Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
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News Rabbi Michael Broyde’s Rapid Fall From Grace
Until last week, Michael Broyde was considered one of the most respected Orthodox rabbis in America. A professor of law at Emory University, the author of dozens of books and articles, and a leading authority on the intersection of religious and secular law, Broyde was sought after regularly to render opinions on matters of ritual…
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Fast Forward Rabbi Michael Broyde Booted From Religious Court Over Fake Name Scandal
Rabbi Michael Broyde, a prominent Orthodox rabbi who admitted to creating a fake alternate identity, was relieved of his duties with the Beth Din of America. Broyde, who admitted last week that he had used a false name to gain access to a rabbinic email list and to write letters to various journals, was placed…
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News Maine Rabbi’s Injury Forges Remarkable Partnership Between 2 Branches of Faith
One of the first things Rabbi Alice Goldfinger said as we sat down for our interview is that she would likely forget all about me. “I’ll know you were here, because the appointment is in my calendar,” she said. “But I won’t remember it. I have no short-term memory. I don’t feel time, so by…
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News Top Modern Orthodox Rabbi Michael Broyde Admits Fake Name Scheme
Leading Modern Orthodox legal expert Rabbi Michael Broyde has apologized for infiltrating a rival Modern Orthodox rabbinic organization under a fake name, just an hour after The Jewish Channel posted an exposé revealing Broyde’s extensive use of the false identity. Broyde is a judge on the Beth Din of America, the leading Modern Orthodox rabbinical…
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Life Trailblazing Woman Joins Orthodox Montreal Shul
Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Montreal’s largest and oldest Ashkenazi synagogue, has become the first Canadian congregation to hire a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, the Bronx yeshiva that ordains women. Rachel Kohl Finegold, 32, is one of three graduates of the yeshiva’s inaugural class. She will be moving with her family from Chicago to Montreal, where she…
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Fast Forward Fake Rabbi Gets 5 Years in Immigration Scam
A lawyer who posed as a rabbi and ran an immigration fraud mill was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday. For 13 years, The David Firm, led by “Rabbi Avraham David,” whose real name is Earl Seth David, accepted millions of dollars in fees from undocumented immigrants in return for aid in obtaining…
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Fast Forward Embattled French Chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim Quits Amid Plagiarism Scandal
Gilles Bernheim, the Chief Rabbi of France, quit his post on Thursday after admitting to plagiarism in two books and to deception about his academic credentials. The Paris Central Consistory, the top Jewish religious organisation in France, said in a statement that Bernheim was resigning and gave no further details. Bernheim, 60, a modern Orthodox…
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Life Coming Out of the Child-Free Closet
In February 1997, Ellen Jaffe Gill’ s essay on not wanting to have children, was published in Moment Magazine. In the piece, Jaffe Gill (then McClain) discussed how her decision not to have children did not prevent her from engaging fully in Jewish life. As a writer, she was in fact transmitting the covenant on…
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