Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
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Fast Forward Boston Rabbi Barry Starr Sent Nude Pics to Teen — Trolled Web for Sex
Disgraced Boston-area Rabbi Barry Starr sent naked photos of himself to boys and trolled the internet for escorts for sexual liaisons — and was tripped up when the brother of one teen demanded thousands in hush money, court documents alleged. The prominent rabbi, who resigned as leader of Temple Israel in Sharon, engaged in “extensive”…
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Fast Forward Boston Rabbi Barry Starr Paid Teenage Boy $500K To Cover Up Affair
Boston-area Rabbi Barry Starr allegedly paid nearly half a million dollars — taken from synagogue funds and borrowed from his congregants — to hide his affair with a 16-year-old male. According to statements released Monday in the Stoughton District Court, Starr, the longtime spiritual leader at Temple Israel of Sharon before his recent resignation, used…
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Israel News Pope Francis Heading to Holy Land With Rabbi and Imam as Interfaith Wing Men
(JTA) — With a rabbi and a Muslim sheik as his travel companions, Pope Francis is heading to the Middle East with what he hopes will be a powerful message of interfaith respect. It will be the first time that leaders of other faiths are part of an official papal delegation. The aim is to…
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Fast Forward Rabbi, 3 Others Indicted in $12.4 million Theft of N.Y. Special Ed Funds
Four New York men, including a rabbi, were indicted for allegedly stealing more than $12.4 million in funding intended for children with disabilities. Rabbi Samuel Hiller, 56, of Far Rockaway in the borough of Queens, was indicted on grand larceny and other charges, according to a news release issued Tuesday by Queens County District Attorney…
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Fast Forward 4 Top Rabbis Scoop Katz Award
Four leading rabbis will be honored for their work in applying halachah, or Jewish law, to modern life. The Katz Award 2014 recipients were announced Sunday. They are Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of Britain; Rabbi Zvi (Herschel) Schachter, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva University; Rabbi Zalman Nehemiah Goldberg, the rosh yeshiva of…
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Fast Forward French Chief Rabbi Accused of $120K Orthodox Divorce Shakedown
French Chief Rabbi Michel Gugenheim denied allegations that he had helped extort $120,000 from a woman who needed his signature to get a religious divorce. The family of the woman, who was not identified, on March 18 filed a deposition containing the allegation against Gugenheim and two members of his rabbinical court at a police…
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Fast Forward Boston Rabbi Barry Starr Leaves Pulpit Over Affair and Missing Cash
Rabbi Barry Starr, a leader in the Conservative movement who has served a suburban Boston synagogue for nearly three decades, resigned after acknowledging his marital infidelity. Starr informed congregants at Temple Israel, a Conservative synagogue in Sharon, of his resignation in an emailed letter sent last week, the Boston Globe reported. In addition to engaging…
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News How Hammurabi Got Under the Skin of One Orthodox Talmudist
One day, when I was in my early 20s and teaching Torah to religious newbies in Jerusalem, I felt the bedrock of belief shudder beneath me. There’s a reason the sages wrote that the air of Jerusalem makes one wise. I could feel the vibe everywhere. I loved how a cosmetician might share a Torah…
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In Case You Missed It
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Books This graphic history of Jerusalem is a big hit. But its Jews have hooked noses
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Culture Is now really the best time for a cutesy Jewish summer camp movie?
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Fast Forward Australia cancels Kanye West’s visa over controversial ‘Heil Hitler’ song: ‘We don’t need that in Australia’
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Yiddish טשיקאַוועסן: האָספּיץ־וואָלונטירס פֿונדאַציע שענקט שפּײַזקאַרטלעך צו אָרעמע פּאַציענטןTidbits: Hospice volunteer’s foundation donates grocery gift cards to poor patients
במשך פֿון זיבן יאָר האָט דזשעף לויִס אַוועקגעגעבן צען טויזנט שפּײַזקאַרטלעך.
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