Welcome to 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 German Muslims and Jews Rally for Circumcision
Jews and Muslims in Berlin demonstrated for the right to carry out ritual circumcisions, a right that has been endangered in Germany. Under the slogan “On Knife’s Edge: Religious Freedom,” some 300 demonstrators rallied Saturday at Bebelplatz, the site of the 1933 Nazi book burnings, to protest the May ruling in a Cologne court that…
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News Weighing Pain of Circumcision for Baby
Isaac is cradled in his grandfather’s arms. In the space of a few minutes, the Orthodox ritual circumciser, or mohel, separates the foreskin from the head of Isaac’s penis, pulls the skin forward and inserts a metal shield that protects his penis while his foreskin is cut off. No anesthetic is used. Meanwhile, Joseph is…
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News Asher Lopatin Seeks To Secure YCT’s Place
When Rabbi Asher Lopatin takes over the helm of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah next summer, he may try to pull off something of a football move at the Modern Orthodox rabbinical school: Look left while going right. In the 12 years since Rabbi Avi Weiss founded the school as a more liberal, pulpit-focused alternative to Yeshiva…
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News The Sun Is a Star
On a Tuesday in July 2007, I learned that the sun is a star. A friend of mine, formerly Hasidic, told me the secret. She informed me that the heavens look nothing like we think. I said, “Huh?” “Look,” she said reasonably, “I swear. It explains it here, in this incredible astronomy book. The sun…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Flap Rages Over Tefillin Straps
Several recent rabbinic rulings that have invalidated certain kinds of tefillin straps as unfit for use are causing an uproar in the Orthodox community. A number of rabbis in Jerusalem, Chicago, Brooklyn and Lakewood, N.J., have issued rulings prohibiting the use of tefillin straps (retzuot in Hebrew) that peel, and so-called leatherboard straps, according to…
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Fast Forward 4-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Left in Car
A 4-year-old boy was found on Thursday afternoon dead in a ‘burning hot’ car in the ultra-Orthodox settlement Modi’in Illit after was apparently forgotten in the locked vehicle for several hours. Initial investigation indicates that the boy was collected Thursday morning from his home by his Talmud teacher, who usually drives neighboring children attending his…
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Fast Forward Leiby Kletzky Killer Gets 40 Years
The murderer of 8-year-old Orthodox Brooklyn boy Leiby Kletzky has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison, the AP reported today. The sentencing comes weeks after Levi Aron, 36, pleaded guilty to the July 2011 killing. “G-d willing, the sentencing of Levi Aron today will finally remove the spotlight from this tragedy and…
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Opinion Do No Harm
On September 13, the New York City Board of Health is scheduled to vote on a controversial proposal that would officially define an ancient Jewish ritual practice as dangerous to an infant’s life. It would require parents to agree in writing that the ritual about to be performed on their son could lead to brain…
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