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
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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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News Train Ad Urges Lawmaker Aide To Give Wife a Get
An ad in a Washington-area Metro station urges a congressional staffer to give his ex-wife a Jewish divorce decree. The ad, in the Wheaton station in suburban Maryland, features a photo of Aharon Friedman, who works for U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), and urges the Silver Spring, Md., resident to “Give a Get Now!” A…
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News The Loss
The email had arrived that morning from Rivky, a woman who was like a sister to me. In the past few months, though, there had been silence between us. When I first saw Rivky’s name in my inbox, I felt dread. I knew why she had written and what she wanted to say to me….
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Life Getting a Get
On a recent Sunday evening in Jerusalem, 25 married couples gathered to have both partners in each pair sign a “mutual respect contract.” The contract was created by three Orthodox rabbis at the behest of Mavoi Satum, a Jerusalem-based organization devoted to combating abuse of the Jewish divorce process. If the couple decides to divorce,…
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