This is the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
The Latest
-
Books You’ve probably never heard about the world’s first female rabbi. Sigal Samuel wants to change that
If you think female rabbis are a modern phenomenon, Sigal Samuel is here to change your mind — just like she changed hers. Samuel grew up in an Orthodox community where the idea of female clergy was considered deeply untraditional. So when, deep in an “internet rabbit hole,” she stumbled on the story of the…
-
News Why did these rabbis seek a pardon for Elliot Broidy?
When former President Donald Trump, in one of his last acts in office, granted an executive pardon to confessed felon Elliott Broidy, the White House cited letters in Broidy’s support from some unusual sources: five Los Angeles rabbis. Broidy, a multimillionaire businessman and prominent Jewish philanthropist, pleaded guilty to illegal foreign lobbying on Oct. 20….
-
News In California, rabbis ask why clergy aren’t in first — or second, or third — group for COVID-19 vaccination
As tens of thousands of vaccines are distributed to healthcare workers and the elderly across Los Angeles County, faith leaders are not in either of the top tiers, keeping them sidelined as the pandemic worsens through the winter months. “I’m baffled,” said Rabbi Elazar Muskin, who leads Young Israel of Century City, an Orthodox synagogue…
-
Community This Hanukkah, we have to embrace both darkness and light
It has been one of most traumatic weeks in the history of our country. Celebrating and singing Hanukkah songs seems somewhat of a farce when ICUs are nearly full; mental health clinics overrun from those suffering with anxiety and suicidal ideation. This is the first time in which embracing the light has been difficult and…
-
News Wanted: Rabbi. Ten gallon hat optional.
When Cheyenne, Wyoming’s only synagogue began its nationwide search for a religious leader to replace its beloved rabbi, Larry Moldo, who passed away last year, some of the applications that came in were…interesting. In addition to the 22 or so resumes from qualified rabbis, rabbinical students and cantors, came resumes from a forklift operator, a…
-
News LGBTQ leaders respond to SCOTUS attack on marriage equality
A statement penned by two Supreme Court justices has set off alarms among LGBTQ+ rights activists. The statement, signed by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, attacked and criticized Obergefell v Hodges, the 2015 landmark Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage. “Due to Obergefell,” Justice Thomas wrote, “those with sincerely held religious beliefs concerning marriage…
-
Community This year for the High Holidays, female faces filled my screen
My late father, Rabbi Wolfe Kelman, would often tell the story of a Hasidic rabbi, the Kotzker Rebbe, who wanted to give the Almighty a blessing. Instead of constantly asking for blessings, this rebbe felt it was time to give God some comfort, too. But what blessing could a human possibly offer the divine? Certainly…
-
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,…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Culture RFK Jr.’s poems to Olivia Nuzzi are peak cringe — so were King Solomon’s
- 2
News DNA test kits spark a surge of online conversions to Judaism in the U.S.
- 3
Opinion What does Mamdani’s response to synagogue protests mean for Jews? No one will like the answer.
- 4
Opinion More than 25% of Israelis want to leave the country. How did we get here?
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Netanyahu says he is formally seeking the pardon Trump requested on his behalf
-
Fast Forward After facing criticism, Dublin tables proposal to rename Herzog Park — for now
-
Fast Forward Palestinian-American teen from Florida freed from Israeli detention after 9 months
-
Culture Now that Saul Zabar is gone, what will become of the ‘Over 95’ club at NYC’s leading appetizing store?
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
