This is 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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Fast Forward Liberal Orthodox Yeshiva Says It Won’t Ordain Gay Student, Months Before Graduation
The leading liberal Orthodox rabbinical school told a gay student it will not ordain him, only months before his graduation, the Jewish Week reported. The decision is being widely interpreted as a sign of just how far Modern Orthodoxy, which blends strict observance with progressive social values, is willing to go in adopting pro-LGBTQ stances….
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News Is SAR Reckoning With A Sex Abuse Scandal — Or Looking For A Scapegoat?
Robert Eckmann finally decided ten months ago to email his middle school about the principal who molested him in the 1970s. He couldn’t have known the consequences. His private message has led to revelations about Stanley Rosenfeld, who the Forward found had admitted to molesting hundreds of boys over a decades-long career in Jewish education….
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News A Predator Roamed Jewish Schools. Why Wasn’t He Stopped?
In the winter of 1970-71, when Michael Rabin was 12 years old, Stanley Rosenfeld invited him home for a sleepover. Rosenfeld, in his late thirties, was the beloved assistant principal of Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, New York. He was known for having boys in the middle school over to spend the night; the invitation…
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News New Orthodox Prayer Book Made With Women In Mind
“This Siddur seeks to reflect a sensitivity to women’s prayer experiences.” That understated line is nestled in the editor’s introduction to a Modern Orthodox group’s new siddur, or prayer book. It’s part of a short, scholarly bullet point outlining how the siddur accommodates women through its textual and grammatical updates. Many of those updates, however,…
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News Liberal Orthodox Rabbis Seeking Pulpits Struggle With Stigma Against Seminary
Rabbi Joel Dinin is a no-nonsense Orthodox rabbi — and he looks the part. He sports a black kippah and doesn’t tuck in his tzitzit, the ritual tassels of the prayer shawl he wears as an undershirt. After Saturday morning services he asks that his congregants wash their hands and say the proper blessings, as…
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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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