This is the Forward’s coverage of Hasidic Judaism, a sub-group of Haredi Judaism that adheres to the historical traditions of Eastern European Jews, including communicating in Yiddish.
Hasidic
The Latest
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Opinion Hear Sam Kellner — In His Own Words
For this week’s story about the cases of accused molester Baruch Lebovits and accused extortionist Sam Kellner, the Forward was provided with a trove of secretly-recorded conversations. Among the recordings is a conversation Sam Kellner had with the family of a man who had already pled guilty to abuse charges. Over the course of 80…
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News Sam Kellner’s Tangled Hasidic Tale of Child Sex Abuse, Extortion and Faith
This is a story about religion, sex abuse, power, extortion, bungled prosecutions and the pitfalls of pursuing justice in an insular Orthodox community where disputes are solved internally and mistrust of outsiders reigns. It involves a convicted sex offender; a Hasidic multimillionaire oil and diamond dealer; a drug addict; a New York assemblyman; a supporting…
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Fast Forward Troubled Trial of Sam Kellner Is Delayed — Claimed His Son Was Abused
The troubled bribery and extortion trial of a Brooklyn man who says his son was a victim of child abuse has been delayed — again. Laughter could be heard in the Brooklyn Supreme Court courtroom, November 12, when prosecutor John Holmes said that the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office was still not ready to try the…
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Forward 50 2013 Weberman’s Victim
Though ineligible for our main list because of her anonymity (hence no photograph), the bravery of one young ultra-Orthodox woman merits special note. Despite massive communal opposition and threats she stood up for Orthodox victims of sexual abuse. Prior to the 2012 trial of Nechemya Weberman, the Satmar community raised $500,000 for the accused and…
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Culture Ex-Hasidic Woman Marks Five Years Since She Shaved Her Head
I remember the first time I felt the cold, prickly air on my newly shaved head. I remember looking in the mirror. I remember staring at the pile of auburn hair in the vanity sink of the cozy basement apartment I now shared with my husband of less than a day. I remember my mother…
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Opinion Tall (Reform) Rabbi in Sea of Black Hats
More than 5,000 Chabad rabbis and supporters gathered on Sunday for the 30th annual conference of international Shluchim, or messengers of the Hasidic movement. Former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman addressed the crowd as the first keynote speaker. Rabbi Dov Greenberg, Chabad rabbi at Stanford University, told the crowd that you are more likely to find…
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Fast Forward Trailblazing Hasidic Woman Wins Montreal Council Seat
A 24-year-old beautician, Mindy Pollak, became the first Hasidic woman to hold public office in Montreal. Pollak, a member of the Vishnitzer sect, defeated four candidates to win her race for the municipal council on Sunday in the Outremont borough. She garnered about 35 percent of the vote in a district that is home to…
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News How Deb Tambor’s Life Ended — and Started Firestorm in Hasidic New Square
This story was translated from Yiddish by Frimet Goldberger. A version first appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. Motie (Abe) Weiss and Deborah (Deb) Tambor, a young couple in love living in Bridgeton, N.J,, had a beautiful tradition: Each morning at 9 a.m., Tambor would make a cup of coffee and bring it to his workplace,…
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Culture RFK Jr.’s poems to Olivia Nuzzi are peak cringe — so were King Solomon’s
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News DNA test kits spark a surge of online conversions to Judaism in the U.S.
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Opinion What does Mamdani’s response to synagogue protests mean for Jews? No one will like the answer.
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