Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
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Fast Forward Conversion Plan Would Strip Control From Israel Rabbinate
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A proposal to overhaul the conversion system in Israel would remove it from under the control of the haredi-Orthodox dominated rabbinate, sparking opposition from the chief rabbis of Israel and dozens of haredi and religious Zionist rabbis. The final report and recommendations on conversion in Israel written former government minister Moshe Nissim…
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News Liberal Orthodox Rabbis Rejected By Israel Rabbinate
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An internal correspondence document written by a senior member of Israel’s Rabbinical Courts rejects the authority of all rabbis who receive their ordination from a yeshiva located in New York. The document, obtained by Itim, a nonprofit that guides Israelis through the country’s religious bureaucracy, shows that despite the haredi Orthodox-dominated Chief…
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Fast Forward Money-Flashing Rabbi Costume Yanked From Amazon
(JTA) – Following complaints, a picture of a model holding money while wearing a rabbi costume was pulled off the Amazon Germany shopping website. The ads for the costume — a black hat with synthetic sidelocks that costs up to $20 — appeared on the German-language version of Amazon up until last week, the news…
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Fast Forward Iceland Welcomes First Rabbi — As It Considers Ban On Circumcision
(JTA) REYKJAVIK, Iceland (JTA) — At a windswept harbor of this Nordic capital, a bearded man wearing a black hat dips eating utensils into the icy water while hissing from pain induced by the bitter cold. Perplexed by the spectacle, a caretaker helpfully offers to let the man and his three companions use a washing…
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Community Why Are Conservative Jews Ignoring Our Own Intermarriage Rate?
Most non-profits try to avoid contested elections and just push through a nominating committee report. But sometimes there’s an issue that can’t be shoved aside, a philosophical dispute with the potential to clarify the institution’s mission and meaning. That seems to be the case this year at my professional association, the Rabbinical Assembly — the…
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Fast Forward Sephardic Chief Rabbi Could Be Charged For Racist ‘Monkey’ Remark
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israel Justice Ministry official told Israeli media that the government is considering taking criminal action against Sephardic chief rabbi for likening a black child born to white parents to a “monkey” in explaining a point of ritual. Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef made the comparison earlier this month during a Saturday evening lecture,…
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News EXCLUSIVE: Rabbis Who Favor Ban On Intermarriage Challenge Conservative Leaders
A group of rabbis who support the Conservative movement’s ban on intermarriage are mounting a highly unusual challenge to colleagues who have been hand-picked to assume the leadership of their professional body, the Rabbinical Assembly. The movement, a liberal denomination that adheres to Jewish law, bans intermarriage, but some of its rabbis bitterly oppose the…
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Fast Forward Chief Rabbi Of Israel Calls Black People ‘Monkeys’
The Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel called black people “monkeys” during his weekly sermon on Saturday evening. Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef was addressing Jewish legal aspects of the blessing on seeing fruit trees blossoming, and whether one should bless one tree or at least two. In that context, he mentioned a blessing uttered upon seeing an…
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Opinion Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go
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News What a Mayor Mamdani would mean for New York Jews
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Fast Forward Mamdani tells Colbert — and a national audience — why NYC Jews shouldn’t fear him as mayor
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Opinion Mamdani’s victory is an opportunity for Jews to relearn the art of disagreement
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