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
The Latest
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Life Orthodox Feminists Hit Times Square
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Up there amid all the sports stars, movie actors and underwear models, those are the faces of Jewish Orthodox feminists gazing down at you from a billboard in Times Square on Wednesday. For one day only, the countenances of five individuals who have advanced the cause of Orthodox feminism…
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News Civil Marriage in Israel Is Cause That Unites American Jewish Federations
(JTA) — It is a cause that elicited cheers from a roomful of participants at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly. Leading politicians have long championed it and are now trying to push it through a divided Knesset. Nearly two-thirds of Israelis support it, and activists say it’s crucial for ensuring Israel’s future…
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News Orthodox Population Grows Faster Than First Figures in Pew #JewishAmerica Study
The Orthodox population is growing even faster than earlier reports from the Pew Research Center’s recent survey of American Jews suggested. A new analysis of data from Pew finds that 27% of Jews younger than 18 live in Orthodox households. That’s a dramatic jump from Jews aged 18 to 29, only 11% of whom are…
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Fast Forward Yair Lapid and Shelly Yachimovich Call for More Religious Pluralism
Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Labor Party Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich called for greater religious pluralism in Israel. Speaking in separate appearances Monday at a plenary session of the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in Jerusalem, Lapid and Yachimovich both advocated for the loosening of Orthodox control of Israel’s religious laws. Yachimovich stressed…
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Fast Forward Does Israel Rabbinate Have ‘Good Rabbi’ List?
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate says it does not have a list of Diaspora rabbis whose testimony it accepts, despite turning down the testimony of the rabbis of immigrants wishing to clarify their Jewish and marital status. The Tzohar organization, a group of rabbis that works to make rabbinic services more user friendly for all Israelis, asked…
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Forward 50 2013 Avi Weiss
Despite continued opposition from his right flank, in 2013 Avi Weiss witnessed the coming of age of two of the groundbreaking Orthodox institutions he created. This summer, Weiss presided over the first graduation ceremony of female clerics at Yeshivat Maharat, and smoothly passed the reins of his flagship rabbinic school, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, to a…
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Opinion In Jerusalem’s Conclaves, Mind-Numbing Meets Ugly
Jerusalem is having an unusually mild fall. November began amid sunny skies, temperatures in the high 60s, light breezes and just the slightest hint of feathery drizzle to announce that after a bone-dry October, the rainy season was finally about to return. Diaspora Jews are returning too. No, not the waves of immigration that generations…
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News Dmitry Salita, Orthodox Fighter, Returns to Ring for One Last Shot at Title
After Dmitriy “Star of David” Salita’s fight against Hector Camacho Jr. was cancelled at the beginning of the year, Salita was not sure what would happen next. The 31-year-old welterweight boxer has a career record of 33 wins, one loss and one draw over his 12 year distinguished career. Salita, an Orthodox Jew with roots…
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