Welcome to 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
The Latest
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Fast Forward British Orthodox Body Condems Shul For Allowing Women to Hold Torah
Britain’s umbrella body of Orthodox communities is condemning a London Orthodox synagogue that allows women to hold Torah scrolls. Earlier this year, Golders Green United Synagogue began giving women an opportunity to handle the Torah scroll on Shabbat mornings and festivals, and the change has been well received by members of the community, according to…
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News ‘Chained Wives’ Find Halachic Pre-Nuptial Agreement Is No Panacea
(JTA) — For years, Rachel Light felt like a hostage, worried she would be forever trapped in her marriage to Eben Light. Even in April 2012, after Eben was arrested for allegedly threatening her and was slapped with a restraining order, Rachel was unable to get a writ of Jewish divorce, or get. That made…
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Opinion The Trouble With Idealizing Hasidim
Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein have yet to sell shtreimels. But one fashion commentator — and a whole lot of YouTube viewers — think Hasidic garb is worth another look. “The Substance of Hasidic Style,” a video posted by fashion platform StyleLikeU (and reposted by Upworthy), has garnered more than 170,000 views after it was…
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News Marc Schneier Gets Married (Again!) — and RCA May Move To Resolve Dispute
In the past few months, Rabbi Marc Schneier, founder and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and leader of a star-studded synagogue in the Hamptons, has been busy. The foundation launched a month-long series of programs in Jewish and Muslim houses of worship, while Schneier has been jetting around the globe engaged in his…
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Fast Forward Israel Couples Say ‘I Don’t’ to Orthodox Marriage — Opt for Civil Ceremonies
For most Israelis in the Jewish state, there is one legal way to get married – God’s way. Israeli law empowers only Orthodox rabbis to officiate at Jewish weddings, but popular opposition is growing to this restriction and to what some Israelis see as an Orthodox stranglehold on the most precious moments of their lives….
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Opinion In Orthodox Conflict, Unity Versus Unilateralism
Judaism’s response to modernity over the centuries has been one of constant change, sometimes small and sometimes large. As attitudes shifted, movements developed. Reform broke from what would later be called the Orthodox mainstream. Conservative broke from Reform. Reconstructionist broke from Conservative. Traditional broke from Conservative. As the Passover song goes, Chad gadya, chad gadya….
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Fast Forward Orthodox Rabbis Stand Up for Beleaguered Israeli Rabbinate
Amid calls for reform of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, leading Orthodox U.S. and European rabbinical organizations stressed its “essential role.” Representatives of the Conference of European Rabbis and the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America signed a convention endorsing the Chief Rabbinate at a gathering of the European group in Berlin. Israeli Deputy Religious Services Minister Eli…
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Fast Forward Chaim Halpern, London Orthodox Rabbi, Cleared of Sex Abuse Charge
A police investigation into sex abuse allegations against Chaim Halpern, a prominent London rabbi, has been dropped. The Metropolitan Police said Friday that a file passed to the Crown Prosecution Service “regarding allegations of sexual assault has resulted in no charges being brought against a 54-year-old man,” The Jewish Chronicle of London reported on its…
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