Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
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Opinion WhatsApp Is Way of Life for Israelis
(JTA) — When my simple Nokia flip-phone broke last year and could not be repaired because it was so old, I upgraded – kicking and screaming – to an iPhone. My 14-year-old son – who is dying for a smartphone but has to make do with his iPod – handled downloading the apps, telling me…
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Fast Forward Rabbis Join Protest Against Uganda Anti-Gay Laws
Human rights activists were unsuccessful in their attempt to deliver a letter to the Ugandan embassy in Washington signed by more than 400 rabbis protesting that country’s anti-homosexuality policy. Monday’s protest in Washington coincided with similar events in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was organized in part by the American Jewish…
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Opinion Who Are the Rabbis That Changed Your Life?
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik provided counseling to those mourning at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11. Illustration: Kurt Hoffman Last winter when we asked readers to tell us about the rabbis who inspire them, we were overwhelmed by stories of individuals like Rabbi Joseph Potasnik who provided counseling at Ground Zero shortly after the twin towers came…
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Fast Forward John Kerry ‘Haman’ Slur Earns Rabbis Rebuke From Rabbinic Groups
Two leading American Orthodox bodies rebuked a group of Israeli rabbis who warned of divine retribution against Secretary of State John Kerry. “While the people of Israel and Jews around the world may properly possess serious concerns about proposals Secretary Kerry is putting forth, such concerns must only be expressed with civility and on the…
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News Sochi Gets Ready To Host Jews With Kosher Food and 3 Synagogues
(JTA) — Soft sand and turquoise beaches make Sochi a lovely holiday destination, but this coastal Russian city is less than ideal for providing religious services to thousands of Jewish tourists. With few native Jews and only one resident rabbi, the Black Sea resort of 400,000 residents would seem ill-equipped to handle the tens of…
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Opinion Who Are America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis? Tell Us!
“Adventure Rabbi” Jamie Korngold leads a Passover seminar in Moab, Utah. Photo by Jeff Finkelstein Last year, this project began with a hunch and a hope. The hunch was that amidst the depressing reports of the decline in organizational Judaism, synagogues struggling to stay afloat, rabbinical seminaries trying to stay relevant, and young Jews turning…
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News Rabbis Shift To Say ‘I Do’ to Intermarriage
When Rabbi Daniel Zemel started his career, back in the past century, the last thing he thought he’d ever do was perform intermarriages. But as the years passed, Zemel, who leads Temple Micah, a Reform congregation in Washington, found that maintaining his strict rule on this issue became ever more difficult. “It got harder and…
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The Schmooze Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, Mixed Martial Arts Star
Rabbi Yossi Eilfort recently threw his first punch to the face — and knocked out his opponent. The 22-year-old California based rabbi was competing in an amateur Mixed Martial Arts bout and won with a TKO in the second round, according to The Algemeiner. Eilfort started training just six months ago under former UFC fighter…
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Fast Forward Trump just granted asylum to a man who posted ‘Jews are dangerous’
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Yiddish טשיקאַוועסן: 9 ייִדן פּרוּוון אַרײַנגנבֿענען ציג פֿאַר אַ קרבן אויפֿן הר־הביתTidbits: 9 Jews try to smuggle sacrificial goat onto Temple Mount
דאָס ציגעלע האָבן זיי באַהאַלטן אין אַן אײַנקויף־זאַק.
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Fast Forward ‘A Shonda’: Eric Adams and Brad Lander trade blows in bitter feud over antisemitism in NYC mayoral race
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Fast Forward South Africa’s chief rabbi supports Donald Trump — but says his refugee program for Afrikaners is a ‘mistake’
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