Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
The Latest
-
Fast Forward Rabbis Lauded by Vladimir Putin for Fight Against Neo-Nazis
Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked senior rabbis from Israel and Europe for what he called their help in Russia’s fight against the revival of Nazism. Putin made the statement on Wednesday during a meeting in the Russian capital with over one dozen prominent rabbis, including Berel Lazar, a chief rabbi of Moscow, and Yitzchak Yosef…
-
Fast Forward Lost Tefillin Owner Identified as Israeli Man Whose Bags Were Misplaced
The owner of the last of seven pairs of tefillin discovered by a Florida rabbi at a store that sells the contents of unclaimed airline baggage has been located. The religious item belongs to an Israeli man who was traveling last December between Mexico and Denver when his suitcase went missing, the news website Vos…
-
The Schmooze Why Is Tom Hanks Singing ‘This is How We Do It’ Dressed Like a Rabbi?
Presented for your humble viewing: A video of Tom Hanks, dressed as a rabbi, singing “This Is How We Do It,” courtesy of Justin Bieber. Caption: “Haha Tom Hanks singing “This Is How we do it” dressed like a Rabbi lol #thatdancetho” SO MANY questions: Why is Tom Hanks dressed like a rabbi? Why is…
-
Fast Forward Rabbi Finds 7 Tefillin Sets in Lost-Luggage Store
A Florida rabbi discovered seven pairs of tefillin at a store that sells the contents of unclaimed airline baggage. Rabbi Uri Pilichowski was on vacation with his family when he visited the store in Scottsboro, Ala., looking for cheap cell phones, the New York Daily News reported. The rabbi bought the religious items, worth hundreds…
-
Life When Reb Zalman Met the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama speaks during a visit to Germany. / Getty Images It was, and will always remain, one of the most mysteriously significant experiences of my life. In 1990, eight of us travelled to Dharmsala, India at the invitation of his Holiness the Dalai Lama under the auspices of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. The…
-
News Reb Zalman Married Counter Culture to Hasidic Judaism
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, one of the important Jewish innovators in postwar America, inspiration to a generation and ecumenical spiritualist, died on July 3 aged 89. A tireless organizer and spiritual architect, Schachter-Shalomi single-handedly created a new form of Jewish practice and spirituality known as Jewish Renewal, founded on the idea of Gaia consciousness: the notion…
-
Fast Forward What Now for Chabad 20 Years After Death of Rebbe?
(JTA) — What does a fervent religious movement do after the death of its singular leader? That was the existential question the Chabad-Lubavitch movement faced 20 years ago this week when its charismatic rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, died with no heir. Amid the grief and turbulence following his 1994 death, many believed Chabad would be…
-
Opinion The Perks of Being a Lubavitcher
Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, seen here (at left) in 1993 / Getty Images There’s a hidden perk to being a Lubavitcher, one often not talked about but widely experienced: People like to talk to you. I’ve been called out as a Lubavitcher and brought into impromptu conversations everywhere from a small bridge over the Bled…
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go
- 2
News What a Mayor Mamdani would mean for New York Jews
- 3
News No Jews allowed: White supremacists are building a segregated community in Arkansas, but is it legal?
- 4
Fast Forward Mamdani tells Colbert — and a national audience — why NYC Jews shouldn’t fear him as mayor
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward The Boulder firebomb attack has killed Karen Diamond, who leaves behind a Jewish legacy
-
Fast Forward Supreme Court allows US terrorism victims to sue Palestinian entities
-
News No Jews allowed: White supremacists are building a segregated community in Arkansas, but is it legal?
-
Fast Forward Trump administration finds Harvard violated Jewish student’s civil rights, threatens termination of all federal funding
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism