This is the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
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Life The First Thanksgiving Sermon Given By A Rabbi In 1789
As soon as George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving holiday in 1789, some American Jews embraced the tradition right away. Gershom Mendes Seixas, considered by some to be American Judaism’s first public figure, was only 23 years old when he was appointed in 1768 as the cantor of New York’s Congregation Shearith Israel (at the…
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Opinion How Israel’s New Divorce Law Makes A Bad Situation Worse
For the past 4 years, Member of Knesset Aliza Lavie of Yesh Atid and Religious Services Minister David Azoulay of Shas have been promoting a law that would allow rabbinic courts to take “international” jurisdiction over cases of agunot — women unable to remarry because their husbands refuse to grant them a religious divorce (a…
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Life What Rabbis Don’t Get About Opioids. And The Consequences Are Deadly.
A congregant, let’s call him Joe, walks into a rabbi’s office and bravely discloses that he is addicted to illicit opioids. After a lengthy discussion the rabbi sends Joe away with a twofold prescription: 1. Start attending 12 Step meetings; 2. Start attending regular worship and study sessions at the synagogue. The rabbi seems to…
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Fast Forward Montenegro Gets A Rabbi While Waiting For A Synagogue
BUDVA, Montenegro (JTA) — For the first time in over a century, the Jewish community of this small Balkan country has its own resident rabbi, its leaders said. Ari Edelkopf, a Los Angeles-born Chabad rabbi, settled in the capital Podgorica several weeks ago with his wife, Chana, and seven children. He said he is officiating…
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Art The Jewish Community Still Discriminates Against Bastards. These Artists Are Demanding Change.
Inside a small room in Jerusalem, four artists are taking on one of the most deep-rooted taboos in Judaism: That of the mamzer, the illegitimate child. A mamzer is someone born as the result of a sexual relationship forbidden in the Torah. Translated in English as “misbegotten” (according to the JPS Tanakh, but also commonly…
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News Reform Synagogues Underpay Female Rabbis — Despite Emphasis On Social Justice
Reform synagogues are chronically underpaying female rabbis, according to a previously unreported study issued this past summer by the Reform movement. Women in senior or solo rabbi positions at larger Reform congregations are paid 85% of what men make in the same jobs, the survey found. And while men outnumber women 4-to-1 among senior or…
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News So People Are Dressing Up As Rabbis. Is That Kosher?
Cherokee sweetheart. Trayvon Martin. Sexy nun. Adult rabbi. Every Halloween season features a signature stew of timely and extremely offensive costumes — such as the 2013 Trayvon Martin costume, the 2015 Caitlyn Jenner look-alikes and last year’s Zika-carrying mosquitoes. Just last week, the internet exploded in a rage about the sale of Anne Frank outfits….
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Opinion How Knesset Push Will Actually Help Chained Women Worldwide
Israeli lawmakers are considering a law that would help Orthodox women across the world. Jewish law does not permit a woman to divorce her husband without his consent, and in Israel and abroad, a number of women who wish to leave their husbands are unable to do so. These women are known as agunoth –…
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Yiddish קורס וועגן ייִדיש אין אוקראַיִנע במשך דעם 20סטן יאָרהונדערטCourse on Yiddish in Ukraine in the 20th century
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