Pope Benedict was cheered by conservatives for trying to reaffirm traditional Catholic identity but liberals accused him of turning back the clock on reforms and hurting dialogue with Muslims, Jews and other Christians. The 85-year-old German-born pontiff announced on Monday he would step down at the end of the month because of the effects of…
Fraidy Reiss was married at the age of 19 to a man she despised. Outwardly, she had a choice. The ultra-Orthodox matchmaker she went to gave her two men to choose from. She went on a couple of dates. She desired neither. But as a girl perilously close to 20 in the Hasidic community of…
For the first time, a state court has affirmed the constitutionality of a Modern Orthodox-sponsored prenuptial agreement meant to protect agunot — Jewish women “chained” by husbands who refuse to grant them a religious divorce. The agunah in this case, Rachel Light, may even be eligible to demand more than $100,000 from her husband under…
Much has been and will be written about former New York City mayor Ed Koch, who died February 1 at the age of 88. He was such a New Yorker, and such a Jew. My contemporaries who came of age in the 1970s and ’80s will no doubt remember his nasal voice, his Yiddishisms, his…
In this week’s Reporters Roundtable podcast, host Josh Nathan-Kazis is joined by Forward reporter Nathan Guttman to discuss Israel’s relationship with guns and if it could serve as a model for the US. Then, Deputy Culture Editor Naomi Zeveloff stops by to discuss why a recent study comparing Palestinian and Israeli textbooks is so controversial.
Four Palestinian women who had the sperm of their husbands smuggled out of Israeli jails reportedly are pregnant. Dr. Salim Abu Khaizaran, a fertlity doctor at the Razan Medical Center in the West Bank city of Nablus, said Thursday that other insemination attempts had failed, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported. “We don’t intervene and…
A chilly rain was no obstacle for the crowd that poured into the Museum of Modern Art on January 29 for a sneak-preview screening of Neil Barsky’s cleverly crafted documentary about former New York City mayor Edward Koch, who died of congestive heart failure just three days later. Guests included a slew of mayoral candidates:…
Jewish not-for-profits are cutting back on pricey volunteering trips, but the new CEO of the organization charged with boosting these programs insists the field is still growing. David Eisner, a former corporate executive, took over the leadership of Repair the World in early January. He arrives as a handful of major Jewish organizations, including Hillel,…
Within a matter of months, the congregation at Touro Synagogue will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s oldest Jewish house of worship. But the members of Congregation Jeshuat Israel, who have prayed at the Newport, R.I., building for generations, may have to celebrate outside. That’s because an argument over a dazzling pair of silver Torah…
Down a gritty dead-end alley in ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn, past a loading dock and a couple of dumpsters, a set of stairs leads up to a small room with bare walls and a dozen computers. The plaque on the door at Kollel L’Horauh calls the room a library. As a library, it has received $135,000 in…
Max Kampelman, who died on January 25 at the age of 92, was lauded often as one of the great men of our times for his role as chief U.S. arms control negotiator in the Reagan administration. He won no less praise for his diplomatic role in enabling the emigration of hundreds of thousands of…
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