Welcome to 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 Why Rabbi Ysoscher Katz Left Satmars for Progressive Start-Up Synagogue
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. He grew up among the ultra-Orthodox Satmar Jews in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, in a childhood with rules so strict that playing Frisbee at summer camp was considered a radical move. Today he serves as the spiritual leader of a small, relatively young, progressive Orthodox synagogue…
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Opinion Haredim and Hollywood
We never thought we’d say this, but there is a dangerous similarity between children raised in the wealthy, sun-soaked Los Angeles enclave of Westside and children whose families follow an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who runs a prominent yeshiva in Philadelphia. Both are victims of their parents’ misguided decision to bypass science and civics by ignoring the…
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Opinion When Will Orthodoxy Be Ready for Me?
Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest at Jerusalem’s gay pride parade / Getty Images I’ve written about the successes and shortcomings of my fourteen years of Modern Orthodox day school education before, from religious, secular, and Zionist perspectives. I’ve also written about the thought processes behind my decisions to leave the Modern Orthodox world and join — at…
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Fast Forward Los Angeles Orthodox Synagogue Plans To Hire Woman as Maharat
Congregation B’nai David-Judea, an Orthodox synagogue in Los Angeles, is planning to hire its first female clergy member by September, 2015. Such a hire would be a first among Orthodox synagogues in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Jewish Journal reported. The congregation recently retained Alissa Newborn, 25, a student at the New York-based seminary Yeshivat…
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Fast Forward Michael Broyde, Modern Orthodox Rabbi in ‘Sockpuppet’ Scandal, Plans New Shul
Michael Broyde, the Modern Orthodox rabbi at the center of a scandal involving his use of pseudonyms to tout his reputation in online discussions, reportedly is launching a new Atlanta-area synagogue. The Jewish Channel, the news website which last year exposed Broyde’s use of an online persona to praise his own work, on Tuesday reported…
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News Are Ultra-Orthodox Turning Away From Vaccination?
A prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi has drawn criticism for calling vaccines a “hoax,” but his beliefs are not uncommon in Orthodox circles. “I see vaccinations as the problem,” Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky told the Baltimore Jewish Times in a story published in late August. “It’s a hoax. Even the Salk [polio] vaccine is a hoax. It’s just…
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News Is Yeshivah of Flatbush ‘Predatory’ In Its Scrutiny of Girls’ Attire?
(JTA) — For years, Melissa Duchan had found the dress code for girls at her Orthodox school in Brooklyn, the Yeshivah of Flatbush, onerous. But it wasn’t until recently that Duchan, 16, felt that scrutiny of female students had crossed the line from irritating to what she called “predatory.” Though girls by and large were adhering…
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Fast Forward Connecticut Home Invasion Killer Sues for Kosher Meals on Death Row
A man sentenced to death for a triple murder in a brutal home invasion in Connecticut is suing to demand a Kosher diet as a newly declared Orthodox Jew, saying the prison’s resistance has forced him into “starvation.” Steven Hayes, 51, invoked the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment in a handwritten lawsuit…
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