Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the robust lives of American Jews. Here there’s a little of everything about the multifaceted world of Jewish life. There are light-hearted Jewish celebrity stories and shocking Jewish celebrity news. Food is also plentiful,…
Life
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Why Did Orthodox Mayor Kill Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for Disabled?
You’d have to be made of stone to remain unmoved by the special bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies run Israeli children with disabilities At the event I attended a few years back, four boys and girls, dressed in their finest clothes, most in wheelchairs, others standing and walking, guided by family members took their place…
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The Early Weeks of Pregnancy Do Not Need to Be Isolating
Baruch Atah, Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha’Olam Asher yatzar et ha’adam b’chochma Uvara vo nekavim nekavim Chalulim chalulim Galui v’yadua lifne chisei ch’vodecha Sh’im yipateiach echad meihem O yisateim ehad meihem I efshar l’hitkayem v’la’amod lefanekha Baruch Atah Adonai, rofei chol basar, umafli la’asot. Blessed are You, God, our God, sovereign of the universe, who formed…
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A Harriet Tubman for the Jewish LGBT Community
It’s no secret that Orthodox Judaism condemns homosexuality. Until recently, this has manifested itself as either rejecting the possibility of an LGBT identity altogether (as is delineated in the right wing on homosexuality, or sympathizing with people struggling with gender identity, but not making room for them in communal structures as is delineated in the…
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Call Me Rebbetz-Him
“Pulpit Plus One: The Secret Lives of Rabbis’ Husbands, Partners, and Wives” features the voices and experiences of the partners of pulpit rabbis. In this interview series, takes an honest and lively look into the nuances of a complex role. Matt is a 34-year old software engineer married to Samantha, a Conservative rabbi. They live…
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Is The Value of Modesty A Cover-up for Negative Body Image?
Six weeks before my Bat Mitzvah, I went with my mom to a family friend who knew how to sew to have my dress taken out. I had fallen in love with suit dress — with its beautiful navy color, satin detailing, pearl buttons and bolero jacket — but as a 180 pound, 5’2” almost-13…
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Are You My (Jewish) Mother?
“What does he do for a living?” “Did you eat?” “When are you going to give my grandchildren?” “Are you sure you want to eat that?” These questions, they’re punchlines to jokes. So is the stereotype of the Jewish mother. But it’s often more accurate and bitting than we dare to talk about. Our 2013…
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Naomi Newman’s Kol Isha
Welcome to Throwback Thursday, a weekly photo feature in which we sift 116 years of Forward history to find snapshots of women’s lives. In the November 1960 Friday issue of the Forverts, a mere few days before Kennedy was elected President, this striking side profile image of Naomi Newman was published in the festive Theatre…
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Meet the Israeli Army’s Chief Gender Officer
You would think that spending two years as a field commander would be enough time in the Israeli military. But after returning to civilian life as a lawyer, Rachel Tevet-Vizel found that there was something missing. “In Israel, it is not enough to be a lawyer,” she says now. “To contribute to this country, you…
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Why Women of the Wall Drama is a Big Deal — and Isn’t
(JTA)- A man was trampled. A raucous protest broke out, restrained only by police. The Western Wall’s mechitza — a partition between men and women considered sacrosanct — was breached by those who ostensibly care about it most. The brouhaha that erupted yesterday at Women of the Wall’s monthly service brought back memories of the…
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Shouldn’t Zionism Prioritize the Rights of Women?
It’s hard to be a feminist in Israel today. You walk around thinking that it should be obvious that women are equal human beings, fully capable of living independent, free lives. But that belief is challenged in every corner of your life, every day. Sure, there are some signs in Israel that women are doing…
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Sheitels and Garments: A Mormon and a Jew Discuss the Dreaded ‘MRS’ Degree
Sheitels and Garments is a series of letters between Brianne McDonald, a Mormon writer, and Rachel Delia Benaim, a Jewish freelance journalist. They discuss topics pertaining to women, religion, and modernity of both faiths in the 21st century. Sheitels refers to the wigs that married Orthodox women are wear after they’re married. Garments refers to…
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