This is the Forward’s coverage of synagogues, Jewish houses of worship.
Synagogues
The Latest
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Opinion Be Careful How You Offer Sanctuary
The house that stood on the land where my childhood synagogue would later stand was once a stop for slaves heading to freedom on the Underground Railroad. That synagogue, where I went regularly to worship and study in my formative years, once served as a secret storage point for arms bound for Israel during its…
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News Trump Immigration Crackdown Forces Synagogues To Consider Becoming ‘Sanctuaries’
Congregation Mishkan Israel, in Hamden, Connecticut, has a well-earned reputation for social activism, sometimes of the controversial kind. A progressive Reform synagogue that is said to be oldest Jewish congregation in the state, Mishkan Israel has hosted figures from Martin Luther King Jr. to a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The synagogue sponsored seven…
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News Chicago Synagogues Still Waiting To Help Refugees Trump Left In Limbo
Eight refugee families, still in limbo. That is the situation Chicago synagogues are dealing with after having volunteered to sponsor them—about 35 people in all—since President Donald Trump issued his executive order banning citizens of seven Muslim majority countries from entering the United States. Despite a February 3 court order temporarily lifting the ban, and…
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Opinion Are Liberals Being Too Mean to Trump Voters?
When my friend Jonathan Tobin and I began planning last spring for a cross-country synagogue speaking tour in the fall, we fully expected to meet with fireworks over Israeli policy. In fact, that was the point of our tour. At each stop, Jonathan the conservative Commentary blogger and I the liberal Forward columnist would argue…
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Community How to Break Down Barriers of Shame Surrounding Mental Illness
One out of every four of us struggles with mental illness, yet most people we speak with about this feel so alone. We have been giving people living with mental illness and addiction a place to share stories and strategies, to feel accepted and safe, and to let go of, for many, decades of shame….
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News Breaking the Synagogue’s Silence on Mental Illness: What You Can Do
Much of the discussion in faith community efforts to improve diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases — and social support of those who have them — has lately focused on three areas: 1) Planning a Sabbath of Inclusion or “Mental Health Weekend of Faith” either for your local Jewish community or your city’s larger combined…
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Fast Forward UN Boss To Speak At New York Orthodox Synagogue’s Shabbat Service
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will speak at a Shabbat service at an Orthodox synagogue in New York. The service this Saturday at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan is in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was observed around the world last week. Ban will be accompanied by Israel’s ambassador to the United…
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Fast Forward Restaurateur Says Synagogue Threatened Kosher Certification in $1.8M Dispute
A New York restaurant owner claims in legal papers that a prominent Orthodox synagogue threatened to have his kosher certification revoked if he does not drop a $1.8 million lawsuit against it. Joseph Allaham, who operates several kosher restaurants in Manhattan, said Lincoln Square Synagogue wants him to move his legal dispute with the shul…
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Opinion The ICE shooting in Minneapolis shattered my Holocaust survivor father’s American dream
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