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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News Are The Orthodox Facing A Schism Over Female Rabbis?
Seven months after one of Orthodox Judaism’s oldest and biggest institutions barred women clergy from its synagogues, the decision is threatening to create yet another split in a community already riven by the issue of female rabbis. Founded more than 100 years ago, the Orthodox Union is a coalition of synagogues and other organizations, most…
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Fast Forward These Orthodox Lawyers Are Proud To Be ‘Barbie Dolls’
Remember Mindy Meyer — the young Orthodox Jewish lawyer who ran for New York State Senate with a hot-pink-themed campaign, inspired by Legally Blonde? Well she’s back. Alongside her partner Sara Shulevitz, Meyer, 26, stars in a Barcroft TV ten-minute reality special. The real-life lawyers have opened a criminal defense firm, the Meyer-Kessner and Shulevitz…
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Fast Forward WATCH: Hasids Cheer As Drew Barrymore In-Flight Movie Covered Up
Ultra-Orthodox Jews on a private chartered jet cheered after the in-flight movie — the 2007 rom-com “Music And Lyrics” — was covered up with a blanket, the Daily Mail reported. The scene occurred apparently in the plane’s first class cabin. After the screen was covered, the men on the plane can be heard clapping and…
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Fast Forward Netanyahu Says Non-Orthodox Jews Using Western Wall For Leverage
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called out the Reform and Conservative movements in Israel for using their partnership in the Western Wall agreement as a clandestine way to gain recognition. Netanyahu told reporters in New York on Monday night that the Reform and Conservative movements wanted to get recognition “via the backdoor,…
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Life Part News Anchor, Part Rebbetzin: Meet Israel’s Favorite Newswoman
She’s known for her trademark headband wig, an unlikely uniform on Israeli prime-time news. Sivan Rahav Meir: Tall, rectangular glasses, modestly dressed, Meir is often either conducting exclusive interviews — Sara Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, the late rabbi Ovadia Yosef — or offering her own unwavering commentary on her night show. Born and raised in…
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Opinion The Secret Fear Plaguing The Unmarried, Untethered Orthodox
I did not grow up a religious Jew, but for my entire adult life, I’ve been a member of the Orthodox world. As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time in other people’s homes, with other people’s families; Orthodox life is built around the family, and Shabbat and holidays are desolate affairs if you’re…
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Fast Forward Jared Kushner Vouches For Trump In 8-MInute High Holidays Call
A highly anticipated pre-High Holiday call with President Trump lasted less than 8 minutes and consisted mostly of platitudes, participants said. The call opened with Trump’s Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner who introduced the president, promising representatives of the Jewish community on the line that Trump “takes great pride in having a Jewish daughter and Jewish…
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Books In Leaving Orthodoxy, Tova Mirvis Voices Questions Many Secretly Harbor
I was not raised in modern Orthodoxy; I married into it. And as I read Tova Mirvis’ memoir, The Book of Separation, it often felt as though I was reading my own misgivings and hesitations. Her book opens with a chronicling of her first Rosh Hashanah, after leaving her marriage and Orthodox Judaism. Mirvis grew…
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