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
-
News ‘Ub-u-sive’
Guilty on all 59 counts: guilty, guilty, guilty. On Monday, December 10, a jury of 12 found Nechemya Weberman enormously guilty. The jurors convicted him of sexually abusing an underage girl entrusted to his care. They declared the respected member of the ultra-Orthodox community to be a criminal and a fraud, and thousands of survivors,…
-
Fast Forward Judge Hears Arguments on Metzitzah Mandate
A federal judge heard oral arguments in a case that would require parents to sign a consent form before a controversial circumcision rite can be performed. U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald on Tuesday continued the stay of implementing the required warning to parents of the dangers of metzitzah b’peh, a ritual in which…
-
Opinion At Western Wall, Who Is the Zealot?
The Orthodox rabbi who oversees the Western Wall has vowed not to soften his confrontational approach toward Jewish women seeking to pray at the holy site in Jerusalem. On Friday, police detained four women for wearing prayer shawls as they tried to start a prayer service. There have been numerous similar incidents in the past….
-
Opinion Was Nechemya Weberman on Trial — or Satmars?
On December 10, Nechemya Weberman, an unlicensed youth and marriage counselor in the Satmar community of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, was convicted of 59 counts of sexual misconduct against a minor. As in any trial, the judge reminded the jurors that the defendant’s guilt must be proved “beyond reasonable doubt.” But with Weberman now facing a possible…
-
Fast Forward Lawmakers Demand Release of Jacob Ostreicher
A bipartisan slate of nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives urged Bolivian President Evo Morales to bring about the release of New York businessman Jacob Ostreicher, who has been jailed without charges for 18 months. A Bolivian appeals court this week refused to release Ostreicher, instead sending his case back to a lower…
-
Opinion Confronting Abuse
This has been the year when the historically opaque veil of secrecy about child sexual abuse has been lifted. Thanks to courageous reporting by our Paul Berger and others in the Jewish and mainstream media, the belated activity of law enforcement officials and, most importantly, the willingness of victims to come forward, Jewish institutions and…
-
Opinion Kippah Controversy Erupts at Orthodox College
How Orthodox should Israel’s Orthodox university be? There’s a major controversy at Bar Ilan University about the institution’s policy of compulsory yarmulke-wearing during Jewish studies classes. It has long been policy that male students should cover their heads when studying sacred texts, though many professors turn a blind eye when they don’t. However, a recent…
-
Fast Forward Man Charged in Bleach Attack on Victims Advocate
A Brooklyn fishmonger was arrested for throwing a cup of bleach in the face of a Chasidic rabbi who advocates for victims of sexual abuse in the haredi Orthodox community. Meilech Schnitzler, 36, of Williamsburg, turned himself in to police on Wednesday afternoon, the New York Times reported. He was charged with felony assault, misdemeanor…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News Who was Horst Wessel, and why are people comparing Charlie Kirk to him?
- 2
Culture Charlie Kirk kept a ‘Jewish Sabbath.’ What did he mean by that?
- 3
Film & TV Robert Redford’s legacy is surprisingly Jewish
- 4
News Was Charlie Kirk a martyr? Here’s why Christians are divided and Jews should care
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture Sam Sussman fashions a mother-son love story with a side helping of Bob Dylan
-
News In Charlie Kirk, Orthodox Jews found a champion — and a wedge
-
Fast Forward Palestinian Authority arrests suspect in 1982 attack on Paris Jewish restaurant
-
Fast Forward Netanyahu says Israel did not kill Charlie Kirk, rejecting an idea circulating on the far right
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
