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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How Orthodox Jews Observe The Commandment To Not Wear Wool And Linen Together
The concept of kosher food is widely known, but what about kosher clothing? It’s a big issue too, though you might not be aware of it. In the Orthodox Jewish community, what you wear is just as important as what you eat — and it’s all got to be certified by an authority beforehand. In…
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The Guide To A Thoroughly Modern Jewish Wedding
Among the most memorable Jewish wedding traditions, “breaking the glass” ranks near the top. Traditionally, at the end of the ceremony, the happy groom stomps a shrouded wine glass with a satisfying crunch, everyone yells, “Mazel Tov,” and the party begins. But if you’re looking for something different, something fresh and modern, here are a…
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Modesty, At A Modest Price
It’s 8 p.m. in a basement apartment on 54th Street, a sleepy residential block in Boro Park. Several Hasidic women sit on a sofa, surrounded by strollers and plastic bags from the Oh Nuts! candy shop on 13th Avenue. Every so often, they peek into the next room to watch Mrs. Ehrenfeld at work. The…
The Latest
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The Top 5 Israeli Wedding Dress Designers You Need To Know
Israeli fashion has become a hot commodity of late. Specifically, Israeli bridal fashion. When it comes time to find that perfect bridal look, celebrities like Beyoncee and regular people on reality shows like, “Say Yes To The Dress,” are consistently drawn to Israeli designers like Inbal Dror and Pnina Tornai, respectively. Here are 5 Israeli…
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The 6 Best Jewish Wedding Gifts Your Friends Will Actually Remember
It’s basically summer, and you know what that means: wedding season! Before we get caught up in the effusive happiness and romance that’s just begun to spring forth from every corner of your core friend group, we need to take a step back and take a long, sobering look at the most annoying part of…
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How To Survive Jewish Weddings As A Cash-Strapped Bridesmaid
Serving as a bridesmaid in a Jewish wedding is not cheap. “It cost me about $700 per wedding, when I calculated cost from the day the couple gets engaged till the end of their sheva berachot [traditional post-wedding celebration],” said one woman in her early twenties. Often, a bridesmaid is obliged to purchase a kitchen…
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A Chuppah Is Worth A Thousand Words
The chuppah, the traditional Jewish wedding canopy, is commonly thought to represent the home the bride and groom will create through their marriage. And in recent years, more and more couples are putting thought into how to make that chuppah more indicative of who they are personally, both as individuals and as a couple. This…
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Jewish Weddings Shouldn’t Be About Keeping Up With The Katz’s
When my husband and I started to make wedding preparations for our August 2017 wedding, one thing was evident: We would try to do as much as we could ourselves, to alleviate expenses. Some solutions were simple, and even fun — after discovering that the rental cost of a chuppah from a florist would start…
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What The Talmud Says About Fathers And Children
If you open the Talmud, to the first chapter of Kiddushin, you’ll find that it has plenty to say about how to treat one’s parent — a fitting reading for Father’s Day. Fear or Reverence? Four of the Torah’s commandments address how children must behave toward their parents. Most famously, the Ten Commandments: “Honor your…
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Saying Goodbye To The Torah Scribe Of Washington Heights
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. One day in the early 1990s, a red-bearded scribe walked into my small corner of the world. Rabbi Yosef Lasdun was a slender man in his thirties, dressed head to toe in the black garb of Jewish men from Washington Heights. He had traveled from his apartment…
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A Wedding Feast Inspired By Jerusalem
As a chef and food writer, I always dreamt of a wedding that was less about the dress and invitations — and more about the menu. Spending my summers in Israel and having my Israeli mother cook dinner almost every night meant Israeli food had been one of the cornerstones of my life: Hot bread…
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