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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Fast Forward 20 Sickened as Measles Outbreak Hits Los Angeles Orthodox Community
(JTA) — A measles outbreak in Los Angeles County, California, is centered on the Orthodox Jewish community, according to reports. Some 20 people have been infected in the outbreak, with 18 in LA County, 15 of whom, according to the LA County Department of Public Health “either knew one another or had a clear social…
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News Is This Orthodox Rabbi Breaking Jewish Tradition With Anti-Trump Prayer?
(JTA) — Jews have been praying for the welfare of the governments they live under for hundreds of years. But what happens when they lose faith in the individuals elected to lead those countries? That’s the dilemma faced by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, an Orthodox rabbi who is president and dean of Valley Beit Midrash in Phoenix and founder and president of Uri…
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Opinion Are the ‘Frum Police’ Right To Judge Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump?
(JTA) — President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, attended the Inauguration Day service Friday at St. John’s Episcopal Church, a tradition that goes back to 1933. The live video showed the Trumps shaking hands with the pastor and entering the church, followed immediately by his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. No big deal,…
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Fast Forward As Betsy DeVos Faces Confirmation, Jews Split Over Education Agenda
WASHINGTON (JTA) — An Orthodox Jewish umbrella group urged the Senate to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary and another expressed enthusiasm for her agenda, while the Reform movement expressed concerns about her support for government funding of religious schools. Agudath Israel of America said in a letter Tuesday to the Senate Education Committee as it…
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News After 20 Years, Orthodox Feminists Claim Big Victories — but Still Face Challenges
The past two decades have witnessed a small revolution in the religious leadership roles being taken by Orthodox Jewish women. It is an arc easily traced back to when Blu Greenberg and a small group of like-minded women convened the first International Conference on Orthodoxy and Feminism. That 1997 conference, which attracted many more people…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Synagogue Visits Selma Reform Temple to Honor MLK
(JTA) — More than 100 members of the Orthodox National Synagogue in Washington DC traveled to Selma, Alabama, to visit the historic Reform Temple Mishkan Israel. The Reform temple in Selma only has seven remaining members, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld of the Orthodox National Synagogue said the purpose of the group’s visit…
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Opinion Opening the Gates of Justice at ‘Hashem’s House’
When I was invited to sing in Israel this past Hanukkah, my heart filled with joy at the chance to celebrate the Holiday of Light in the City of Eternal Light. I went in search of truth and to return to my home of homes. But going home is never as easy as you think…
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Community Rethinking Orthodoxy in Trump’s America
David Weiss Halivni, a renowned Talmudic scholar, once quipped that he could not pray with the people with whom he talked, and could not talk with the people with whom he prayed. In other words, those with whom he could talk – who could discuss religious ideas beyond accepted norms – insisted on living the…
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