure everybody’s heart is more than a little bit broken. Before I start the show, I want to acknowledge the amount of pain that our country is in. I shared my really messy and unfiltered thoughts on the racism that still prevails in our country, and the hurt and the darkness and hope – hope has been coming up for me a lot in my journaling this week, and I mentioned it in my post. And well, also the realization, yet again that as a nation we have not done enough to bring light into the world and to show the world with our deeds, speech and thoughts the fundamental teaching of our Torah. That is that we are all – every single one of us – Children of G-d. You can head over to Instagram and to Facebook to read what I wrote. It’s nothing all that profound or spectacular – it’s messy and heartfelt, but many seemed to appreciate it. So, I invite you to read it as well. 
Now, today’s show is a bit on the controversial side and I have to thank my friend Franciska Goldshmitt for that, because it’s not necessarily a conversation that I would have come up with, or decided to curate myself. But, she did! And she invited me to have this conversation with her. You might remember Franciska from the show back in Episode 39 and also she made an appearance here in Episode 109, which was one of a series of Meeting of the Minds that I had made with other Podcast Hosts. 
Franciska invited me to her Facebook Group – the The ART-preneur Community to discuss the Mixed Messages About Money in The Orthodox World. And I took her up on the invitation to go Live with her and discuss it. 
Today, I’m sharing that conversation with you. Now, as you may know I personally have a bit of an allergy to labels like orthodox, conservative, reform, etc., and I’m sure you’ve noticed that I try to stay away from them here on the show. The label “Orthodox” comes up only when a person’s bio really needs it, or this is the way she’s wanting to present herself in her bio, and so then I use it. But, then even during the conversation I usually try to stir the word towards Observant when I ask my questions, if I do have to bring it up. I’m not perfect but I try. 
I also – funny enough had to put the label on my survey in order to learn more about my audience – and the reason I did this is because I get asked this so often by potential sponsors. It’s like one of the top things they want to know. So, ok I get it. It helps us all understand better who the audience is, and what their lifestyle is like, etc. By the way, thanks for those of you who have taken the survey and if you haven’t yet, you can find it at jewishlatinprincess.com/survey
In any event, as you will see from the conversation – for those of you who are not familiar with the “Orthodox” world – there are different types of communities within Orthodoxy, and they’re not all the same. All with amazing beauty and strengths, nuances, differences, etc. So, while the questions address one particular type of community, and some of what Franciska sees as systemic issu...