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
The Latest
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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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Fast Forward Israeli Minister Slams Modern Orthodox As ‘Borderline Reform’
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The head of the Sephardic Orthodox Shas party called members of the Religious Zionist movement “borderline Reform,” an insult among his Haredi Orthodox constituents. “Even the ‘knit kippot’ today, as some know even in very large communities, mainly in the center of the country, they’re already borderline Reform,” Aryeh Deri, who is…
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Life How the Term ‘Ultra-Orthodox’ Is An Overgeneralization — And Why It Matters
One of my biggest pet peeves about how the media often portrays Orthodox Jews is its use of the overarching term, “ultra-Orthodox.” The photos that accompany articles about “ultra-Orthodox” Jews are typically of women in thick stockings, short wigs and little hats pushing strollers in busy intersections in places that look like Boro Park. Men…
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Community What Does It Mean To Be A Religious Jew Today?
To me, being religious, in our contemporary conception of society, means making the invisible person visible and the unheard person heard. It means that in the constant journey to learn, one seeks moral refinement in each moment, all the while acting with kindness and humility towards all. One boldly leads from the inside out: inner…
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Life Why Buying My Daughter A Tallit Wasn’t An Easy Decision
The day that I never thought would come, never imagined would be a milestone for me or my daughter, is here. I am buying my daughter her first tallit. I’m not sure why this feels so groundbreaking to me. She’s two – to her, the tallit is just a toy. Her 4-year-old brother found his…
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