This is the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
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Fast Forward Polish Fake Rabbi Disappears After Being Exposed as Catholic
A man who for several years served as a rabbi for a Polish Jewish community has pulled a disappearing act after it was revealed that he is actually a Catholic former chef. The man, who went by the names Jacoob Ben Nistell and Yaakav, claimed to be from Haifa and worked as the rabbi for…
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Fast Forward New Orleans Rabbi’s Home Destroyed When Passover Cleaning Oven Ignites Blaze
A fire caused by an oven during its self-cleaning cycle in preparation for Passover destroyed the home of a New Orleans rabbi. The fire swept through the home of Rabbi Gabriel Greenberg of the Orthodox Congregation Beth Israel on Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured in the blaze, which caused “substantial” damage, Jefferson Parish East…
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Fast Forward Fake Polish ‘Rabbi’ Doesn’t Know From Jewish
A local journalist in a western Poland city discovered that the local rabbi is not a rabbi, never lived in Israel, is not familiar with Jewish customs, and does not speak or understand Hebrew. Jacoob Ben Nistell, aka Yaakav – he used different forms of this name, claimed he was from Haifa. Members of the…
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Fast Forward Russian Chief Rabbi Urges New Push Against Anti-Semitic Hate Speech
Following the dissemination of an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory by a politician from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party, a chief rabbi of Russia called on the government to stamp out hate speech against Jews. Rabbi Berel Lazar’s appeal Friday to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was in reaction to the April 10 statement on Jews by Vladislav…
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Fast Forward Top Court: Israel Must Accept Non-Rabbinate Orthodox Conversions
TEL AVIV — Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the state must recognize Orthodox conversions performed in Israel outside the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. The ruling Thursday means any non-citizen who converts in a private Israeli Orthodox conversion court can gain Israeli citizenship under the country’s Law of Return. Previously, converts could only gain Israeli…
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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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