Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
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Life The Hypocrisy of the Orthodox Union’s Ban on Women Clerics
I almost didn’t bother to write this piece. I’m not Orthodox, and in any case, the Orthodox Union (OU)’s recent statement barring women from serving as clergy feels like an announcement of its own obsolescence. But as a scholar of Jewish women’s history; as the executive director of the Jewish Women’s Archive which has documented…
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Fast Forward 18 Rabbis Arrested in Protest of Muslim Ban at Trump Hotel
NEW YORK (JTA) — Eighteen rabbis were arrested at a protest of President Donald Trump’s refugee ban in front of the Trump International Hotel in New York City. The rabbis, who had gathered as part of a conference hosted by T’ruah, the rabbis’ human rights group, were arrested for obstructing traffic in front of the…
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Fast Forward Mayer Abramowitz, Rabbi to Miami’s Cuban Exiles, Dies at 97
(JTA) — Rabbi Mayer Abramowitz, who opened the doors of his Miami Beach synagogue to waves of Cuban exiles beginning in the early 1960s, died Thursday at his home in Miami Beach. He was 97. Abramowitz, longtime leader of Temple Menorah, ministered to hundreds of young Jews who arrived in the United States as part…
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Fast Forward Israel’s Rabbinate ‘Blacklists’ Families It Deems Not Jewish
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Yael knew she would have to prove she was Jewish. But she never expected trying to get married would turn into a nearly yearlong investigation of her family. In the end Yael, who asked to go by a pseudonym to protect her privacy, was barred from marrying in Israel, along with her…
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Opinion When Should Religious Leaders Get Political From the Pulpit?
One of the best debates I remember having in rabbinical school was whether a rabbi should speak about politics from the pulpit. In theory it makes sense why a rabbi would try to avoid doing so as God is neither a Republican or a Democrat. The rabbi not only runs the risk of potentially alienating…
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Fast Forward Ex-Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger Headed to Prison for Fraud
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Yona Metzger, a former Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, will be the first Israeli chief rabbi to serve jail time under a plea deal on corruption charges. In the deal with prosecutors announced Tuesday, Metzger will serve 3 1/2 years in prison and pay a $1.3 million fine. He pleaded guilty to…
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Fast Forward WATCH: Rick Perry Blows Bubble Gum While Rabbi Gives Blessing
While Rabbi Marvin Hier gave a blessing after the inaugural speech of President Donald Trump, Rick Perry had other things on his mind — and in his mouth. Here’s Rick Perry blowing a bubble with his gum behind President Trump as the rabbi spoke pic.twitter.com/zrvrINKISs — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) January 20, 2017 Video shows him…
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Fast Forward DC Rabbis Urge Trump To ‘Reframe Your Agenda’
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Dozens of Washington-area rabbis urged President-elect Donald Trump to “reconsider” his campaign’s rhetoric and extend his agenda to all Americans. The full-page ad appearing in Tuesday’s Express, a subway giveaway newspaper published by the Washington Post, welcomes the incoming administration “to our great city.” “We expect that, first and foremost, your victory…
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Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
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Fast Forward Chicago man charged with hate crime for attack of two Jewish DePaul students
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Fast Forward In the ashes of the governor’s mansion, clues to a mystery about Josh Shapiro’s Passover Seder
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Fast Forward Itamar Ben-Gvir is coming to America, with stops at Yale and in New York City already set
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Fast Forward Texas Jews split as lawmakers sign off on $1B private school voucher program
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