The Jewish problem with Trump supporters saying his guilty verdict was ‘rigged’
'What came to my mind was a passage from the Talmud that describes how the losing party in a case should feel and behave'
Avi Shafran
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Opinion Orthodoxy Is Not Victimized By The Kotel Compromise
In his Forward column titled “Kotel Controversy Shows That U.S. Jewish Groups Don’t Represent The Orthodox,” Avi Shafran claims that the American Orthodox community has been treated like “chopped liver” in recent debates over the Western Wall and conversion law in Israel. While I acknowledge American Orthodox voices have been missing in the news coverage…
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Opinion The Haredi Community Isn’t ‘Ultra.’ Really?
Ultra-Orthodox bride Rivka Hannah (Hofman) at her Jerusalem wedding in 2014. / Getty Images About 20 years ago, when I was a staff writer for JTA, the editor and I were called into Agudath Israel of America for a meeting on the “ultra-Orthodox” issue. Rabbi Avi Shafran and other Agudah representatives were unhappy even then…
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Opinion Why We Use the ‘U-Word’ to Describe Very Observant Orthodox
The debate prompted by Rabbi Avi Shafran’s request published last week — “Don’t Call Us ‘Ultra-Orthodox,’” as its online headline read — is not a new one, but this will be the first time in more than five years as editor-in-chief that I publicly provide an answer and an explanation. The Forward will continue to…
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Life Those Limelight-Seeking Orthodox Feminists
It’s probably because I’m female — and Orthodox to boot — that, much as I try, I find it hard to relate to Jewish men who feel religiously unfulfilled unless they keep the center stage to themselves, and the women out of their club. Rabbi Avi Shafran, the high-profile Haredi spokesman for Agudath Israel, implies…
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The Schmooze Do We Agree With Slate’s Assessment of the State of Jewish America?
On September 7, the online magazine Slate published an article titled “Will the Great American Rabbi Please Stand Up?” which argued that, in the words of its author, Shmuel Rosner, “great American rabbis seem to be a thing of the past.” Indeed, the article surmises that “Jewish America seems to have lost its chance to…
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Life Two Boys, Two First Train Rides
Rabbi Avi Shafran, director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America, thinks American Jews should “more deeply dwell on what previous Jewish generations had to endure.” He makes his point via a very moving and beautifully told story in The Jerusalem Post. Any attempt I would make at synopsis, I fear, wouldn’t do it…
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Life Avi Shafran Likes the New Reform Prayerbook — Sort of
Rabbi Avi Shafran — spokesman for the ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel of America — seems genuinely excited about the Reform movement’s new prayerbook. To be sure, the Reform Siddur “Mishkan T’filah” is pretty far from what Shafran would consider an ideal prayerbook, but he’s pretty pleased by its steps toward tradition — particularly its inclusion of…
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