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.
Modern Orthodoxy
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Life Mayim Bialik Is Right About Beauty Obsession. My Orthodox Community Can Learn From Her.
When Mayim Bialik wrote about the power of modesty, amid the promiscuous values of Hollywood — as an Orthodox Jew, I was deeply moved. Not only was it empowering to hear a Hollywood actress extol the Jewish ideals of modesty, but it also struck me as an ever-more relevant reminder for my own community. In…
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Breaking News Modern Orthodox Jews Are Mostly Observant, Wealthy And Gay-Friendly
NEW YORK (JTA) — The Orthodox Jewish world is even more fragmented than you think. That’s the key takeaway from a study published Thursday of Modern Orthodox Jews in the U.S., a group that adheres to traditional Jewish law while engaging with the secular world. Some of them think women should be rabbis and others…
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Fast Forward Modern Orthodox Evenly Split On Female Rabbis: Survey
Roughly half of Modern Orthodox Jews think that women should have “expanded roles in the clergy,” according to a new survey out yesterday from Nishma Research. The even split is yet another indicator of the stakes of the Orthodox Union’s impending decision on what to do about synagogues that continue to buck its new rule…
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Fast Forward These Orthodox Lawyers Are Proud To Be ‘Barbie Dolls’
Remember Mindy Meyer — the young Orthodox Jewish lawyer who ran for New York State Senate with a hot-pink-themed campaign, inspired by Legally Blonde? Well she’s back. Alongside her partner Sara Shulevitz, Meyer, 26, stars in a Barcroft TV ten-minute reality special. The real-life lawyers have opened a criminal defense firm, the Meyer-Kessner and Shulevitz…
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Life In Leaving Orthodoxy, Tova Mirvis Voices Questions Many Secretly Harbor
I was not raised in modern Orthodoxy; I married into it. And as I read Tova Mirvis’ memoir, The Book of Separation, it often felt as though I was reading my own misgivings and hesitations. Her book opens with a chronicling of her first Rosh Hashanah, after leaving her marriage and Orthodox Judaism. Mirvis grew…
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Life Yes, The Orthodox Are Exclusive – But That Doesn’t Mean You Should Be
A follow-up to an essay published last week, “Do Pluralistic Jewish Organizations Stop At The Orthodox?” A few months ago, I attended a lecture by an acclaimed academic, an Orthodox Jewish female leader. She recounted a story: Highly credentialed with degrees from Ivy League institutions, she was invited to be on a panel discussion at…
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Opinion The Radical Class Divide In My Modern Orthodox High School
This essay is part of our ongoing series, Outside the Bubble: Class and Inequality in the Jewish Community. It explores the class divides in Jewish communities of all denominations, and the financial struggles belonging to these communities can incur. Please email your thoughts and essays to [email protected]. Kids don’t understand class. As a baal teshuva…
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Life Meet The New Female Rosh Kehila Of This Brooklyn Orthodox Synagogue
Meet Michal Kohane, the latest Maharat-in-training to be offered a pulpit in the Modern Orthodox Prospect Heights Shul in the heart of brownstone Brooklyn. Kohane was recently announced as the new “Rosh Kehila,” head of the community, by the community rabbi Ysoscher Katz. Born and raised in Israel, Kohane has had a leading role in…
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