Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
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News How Rabbis Are Trying To Make The Conservative Movement More Gay-Friendly
The Jewish coming-of-age ceremony known as a bar mitzvah is always challenging. It happens at the awkward age of the early teen years, and requires the child to chant, before family, friends and congregation, from the archaic Hebrew of the Torah. For Amichai Lau-Lavie, the Israeli-born scion of an Eastern European rabbinical dynasty, it was…
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Fast Forward Chabad Rabbi Brings Food And Coffee To Manchester First Responders
A Chabad rabbi arrived at the scene of Monday’s terror attack in Manchester to offer his moral support to the police – and some danishes. Rabbi Shneur Cohen and his colleagues at the city’s Chabad center went to the Manchester Arena to give out pastries and coffee to first responders. Cohen told the Jewish Chronicle…
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Breaking News Mystery Swirls Over Which Rabbi Told Jared And Ivanka They Could Fly On Shabbat
NEW YORK (JTA) — Which Orthodox rabbi gave Jared and Ivanka permission to fly on Shabbat? We don’t know who it was, but we know who it wasn’t. It wasn’t Haskel Lookstein, who oversaw the First Daughter’s conversion to Judaism. It wasn’t Marvin Hier, who gave the invocation at President Donald Trump’s inauguration. It wasn’t…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Union Pushes Women Clergy To Change Their Titles — But To What?
NEW YORK (JTA) — Following its rabbinic ruling prohibiting synagogues from hiring female clergy, the Orthodox Union is pressuring synagogues that have hired the women to change their titles. In February, the Orthodox Union, an umbrella Orthodox Jewish group, issued a Jewish legal ruling by seven rabbis that bars women from serving as clergy or in…
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Community Israel Bans Gruesome Shackle And Hoist Slaughterhouse Method Imports
Israel is Ending “Shackle and Hoist” Imports. The United States must follow suit. What is the price of consuming kosher meat? Is it a means to achieve a level of Godliness here on Earth, or is it the violent perpetuation of cruelty and needless pain on innocent creatures? The contemporary response can only be a…
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Fast Forward Former Chief Rabbi Of Israel Guilty In Fake Credentials Scheme
(JTA) — A former chief rabbi of Israel, Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, was convicted of issuing fake rabbinic credentials to 1,500 police and security services employees, who used them to apply for pay raises. Bakshi-Doron was found guilty in Jerusalem District Court of fraud, falsifying documents and breach of trust on Monday. Sentencing has not yet been set. Bakshi-Doron, 76, was…
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Community Why Are So Many Rabbis Fleeing The Pulpit?
A few weeks ago, I came across a fellow rabbi who possesses the total rabbinic package: she is a compassionate caretaker, has good mind for Torah, speaks strong Hebrew and is a great leader. If there was such a thing as finishing at the top of your rabbinical school class, she had done so. Every…
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Fast Forward Knesset Bill Would Reject All Israeli Conversions Not Done By Rabbinate
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A bill submitted to the Knesset would require the state to recognize only conversions completed under the auspices of the Orthodox-dominated Chief Rabbinate. The measure, which was submitted by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, former head of the Haredi Orthodox party Shas, appears to be an effort to circumvent a 2016 Supreme Court…
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Fast Forward Sitcom star encourages non-Jews like her to hang mezuzahs on their homes
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Opinion A maelstrom around Rashida Tlaib shows how broken discourse about the war has become
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