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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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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Fast Forward Councilmen Vow To Join Suit on Circumcision Rite
Two New York City councilmen have announced that they would be active participants in any lawsuit against the city of New York, after the board of health yesterday approved a measure that required parents to sign a consent form before allowing a mohel to perform a controversial circumcision ritual. Councilmen David Greenfield and Lewis Fidler…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Plan To Sue Over Circumcision Rite
Agudath Israel of America reportedly is planning to sue the city of New York if its health department passes a law requiring parental consent for the circumcision ritual known as metzitzah b’peh. The New York Jewish Week reported the development based on an email forwarded to the news outlet sent originally from the account of…
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Opinion Reporter Watches Bris — And It Ain’t Pretty
While I was researching my Forward story about circumcision and pain, I realized that I didn’t know what a circumcision actually looks like. I’ve only attended one bris — apart from my own — and there I didn’t have a good line of sight to the baby. I was particularly interested to know more about…
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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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