This is the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
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Fast Forward Dresden Gets First Town Rabbi Since 1938
The Jewish community of Dresden is installing its first hometown rabbi since 1938. Alexander Nachama, 29, is to be formally inaugurated this Sabbath as rabbi of the new synagogue in Dresden, which is in eastern Germany. Dresden’s Semper-Synagogue was destroyed during the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938. The new synagogue was dedicated at the original site…
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Fast Forward Israel Chief Rabbinate Backs Controversial Circumcision RIte as ‘Preferred’
Israel’s chief rabbinate has weighed in on the practice of a controversial circumcision rite in Germany, saying that metzitzah b’peh is preferred. The practice, in which blood is sucked orally from the circumcision wound, is under scrutiny in Germany, due to a complaint filed against a Berlin rabbi for allegedly committing bodily harm during a…
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Opinion French Chief Rabbi’s Fall From Grace in Plagiarism Scandal
Forty years ago, “The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob” had French audiences doubled over in laughter. Gerard Oury’s frantic comedy of an anti-Semitic businessman who finds himself mistaken for a famous rabbi — don’t ask — smashed box office records. The timing was important: Oury’s anarchic comedy reflected the end of a 30-year run of…
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Fast Forward Chabad Leader Blasts Rabbis Group Over Circumcision Rite
A Chabad-affiliated rabbi criticized a rival group for its public disapproval of a circumcision-related ritual currently under investigation in Germany. Some Jewish leaders “decided to align themselves with those who are working against Jewish interests,” Rabbi Menachem Margolin, director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, wrote in an editorial Thursday in the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper….
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Opinion A Woman Among the Chief Rabbis?
As the race to choose the next chief rabbis heats up in Israel, a new lawmaker is proposing appointing a female religious figure to serve alongside them. She says that she will propose legislation to introduce the role. Aliza Lavie of the centrist Yesh Atid party wrote today that there should be a female in…
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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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