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 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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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News Is Breakthrough Near in Jacob Ostreicher Case?
Long months of standstill in the case of Jacob Ostreicher, a New York Jewish businessman locked up in Bolivia for 20 months, have given way in recent weeks to a flurry of activity that has spurred hope for Ostreicher’s possible release. In a dramatic sequence of events, top Bolivian government officials involved in the prosecution…
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Fast Forward England’s Jewish Population Rises to 280K
England’s Jewish population has remained stable over the past decade, bolstered by Orthodox Jewry’s growth, according to an analysis of government data. Data released Dec. 11 by Britain’s Office for National Statistics showed 263,346 Jews living in England and Wales, a figure that can be adjusted upward to approximately 284,000, according to an analysis by…
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Fast Forward Jewish Groups Back Gay Marriage at Top Court
With public acceptance of same-sex marriage growing, liberal Jewish groups are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down the Defense of Marriage Act that they have long opposed. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases related to same-sex marriage: an appeal of a federal court ruling that struck down a California ballot…
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Life Let’s Blog About Sex
It has never been the Jewish way to avoid talking about sexuality. Even the Torah abounds with narratives of sex and desire. Sometimes the eroticism is subtle, as with Jael beckoning Sisera into her tent and covering him with a blanket before driving a stake into his head. Other times it is so blatant that…
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