Secular Israelis Form Group To Stave Off Orthodox ‘Invasion’
A notice on the bulletin board in the old commercial center of Ramat Aviv suggests holding a Passover seder in the local Chabad center. Another recommends an “unprecedented” overall ritual Passover cleansing, including the bathroom, kitchen utensils and electric appliances.
“That says it all,” says Ram Fruman, one of the figureheads of a residents’ protest against what they call an organized ultra-Orthodox “invasion” into secular neighborhoods.
In recent months Fruman has established a national forum to preserve the secular way of life in several neighborhoods countrywide where residents feel their very home is threatened.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
