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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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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Fast Forward 3 More Australia Abuse Victims Come Forward as Scandal Spreads
Three more people have alleged they were victims of child sexual abuse in Melbourne as the scandal that has embroiled the Jewish community since 2011 continues to deepen. The three Jews – who have not been named – claimed they were abused at children’s homes run by a Jewish welfare organization in the 1960s. Jewish…
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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 Israel, US condemn Belgium over planned prosecutions tied to Jewish circumcisions
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