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 How Benefits Fraud Scam Spread So Widely In Orthodox Town
The numbers in the public benefits fraud scam in the Orthodox enclave of Lakewood, New Jersey, are stunning. Fourteen arrests so far, and counting. More than $2 million in fraudulently obtained government funds. Hundreds of others scrambling to avoid prosecution for similar crimes. Law enforcement sources say that the schemes are both “widespread” and some…
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Community In Lakewood, Sometimes Corruption And Greed Get In The Way Of The Torah
Since I became observant in high school, I’ve been asked, “How can religious people act that way?” by non-Orthodox friends and family more than I would like to remember — and they are asking a good question. I have had the privilege of spending the decade after high school in full-time learning in two of…
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Fast Forward Netanyahu Insists Western Wall Prayer Plan Isn’t Dead
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the leaders of U.S. Jewish federations on Monday that any other premier would have given in to pressure from ultra-Orthodox political parties and completely canceled the plan for an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, two senior Israeli officials involved in the meeting told Haaretz. The meeting was called…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Praise Supreme Court Green Light For Funding Of Religious Groups
The largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization said the Supreme Court’s latest church-state ruling puts public aid for synagogues on “solid constitutional footing.” On Monday, the court ruled 7-2 that the state of Missouri should not have denied Trinity Lutheran Church a grant to build a children’s playground because of the church’s status as a religious institution, since it met…
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Fast Forward Israel Moves To Reject Conversions Except By Orthodox Rabbinate
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Knesset committee has approved the advance of a bill that would require the state to recognize only conversions completed under the auspices of the haredi Orthodox-dominated Chief Rabbinate. The measure would circumvent a March 2016 Supreme Court ruling that allowed those undergoing private Orthodox conversions in Israel to become citizens under…
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Fast Forward Hasidic School That Banned Leggings For Moms Orders Internet Filters, Too
Weeks after establishing more stringent rules about modest dressing, a private girls school in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights is now requiring families to install internet filters on their home devices, including phones, if they want their children to enroll this coming fall. Bnos Menachems sent out a letter to parents ahead of the upcoming school year,…
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Community What It’s Like To Be A Modern Lonely Man Of Faith
“And a man found him, when he was wandering in the field, and the man asked him, ‘What are you seeking?’ And he said, ‘I am seeking my brothers’” (Genesis 37:15). I peer out from the siddur (prayer book): are these my brothers? I look around at a rally for justice and peace: are these…
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Community What It’s Like To Be A Queer Female Cantor
When you hear the word ‘Cantor’ or the Hebrew word chazzan, the image in your mind might be a man in a miter or top hat, wearing a tallit (prayer shawl), with a beard, or perhaps the iconic Yossele Rosenblatt, the famous tenor from the Golden Age of Cantors, or a clean-shaven Israeli man in…
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