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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Fast Forward Jewish Leaders Blast De Blasio School Lunch Plan For Excluding Kosher Options
Jewish and Muslim religious leaders are criticizing Mayor Bill de Blasio and his new free school lunch plan for not offering any kosher or halal options. “Thousands of children in our community and the Muslim community are left out of this initiative due to religious dietary restrictions,” the letter dated November 22 and signed by…
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News What Is An Eruv?
It’s a fence, but it doesn’t exist six days out of the week. It’s a symbolic extension of the home, but not an extension of private property. It’s an ingenious legal loophole, but it’s been Jewish law for 1,500 years. It’s not a riddle, it’s an eruv: a boundary used by Orthodox Jews to expand…
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Life Orthodox Trolls Are On A Frum-Shaming Crusade
Recently, the trolls came for me. Because of a children’s book I wrote, called Judah Macabee Goes to the Doctor. It’s a cute story about a little boy who is scared to get a shot, and is inspired by the story of Judah to be brave. He has his shot and gets a sticker. The…
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Opinion A Trans Woman Was Just Kicked Out Of A Jewish Facebook Group For Women
Yesterday was Transgender Day of Remembrance. It’s a day to mark the violence against the Transgender community. Unfortunately, in one Jewish Facebook group, it was marked by cruelty instead. Facebook groups have evolved over the last few years from groups of a few dozen people from your high school class to thousands of people with…
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Yiddish World Confessions Of A Chaim Berlin Yeshiva Graduate
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. I attended Yeshiva and Mesivtah Chaim Berlin from 1954 to 1966. It almost ruined my life. Not that I’m complaining. Chaim Berlin is one of the oldest yeshivas in Brooklyn, established in 1904. It’s one of the most respected Haredi- Lithuanian yeshivas in the United States and…
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Life When Men Pray, Women Are Asked To Leave The Room
Separate but unequal is inherently unequal. The Orthodox requirement for separate religious spheres, including for prayer, is understood in the modern Orthodox world not as an exception to this axiom, but as a divinely ordained protection of complementary roles for men and women in Jewish law. The case is closed for disputing the paradox of…
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Life Meet England’s Hilarious — and Orthodox — Comedian
There are many Jewish comedians in show business, but few are Orthodox. And while most of them live in New York and Los Angeles, the United Kingdom has one of its own: Ashley Blaker, a former BBC writer and producer on the popular show “Little Britain,” and an internationally-acclaimed act. Now, Blaker is bringing his…
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Community It’s Time For Orthodox Jews To Spend More Time With ‘The Other’
Last week, election winners across the country broke glass ceilings and made history. Danica Roem became the first transgender person elected to a state legislature. Michelle De La Isla became the first Hispanic mayor of Topeka, Kansas. Ravi Bhalla, a Sikh man, was elected mayor in Hoboken, New Jersey. Sheila Oliver became the first Black…
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