Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Reform Judaism, a major liberal Jewish denomination.
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Israel News New Jersey Family to Pay Rabbis Shunned by Israeli Rabbinate
(Ha’aretz) — If the state of Israel won’t pay the salaries of rabbis of certain denominations, then we will. That, in a nutshell, is how one family from Livingston, New Jersey, hopes to foment a religious revolution in Israel. By providing a living wage to rabbis who are not eligible for state funding – and…
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Fast Forward Israeli Minister Derides Reform Judaism as ‘Imitation’ Faith
JERUSALEM ( — Israel’s interior minister, Aryeh Deri of the Sephardic Orthodox Shas party, called Reform Judaism an “imitation” and said he “can do without that Judaism.” Deri, the Shas leader, reportedly made the comments on Monday during a question-and-answer session in the Knesset. “I want the original, not the imitation” of Judaism, Deri said in response…
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Fast Forward Top Reform Rabbi Blasts Donald Trump for ‘Anti-Semitic’ Rhetoric
WASHINGTON — A top Reform movement rabbi said it “defies belief” that Donald Trump is unaware of anti-Semitic associations in his campaign rhetoric. Rabbi Jonah Pesner, who directs the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, released his statement Friday, Oct. 14, a day after the Republican presidential nominee delivered a speech in West Palm Beach, Florida,…
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Israel News Reform Jews Kick Off Letter-Writing Campaign on Western Wall Prayer
The Union for Reform Judaism has kicked off a letter writing campaign to the Israeli government to pressure it to implement its plan for an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall Jewish holy site. Timed with the Jewish New Year, the organization is urging supporters to email a pre-written letter to Israeli Prime Minister…
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Fast Forward Top Reform Rabbi Slams Donald Trump for Singling Out Non-Christians at Rally
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s joke at a rally, in which he singled out people who were not Christian conservatives, was “unacceptable,” said a top Reform rabbi. “Raise your hand if you’re not a Christian conservative,” Trump said at a Sept. 28 rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, after assessing that the crowd was overwhelmingly Christian conservative….
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Fast Forward Reform and Conservative Men’s Clubs Agree on ‘Historic’ Cooperation
— The men’s clubs of the Reform and Conservative movements agreed on a “historic” collaboration. The agreement between the Men of Reform Judaism and the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, announced last month on the blog of the Union for Reform Judaism, emphasizes that the agreement is not a merger. But the groups have agreed…
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Opinion After Orthodox-Only Mikveh Law, Time To Rein In the Israeli Rabbinate
As a woman who underwent Orthodox conversion, I was livid when I read about the controversial Israeli bill that was formally passed into law July 25. The bill allows local Orthodox rabbinates to ban non-Orthodox conversions in publicly funded mikvehs. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism Party may have introduced this piece of legislation, but in…
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Fast Forward Right-Wing Israeli Lawmaker Calls Reform Judaism ‘Fake’
A right-wing Israeli lawmaker known for his controversial statements called Reform Judaism a “fake religion.” Jewish Home party member Bezalel Smotrich, who created a stir in April for saying Jewish women should not have to share hospital rooms with Arab women, made his remarks about the Reform movement on Thursday, The Times of Israel reported….
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