Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
The Latest
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Fast Forward Does Israel Rabbinate Have ‘Good Rabbi’ List?
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate says it does not have a list of Diaspora rabbis whose testimony it accepts, despite turning down the testimony of the rabbis of immigrants wishing to clarify their Jewish and marital status. The Tzohar organization, a group of rabbis that works to make rabbinic services more user friendly for all Israelis, asked…
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Fast Forward Israeli Rabbis and Couples Could Head To Jail for Disobeying Chief Rabbinate
Advocates for religious pluralism in Israel thought they scored a minor victory last month with the passage of a law aimed at loosing the regulations surrounding marriage in the Jewish state. For the first time, couples could choose an Orthodox rabbi from anywhere in Israel to marry them, not just one from their hometowns. But…
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Fast Forward Israel Chief Rabbi Marks Kristallnacht Anniversary in Berlin
Israel’s chief Ashkenazi rabbi marked the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht with a visit to a Jewish kindergarten in Berlin. “Connecting Jews in Germany to their roots is the worthiest retort to the darkness that prevailed here 75 years ago,” Rabbi David Lau said during his first official visit to Berlin, where he went to the…
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Fast Forward Israelis Who Skirt Marriage Law Face 2 Years in Prison
A law easing marriage restrictions was passed by the Knesset, and every citizen will now be able to choose the religious council in which his marriage will take place. This is a positive development, making things easier, but it doesn’t really solve the problem as Israelis are still bound by law to get married exclusively…
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Fast Forward Jonathan Sacks Will Teach at Yeshiva U.
The newly retired British chief rabbi Lord Jonathan Saks will teach as a professor at two American universities. Sacks will spend three months a year teaching in New York, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported. Sacks has been appointed the Kressel and Efrat Family University Professor of Jewish Thought at Yeshiva University and Ingeborg and Ira…
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The Schmooze Rabbi Sex Toy Is Real ‘Mastur-Piece’!
Apparently, creating a rabbi-shaped dildo isn’t the most controversial thing British comedian Shed Simove has done. In fact, it’s what he chose to name the sex toy that’s giving him a headache. According to Haaretz, Simove is being sued by sex mega-store owner Ann Summers, who thinks that “Rampant Rabbi” is a little too close…
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Fast Forward Beverly Hills Rabbi Busted on Child Sex Charge
A rabbi was arrested at the Jewish youth center where he works in Beverly Hills, Calif., on child sex abuse charges from New York. Menachem Tewel, known also as Mendel Tevel, was arrested Tuesday at the JEM Center, the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles reported. A spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department told the…
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Fast Forward Argentina Rabbi Wins Seat in National Congress
Rabbi Sergio Bergman won a seat on Argentina’s National Congress, the first time a rabbi has served as a national lawmaker. Bergman – from the center-right PRO party- garnered 34.5 percent of the vote, slightly more than second-place finisher Elisa Carrio of the center-left UNEN party, who finished with 32.2 percent. Bergman, who will represent…
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