This is the Forward’s coverage of Orthodox Judaism, which aims for a stricter observance of halachic law than Conservative or Reform Judaism. It includes Modern Orthodox Judaism, as well as Haredi (sometimes called ultra-Orthodox) Judaism,…
Orthodox Judaism
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News New York Fails To Enforce Consent Forms for Metzitzah B’Peh Circumcision Rite
It has been more than a year since New York City introduced a regulation requiring mohels to obtain written consent before performing a controversial rite that risks infecting infants with neonatal herpes. The regulation put Mayor Michael Bloomberg at loggerheads with the ultra-Orthodox community. And it promises to be a headache for his successor, Bill…
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Opinion Forget Tefillin — Orthodox Women Need Empowerment in Daily Lives
(Haaretz) — It never ceases to amaze us, the Orthodox plebeians, how quickly hordes of bloggers can skew matters out of proportion. Skim the blogs and you will discover the din of rumbling male voices expounding on Orthodox gender roles. Perhaps the voices are predominantly male because men are usually better versed than us women in…
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Fast Forward Holland Wants Accused Orthodox School Molester Extradicted From Israel
The Netherlands asked for the extradition from Israel of a Dutch teacher suspected of molesting pupils at an Orthodox school near Amsterdam. The request was sent last week by the Public Prosecution Service of the District Court of Amsterdam, the court’s press officer, Franklin Wattimena, told JTA Thursday. The 26-year-old man identified in Dutch media…
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News Eric Goldstein, New York Federation Chief, Is Not Outsider His Profile Suggests
As if the responsibility of running America’s largest Jewish federation were not enough, Eric “Ricky” Goldstein, who was chosen January 23 as the next CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, bears an additional burden: He is seen as the symbol of a new generation of leaders coming to the fore in the Jewish community. Goldstein,…
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Fast Forward Menachem Stark’s DNA Found in Kidnap Van Seized By Police
Traces of DNA of Brooklyn real estate developer Menachem Stark was found in a van seized by police in the investigation of his kidnapping and murder. The discovery was reported late Tuesday by Newsday, citing an unnamed law enforcement source familiar with the case. The 2002 van with Pennsylvania plates was confiscated by New York…
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Fast Forward Yair Netanyahu’s Norwegian Girlfriend Spurs ‘Woe Is Us’ From Orthodox
The leader of the haredi Shas Party said that the relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son and a non-Jewish Norwegian woman is a matter of national concern. Yair Netanyahu, 23, is dating Sandra Leikanger, 25, a woman he met while they were both studying at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. Netanyahu reportedly chatted with…
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Opinion The Benefits of a Woman’s Place
It’s probably because I’m male — and Haredi, or “ultra-Orthodox,” to boot — that, much as I try, I find it hard to relate to Jewish women who feel religiously unfulfilled unless they can lead services, read from the Torah or otherwise take up public roles in synagogue life. But there’s another reason, too: I…
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Life I’m Observant — and I Wear Tzitzit
A few months ago, I was at the Kotel with my family. When I was leaving the site, a woman stopped me. She grabbed one of the knotted white fringes dangling from under my shirt and, in Hebrew, exclaimed “Tzitzit!? But this is forbidden!” No, I told her, it is permitted according to all major…
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