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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Queer? Trans? Female? Here’s How To Find Tefillin
There are literally hundreds of different ways of choosing, wrapping, and storing a set of tefillin [phylacteries]. Eichler’s Judaica superstore offers more than 2,000 tefillin-related items for purchase online alone, from a Swarovski crystal adorned bag, to a military camouflage case, and a strangely economical set of blinged-out gold plastic storage boxes—all to compliment the…
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Meet The ‘Accidental Bra Fairy,’ Providing Women In Need With A Different Kind Of Support
“Homeless women need bras.” Those four words were life-changing for Dana Marlowe when she first heard them in 2015. Known as “The Accidental Bra Fairy,” Marlowe has distributed more than 500,000 bras and 2.5 million personal hygiene products to women in need. During last month’s government shutdown, Marlowe put out a Facebook post in which…
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Our Top Stories For International Women’s Day 2019
In honor of International Women’s Day, we here at the Forward are taking a moment to look back at the reporting and commentary on Jewish women’s issues that graced our pages in the last year: Batya Ungar-Sargon, Opinion Editor: Can We Talk About Rape In The Holocaust? I had never thought about rape in the…
The Latest
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Mutiny In Milan: Meet Italy’s First Orthodox Woman Rabbi-To-Be
Miriam Camerini is the first Italian woman to enroll in an Orthodox rabbinical studies program in Israel. She revealed it earlier this winter in an article she wrote for JOI (Jewish, Open & Inclusive) Magazine, an independent Jewish publication. The comments ensued: But, contrary to expectations, they were overwhelmingly positive. On social media, fellow Jewish…
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Only 8% Of Hollywood Directors Are Women. A Jerusalem Film Festival Is Trying To Change That.
Paula Kweskin does not back down easily. When “Honor Diaries,” her 2013 film that broke the silence on “honor violence” against women and girls across the globe, was censored in certain countries and college campuses, she did the reasonable thing. She started a film festival. The Censored Women’s Film Festival (CWFF) was founded on this…
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The Renegade Street Photographer Of Boro Park
On 16th Avenue and 48th, in the heart of Boro Park, Avi Kaye — not his real name — is sitting in his car, camera ready. “He’s going to come out soon,” he mutters. We’re parked outside the Beis Midrash Emunas Yisroel synagogue, waiting for one subject — a regular at this shul, who will…
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From The Archive: An Unlikely Romance Between A Jew And Nazi Ally
In the 1930s, a Jewish woman fell in love — with a Hitler sympathizer. Helga Steinfeld first appeared in the pages of the Forward for her outrageous decision to marry Rolf Von Reitzenstein-Steinach, a German noble, spy and Nazi sympathizer. Indeed, love can make us do crazy things. The two were together six years, and…
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Why Is This Luxury Developer Building ‘Kosher’ Condos On The Upper West Side?
Walk west along 87th street in Manhattan, between Broadway and West End Avenue, just a few steps past Brooks Brothers, a block from the famed Barney Greengrass deli and from the progressive synagogue B’nai Jeshurun, and you’ll find yourself looking up to yet another luxury condominium building in its final stage of construction. But this…
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Tu B’Av Can Be Your Second Shot At Valentine’s Day
In a few months, when the weather is warm and candy hearts are stale — American Jews will have a second stab at Valentine’s Day. Tu B’av, (pronounced “too-beh-ahv”), a minor holiday on the 15th of Av, lands in late summer, this year in August. Known as the Jewish Valentine’s Day, it’s a popular day…
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Why Do Hasidic Men Button Their Shirts The Wrong Way?
On any given weekday, walk into just about any Hasidic synagogue, and you’ll see a rabbi bending over a lectern, dressed in a well-pressed sports jacket for shacharit (morning) prayers. His jacket has been scrupulously tested for shatnez and deemed kosher to wear, but something still seems off — his black buttons are twisted so…
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Her Daughter Was Diagnosed With Cancer. Her Corporate Employer Asked Her To Resign.
Finding a Fortune 500 company that appreciates work-life balance is a challenge in corporate America, and Jennifer Spangenthal was sure that she had found one — right until her daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Spangenthal, a New Jersey mother of two, who identifies as an Orthodox Jew, was drawn to a career in human resources…
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In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward ‘Palisades or Palestine’: Dave Chappelle tackles Middle East politics in ‘Saturday Night Live’ monologue
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Yiddish פֿרוי קריטיקירט די עוולה וואָס די חסידישע קהילה באַגייט קעגן די בחוריםWoman criticizes the burden that the Hasidic community lays on its boys
מיידלעך זענען פֿרײַ צו טאָן וואָס זיי ווילן, זאָגט זי, בשעת בחורים מוזן לערנען אַ גאַנצן טאָג אָן שום לײַטישער הפֿסקה
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Fast Forward Hamas has yet to provide names of hostages to be released, but Israel expects ceasefire to proceed
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Fast Forward In Israel and across the world, Jews are hopeful — and getting ready for heartbreak
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