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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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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Books 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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Community The Crisis Of Faith In A Kreutzer Sonata
At age 18, David Lindenbaum finds himself suspended in between two universes that pull him in what he senses as opposite directions. On one side, there is his faith — a fervent Jew, Lindenbaum always wears a kippah (“Even while I’m sleeping,” he says with pride) and tries to maintain his religious identity also when…
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Life WATCH: Orthodox Girl Studies For Her Bat Mitzvah — And Breaks Powerlifting Records
Naomi Kutin, a Modern Orthodox Jewish girl from Fairlawn, New Jersey, has been breaking powerlifting world records since 2012. And now the movie telling her story is going to be released online on September 28. Inspired by Naomi Zeveloff’s 2012 profile of Kutin in the Forward, filmmaker Jessie Auritt turned her lens on this extraordinary…
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Life Modesty Isn’t About Shells. It’s About Patriarchy.
Upon reading Michelle Honig’s article “Why This Orthodox Layering Trend Has to Stop”, I felt more worked up than I might have expected about a fashion item, albeit an extremely popular one laden with meaning. In her article, Ms. Honig attacks the “Kiki Riki” brand shell, a ubiquitous clothing trend used to ensure modesty for…
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Culture A new exhibit on Red Scare blacklists presents chilling parallels to our current era
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Culture His parents fled the Nazis in 1937 — now he’s using his chutzpah to fight Donald Trump
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Fast Forward 24 hours of war leaves Israel reeling, with bomb shelters full and flights canceled
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Fast Forward In US lawmakers’ response to Israel’s strike on Iran, sweeping support with signs of tension
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