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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Opinion Jack Lew’s Shabbat Helper
When Jack Lew was appointed chief of staff to President Obama in January, many in the Jewish community wondered how he could observe Shabbat in such a demanding position. Luckily, Lew has the most powerful man in the world to keep track of time as the sun starts to dip low in the sky on…
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Life Confessions of an Orthodox Feminist
Over the recent (and somewhat endless) round of high holidays this year, I came to some disconcerting realizations about my attitude to shul-going as a woman and a feminist. Coming from an orthodox background, I have realized that however much of a feminist I am, I still don’t feel comfortable in prayer settings of other…
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Opinion Is Modern Orthodoxy the True Orthodoxy?
On Thursday night, Israel Prize Winner Rabbi Daniel Sperber gave a lecture at the Jewish Center in New York City on “Why Modern Orthodoxy is True Orthodoxy.” Sperber, a Talmud scholar at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, provided a thorough history of Orthodox Judaism before noting the differences between modern Orthodoxy and ultra-Orthodoxy, emphasizing that modern…
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Fast Forward Judge Blocks Circumcision Rite Form for Now
A temporary restraining order against New York delayed the start of a new informed consent requirement for a controversial circumcision rite. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in New York ordered the stay of implementing the required warning to parents of the dangers of metzitzah b’peh, a ritual in which the circumciser…
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News Beating Highlights Orthodox Split With Police
Jewish leaders’ reaction to a video of New York police beating a young man resisting arrest recently in an Orthodox-sponsored center highlighted a complex reality about the community’s relations with law enforcement. For many, the police are seen as a crucial source of protection from threatening neighbors, but also as a force whose conduct when…
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Life Becoming Baal Teshuva
In his new novel, “The World Without You,” Joshua Henkin takes a close look at the interior life of the Frankel family as they come together for a weekend at their country house in the Berkshires. They are there for a memorial service for their brother and son Leo, an interpid foreign correspondent who died…
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News Circumcision Rite Goes Unregulated Outside New York
As New York City health authorities and ultra-Orthodox groups clash over metzitzah b’peh, officials in other cities are making no effort to regulate the risky oral suction technique sometimes used during ritual circumcision. In fact, unlike in New York City, health authorities elsewhere often have no mandate to monitor the incidence of the herpes strain…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Sue Over Circumcision Rite Forms
A coalition of New York City ultra-Orthodox organizations and leaders have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new requirement by the city’s Board of Health that an informed consent form be signed before performing metzitzah b’peh, direct oral-genital suction, after circumcision. “Not only is the Department of Health wrong about metzitzah b’peh, it is trying…
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