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News Poll: 75% of Israelis Want Divorce Out of Rabbinate’s Hands
Three quarters of respondents in a survey about divorce in Israel said they supported taking the procedure out of the rabbinate’s hands and subjecting it to the authority of secular family courts. The survey on divorce, which under Israel’s laws is handled for Jewish couples by rabbinical judges with the authority of family court magistrates,…
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Fast Forward Haifa Rabbinate Reportedly Denied Marriage Licenses to Couples Registered with Tzohar
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Tzohar Rabbinical Organization has called on the Israel Police to investigate the Chief Rabbinate of Haifa following a report that it denied couple’s requests to marry due to their affiliation with the group. The call Sunday for police to launch a criminal investigation by Tzohar, an organization made up of religious…
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Fast Forward Israel Rabbinate Opposes Western Wall Egalitarian Prayer Plan
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate said it had not agreed to the expanded egalitarian area of the Western Wall on the same day that some 150 male and female Reform rabbis held a prayer service at the site of the expansion. On Thursday afternoon, the Chief Rabbinate Council issued a statement following its monthly meeting demanding the…
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Fast Forward ‘Sauna Rabbi’ Jonathan Rosenblatt Quits Post at Riverdale Jewish Center
The Riverdale Jewish Center’s Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, who has been under fire for having sauna chats with boys from the synagogue, reportedly has resigned from his position at the synagogue. Rosenblatt told the Riverdale Jewish Center on Wednesday that he will step down from his position as Senior Rabbi of the congregation, the Times of…
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Life When Is Internet ‘Get’ Shaming Kosher?
In recent years, the power of social media has been harnessed to shame men who refuse to grant a “get,” or Jewish divorce, to their wives. YouTube, blogs, Facebook and an old-fashioned demonstration helped free last month. Porat, an Israeli woman who had been waiting for a divorce for eight years after her husband had…
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News Meet the Rabbi Who Asked Hillary Clinton a Question — and Got Whole Nation Thinking
Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett became an Internet sensation for a moment, when his Tuesday night question to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton at the CNN town hall event, turned out to produce a rare candid and reflective moment from the former secretary of state. On social media, supporters, and even critics, praised Clinton’s response and Spira-Savett’s question,…
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News One-Man ‘Rabbi for Trump’ Dumps The Donald After Iowa
Donald Trump not only lost Iowa, he also lost his rabbi. Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg, the founder and sole member of the Facebook group named “Rabbi for Trump” announced Tuesday he is closing the group. “Ladies and gentlemen of Facebook: Rabbi For Trump will be closing down,” Rosenberg, a rabbi from Edison, New Jersey, announced. Rosenberg…
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Life Is the Kotel Deal Merely a Fig Leaf For Rabbinic Tyranny?
The historic Kotel Agreement represents laudable progress in Israel’s stormy sea of religion, state and politics. Credit is due to the many partners who labored hard for three years to bring this about. The details have been widely covered, but it remains to be seen whether it will be fully implemented. Considering Israel’s murky political…
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