Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Modern Orthodox Judaism, a movement in Orthodox Judaism that emphasizes secular education and involvement with the modern world alongside adherence to Jewish law.
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Life Why Are Modern Orthodox Millennials Like Me Looking For A Different Path?
We sat in wicker chairs at a cafe overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City. We both sipped lattes and laughed easily, silently appreciating how the sun peaked through the umbrellas covering the outdoor seating area, soaking the Jerusalem stone all around us. The amaryllis were in bloom, adding a pop of pink to the otherwise sand colored…
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Community Is Modern Orthodoxy Just A Social Club?
The Orthodox Jewish community is often characterized as being obsessively ritualistic, pious and insular. More so than other denominations, our religious practice requires fealty in every area of our lives, from the first words we say when we wake up in the mornings, every morsel of food we consume, the clothes we wear, and the…
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News Modern Orthodox Rabbis Are Struggling — Even As The Community Gets Wealthier
In 2008, Rabbi Josh Yuter got a job as the spiritual leader of a small synagogue on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It was hard work. He gave four talks every Shabbat and two lectures during the week, counseled synagogue members and helped with conversions. At the end of the month, he couldn’t pay for much…
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Community The Orthodox Union Says It Wants Female Leaders. So Why Stop Us From Leading?
Since our inception in 2009, Yeshivat Maharat has been no stranger to questions and concerns that have been raised by some in the Orthodox community. Despite the excellent work being done by our students and graduates across North America, every few years there have been attempts to halt the flourishing of female leadership. We have…
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Community Why I’m Becoming An Orthodox Jewish Marine
Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamed of joining the American military. As a child, my reasoning was expectedly juvenile. I wanted to have a uniform, I wanted to carry a gun, I wanted to be applauded during the 7th inning stretch. As I grew up, I developed more genuine reasons for wanting…
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Community I Was Slut-Shamed By My Modern Orthodox High School For Kissing A Boy
To protect the identities of all parties involved, the author of this piece prefers to remain anonymous. To send comments to the author, email us. In ninth grade, I made out with a guy for the first time. We were both freshmen at a large Modern Orthodox Jewish high school and were somewhat friendly beforehand….
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News A Year After Saying They’d Ban Female Clergy, Why Aren’t Orthodox Doing It?
Eleven months ago, the leaders of an association of nearly 1,000 synagogues banned women from serving as clergy. Yet now, as the one-year anniversary of the ban is approaching, the organization is still dragging its feet on enforcing it. “I think that this has been delayed because it’s not a very popular decision,” said Sharon…
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Culture From Gorka To Carlebach: The Forward Staff’s Favorite Articles Of 2017
2017 has, collectively, been few people’s ideas of a fun year. Still, it’s welcomed a wealth of excellent journalism. While we’ve previously celebrated work from other outlets, the Forward’s staff has also chosen our own most exceptional work from this year — our 120th in business. My picks include Sam Kestenbaum’s deeply reported “How This…
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News Scoop: Heritage Foundation plans to ‘identify and target’ Wikipedia editors
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Fast Forward Their Pacific Palisades synagogue is standing, but all three rabbis lost their homes
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News ‘Do you have the Torahs?’ Synagogue races LA wildfire to rescue its past and future
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Culture In Peter Yarrow’s legacy, an uneasy blend of Jewish values and personal transgressions
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News LA fires won’t stop bar mitzvahs this Shabbat, as joy and pain meet
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News HIAS cuts 22 staff even as it braces for Trump immigration crackdown
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Fast Forward A synagogue that survived the Palisades fire has become a ‘refuge’ for many who lost their homes
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News When fire spread to West Hollywood, a rabbi’s mom chose to grab candlesticks
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