Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
The Latest
-
News Why I’m leaving The Forward to become a rabbi
My grandparents were concerned for my safety amidst a steady rise in attacks. My parents worried about long hours with little gratitude. My brother warned of trends indicating I was entering an unstable and shrinking job market. I decided to become a journalist anyway. Working at The Forward was the fulfillment of a childhood dream,…
-
Fast Forward When it comes to rabbis scheduled to speak, it’s DNC 2, RNC 0
The Democratic National Convention last week prominently featured not just one, but two rabbis. But so far, no rabbinic representation has been announced in the publicly-available schedule for the Republican National Convention, which began Monday morning. The absence this year is conspicuous as Republican leaders hope to lean on the Trump administration’s pro-Israel policies in…
-
Life My rabbi went to a sex party. Should I tell the Board?
From its start in 1906, A Bintel Brief was a pillar of the Forward, helping generations of Jewish immigrants learn how to be American. Now our columnists are helping people navigate the complexities of being Jewish in 2020. Send questions to [email protected]. Dear Bintel, A few months ago, right before the widespread concerns about indoor…
-
Community The personal is political on Tisha B’Av
I didn’t talk to my roommate for an entire year. I was in 11th grade, at a Yeshiva where the students lived in dormitories on campus. Early in the school year, Sruli and I got into a fight. We were taking turns on a handheld electronic football game we had borrowed from a friend and,…
-
Community Changing course in the middle of a pandemic
The sun rises in spite of everything and the far cities are beautiful and bright. I lie here in a riot of sunlight watching the day break and the clouds flying. Everything is going to be all right. — Derek Mahon Our world is drowning under the weight of pandemic as we fight toward the…
-
Fast Forward Rabbis can serve in German military for the first time in 90 years
The German parliament voted unanimously Thursday to allow rabbis to serve as military chaplains in the Bundeswher, Germany’s military. Rabbis have not been able to serve as chaplains in the German military since Adolf Hitler expelled them in 1933. Jewish soldiers could only use Protestant or Catholic military chaplains. The change was first put forward…
-
Fast Forward Synagogue jumps to revise slogan slammed as sexist for linking women and whining
A synagogue in Florida revised a slogan for an all-male panel after a tagline linking women and whininess drew criticism from feminists who are trying to address what they see as a lack of gender equity in Jewish communal work, such as education, philanthropy and the pulpit. As part of a ramped-up slate of online…
-
Community ‘Could it be that I happened to have found an underutilized type of ventilator?’
Normally, my usual duties as a congregational rabbi have absolutely nothing to do with the provisioning of medical equipment. But these are extraordinary times. Our highest principle in Judaism is pikuach nefesh, “saving a life.” And what has kept me up at night throughout this crisis are these ventilators. Last week, a widely reported New…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go
- 2
News What a Mayor Mamdani would mean for New York Jews
- 3
Fast Forward Mamdani tells Colbert — and a national audience — why NYC Jews shouldn’t fear him as mayor
- 4
Opinion Mamdani’s victory is an opportunity for Jews to relearn the art of disagreement
In Case You Missed It
-
Music Anyone who tells you that you shouldn’t meet your heroes never met Jill Sobule
-
Opinion Can we say Donald Trump’s Middle East nuclear strategy is dangerous — if it isn’t even a strategy?
-
Opinion ‘Israel is seen as violent’ — and Israeli chefs, once global culinary icons, are feeling the heat
-
Culture As Mel Brooks turns 99, his wisdom matters more than ever
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
