This is the Forward’s coverage of rabbis, the spiritual leaders of Jewish congregations.
Rabbis
The Latest
-
News Online-Ordained Rabbis Grab Pulpits
Rabbi Eli Kavon’s colleagues don’t consider him a rabbi. Ordained in two years via a correspondence course by a virtually unknown rabbinical seminary in Long Island, he’s not a member of any mainstream rabbinical association. Nor is Kavon eligible for membership on the local board of rabbis. His congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Boca Raton,…
-
Fast Forward Rabbi Sacks: Gaza War ‘Got To Do With Iran’
The BBC issued an apology to British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks after a presenter asked him about the Gaza operation while he thought he was off the air. Sacks presented the “Thought for the Day” on BBC Radio 4 Today on Friday. After the segment, presenter Evan Davies asked the rabbi’s opinion on the conflict…
-
Fast Forward Rabbi Slammed for Linking Sandy to Gay Marriage
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed a rabbi who called superstorm Sandy “divine justice” for gay-friendly policies. Rabbi Nosom Leiter, head of Torah Jews for Decency, praised the destructive storm for making a point, especially in lower Manhattan, which he branded “one of the national centers for homosexuality,” the Daily News reported. Cuomo dismissed the…
-
Fast Forward Aussie Chabad Turf War Heads to Religious Court
A rabbinical court in New York will determine the fate of a controversial Chabad rabbi in Melbourne who has been dismissed from his post amid allegations of improper conduct. A Chabad spokesman confirmed that Rabbi Chaim Herzog has appealed his dismissal after he received an official letter last month saying he no longer has the…
-
Fast Forward Dutch Rabbi Objects to Nazis in Monument
A Dutch rabbi has demanded that the names of his relatives be removed from a monument which commemorates Jewish Holocaust victims along with German soldiers who died in World War II. “I don’t want my family members’ names to appear next to the names of German murderers,” Rabbi Wim van Dijk said in a filmed…
-
Opinion Prophets or Partisans?
October 7 is Pulpit Freedom Sunday, when hundreds of pastors are expected to openly violate the law of the land and preach politics from the pulpit. The law they intend to violate is known as the Johnson Amendment. Enacted in 1954 and sponsored by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, it limits the amount of political activity…
-
Fast Forward Rabbi: Burn Your iPhones!
A prominent haredi Orthodox rabbi in Israel ordered his followers to burn their iPhones. The call by Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, 84, appeared Sunday on the front page of the religious daily newspaper Yated Neeman, according to the Failed Messiah website. Following the decree by Kanievsky, large posters appeared throughout Jerusalem’s haredi neighborhoods calling iPhones “an…
-
Fast Forward Romney Talks Economy and Iran in Call to Rabbis
Mitt Romney discussed Iran, the economy and Medicare in a holiday call with rabbis and other Jewish leaders. The 20-minute call Thursday was organized by the Republican candidate’s presidential campaign. Word went out through a number of Jewish list-serves and Romney did not directly mention President Obama in order not to compromise the nonprofit status…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Culture ‘My mayor Muslim, my bagel Jewish’ — the Knicks chant capturing New York’s soul
- 2
Opinion Cultural boycotts of Israel just reached peak absurdity
- 3
Opinion The Iran war ended terribly for the US, and even worse for Israel
- 4
Theater ‘Dirty Dancing’ be damned. A new musical shows another side of the Borscht Belt
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Trump may be making a classic error in seeking peace with Iran
-
Fast Forward Trump-backed Oklahoma congressional candidate supports Israel — and says the Antichrist will be Jewish
-
Fast Forward UK appeals court upholds ban on Palestine Action as a terrorist organization
-
Fast Forward Trump says he plans to talk to Hezbollah amid Iran peace efforts