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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Community Ultra-Orthodox Legislators Are Weaponizing Torah Study
A version of this story first appeared in +61J, an Australian Jewish publication. How ironic would it be if Netanyahu’s government came to an end not due to his investigations, but as a result of the messy politics of religion and state? This week, representatives of the ultra-Orthodox sector in Knesset staged a coalition crisis…
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Community Is Modern Orthodoxy Just A Social Club?
The Orthodox Jewish community is often characterized as being obsessively ritualistic, pious and insular. More so than other denominations, our religious practice requires fealty in every area of our lives, from the first words we say when we wake up in the mornings, every morsel of food we consume, the clothes we wear, and the…
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Life Why Did Netflix Cut ‘I’m Gay’ From Documentary About Ex-Hasids?
NEW YORK (JTA) — A woman who was featured in a hit Netflix documentary about former Orthodox Jews says the fact that she was openly lesbian was cut from the film. Etty Ausch, 33, is one of three people who tell their stories of leaving the Brooklyn Hasidic community in “One of Us,” which was…
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News Ultra-Orthodox Americans Tell Israel To Stand Ground On Western Wall
American ultra-Orthodox leaders traveled to Israel this week to tell Israeli officials to ignore liberal American Jews’ demands to allow women to pray at the Western Wall. In statements and documents announcing the trip, the ultra-Orthodox leaders attacked non-Orthodox Jewish groups, saying that while ultra-Orthodoxy is growing, non-Orthodox Jewish movements are “dying,” and that acceding…
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Fast Forward Muslim Hijab Brand Creates Pro-LGBTQ Rainbow Scarf
Yesterday, UK-based Gay Times reported that MOGA, a Muslim-owned Melbourne brand that sells women’s headscarves and shawls, would be re-issuing their pro-LGBTQ rainbow-print scarf for Sydney, Austrailia’s annual Mardi Gras celebration. The Pride flag-esque hijab was created last year to support Australia’s legalization of same-sex marriage — legislation which Australia’s parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor…
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Community I Never Imagined Seeing My Religious Former Principal In Handcuffs
A version of this article originally appeared in +61J, an Australian Jewish publication. As a former teacher at the Adass Israel school in Melbourne, Australia, I never imagined that a day would come when I would be sitting in a Jerusalem courtroom a meter away from the principal of the school with handcuffs around her…
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Opinion You Know Who Isn’t Abandoning Israel? The Orthodox.
Some recent studies have yielded a disturbing picture: young American Jews are becoming more and more alienated from their elders’ full-hearted embrace of Israel. It has led to some hand-wringing. “When young Jews stop identifying with Israel or caring about it, this reinforces a lack of engagement with their Jewish identity overall,” wrote Batya Ungar-Sargon…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Girls Protest Pressure To Join Israeli Army
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Dozens of girls attending national-religious high schools in Israel have joined a campaign to protest what they say is pressure from the Education Ministry to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. The campaign is organized by the conservative religious organization Chotam in reaction to a ministry proposal by the Education Ministry to…
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