Orthodox Judaism

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,…

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News
Talmudic ‘Development’; Orthodox Cinema; Chabad Power Struggle?; Top Kosher Dogs

In this week’s Reporters Roundtable podcast, host Josh Nathan-Kazis is joined by deputy arts editor Ezra Glinter to discuss the new season of Arrested Development and its ‘talmudic’ qualities. Then, Ezra fills us in on the emergent ultra-orthodox cinema in Israel. Next, assistant news editor Larry Cohler-Esses drops by to discuss a possible reshuffling of…

May 23, 2013 | < 1 min read
Opinion
Balkanization of Western Wall Prayer ls Threat to Jewish Unity

I really must avoid spicy foods — even my wife’s scrumptious jalapeno pepper-laced cornbread — before retiring at night. The recipe’s great, but for someone approaching 60, it’s also a recipe for indigestion-fueled nightmares. The scene of my latest bad dream: the Kotel, or Western Wall, in Jerusalem. The time: some future point, may it…

May 23, 2013 | 3 min read
News
The Mirror in the Mikveh

Ellie Goldenberg and Emily Blum are getting ready to immerse for the first time in the mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath. One might assume that Ellie and Emily are soon-to-be brides; in traditional communities, women immerse in the mikveh for the first time before they are wed. But they’re not — Ellie is an 11-year-old…

By Renee Ghert-Zand May 23, 2013 | 5 min read
Opinion
End Orthodox Monopoly on Jewish Marriage in Israel

After 65 years, the State of Israel is a thriving democracy of which we can all be very proud in many areas. But it is a democracy that continues to face many obstacles to preserving its Jewish and democratic character. One obstacle that is of particular concern to non-Orthodox Jews is the absence of any…

By Nancy K. Kaufman May 22, 2013 | 3 min read
The Schmooze
Is There an Orthodox Film Industry?

Orthodox filmmaker Rama Burshtein is a special case. Not only does she come from a community that frowns on film-watching — never mind film-making — but she has managed to create “Fill the Void,” a movie that has won awards and acclaim around the world. (You can read my recent profile of Burshtein here.) Burshtein…

By Ezra Glinter May 22, 2013 | 2 min read
Fast Forward
Australia Abuse Victim’s Brother Tussles With Chabad Rabbi in Synagogue

A senior Australian Orthodox rabbi had his glasses ripped from his face during a synagogue altercation with a relative of a prominent advocate for sex abuse victims. Rabbi Zvi Telsner, the spiritual leader of the Yeshivah Center, which houses the city’s Chabad headquarters, offered festive greetings to Chaim Waks at the end of the Shavuot…

By JTA May 19, 2013 | 2 min read
Life
Q&A with Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman

On June 16, three young Orthodox women will receive a title that no woman (or man) before them has ever held: maharat (short for Manhiga Hilchatit Ruchanit Toranit, which means leader in Jewish law, spirituality and Torah). The graduation of the first class from Riverdale’s Yeshivat Maharat, which trains Orthodox women to be spiritual leaders,…

By Devra Ferst May 19, 2013 | 4 min read
Fast Forward
Western Wall’s Many Planned Jewish Makeovers — And Why They Died

In 1990 El Al Israel Airlines caused, indirectly, great embarrassment to Israel with an advertisement that appeared in its in-flight magazine at the time, IsraELAL. The ad, for the jewelry company NDC, appeared on the back cover, and featured an image of the Third Temple in the center of the Temple Mount plaza. The Dome…

By Haaretz May 18, 2013 | < 1 min read

Explore

Orthodox Judaism

The Latest

Talmudic ‘Development’; Orthodox Cinema; Chabad Power Struggle?; Top Kosher Dogs

Balkanization of Western Wall Prayer ls Threat to Jewish Unity

The Mirror in the Mikveh

End Orthodox Monopoly on Jewish Marriage in Israel

Is There an Orthodox Film Industry?

Australia Abuse Victim’s Brother Tussles With Chabad Rabbi in Synagogue

Q&A with Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman

Western Wall’s Many Planned Jewish Makeovers — And Why They Died

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Orthodox Judaism

The Latest

Talmudic ‘Development’; Orthodox Cinema; Chabad Power Struggle?; Top Kosher Dogs

Balkanization of Western Wall Prayer ls Threat to Jewish Unity

The Mirror in the Mikveh

End Orthodox Monopoly on Jewish Marriage in Israel

Is There an Orthodox Film Industry?

Australia Abuse Victim’s Brother Tussles With Chabad Rabbi in Synagogue

Q&A with Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman

Western Wall’s Many Planned Jewish Makeovers — And Why They Died

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