This is the Forward’s coverage of Jewish affairs in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital.
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News Rabbi Barry Freundel Arrested — Suspected of Peeping on Women in Mikvah
Rabbi Barry Freundel, the spiritual leader of one of Washington D.C.’s most prominent Modern Orthodox synagogues, was suspended without pay by his congregation Tuesday after police arrested him on charges that he used cameras to peep on women in the synagogue’s mikvah, or ritual bath. Freundel, whose congregation includes Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and ex-Sen….
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News Rabbi Gil Steinlauf Wins Wide Support From Conservatives After Coming Out as Gay
(JTA) — Gil Steinlauf, a nationally prominent Conservative rabbi, made headlines this month when he announced to his large Washington, D.C., synagogue that he is gay, and that he and his wife of 20 years would divorce. As surprised as his congregants at Adas Israel may have been by the news, it was Steinlauf, the…
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Opinion Why Rabbi Gil Steinlauf’s Coming Out Is Watershed Moment for Jews
In 1977, Gerson D. Cohen, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, approved a petition by the Rabbinical Assembly to create a committee to study the role of women as spiritual leaders in the Conservative movement. The voices included were varied, some in favor of the ordination of women as rabbis, some opposed. It…
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Fast Forward Rabbi Gil Steinlauf of Adas Israel Comes Out as Gay
(JTA) — Rabbi Gil Steinlauf struggled for decades with an identity that he only acknowledged publicly this week. On the Monday after Yom Kippur, Steinlauf, the married senior rabbi at Adas Israel — a large and historic Conservative synagogue in Washington, D.C. — announced that he is gay. In a letter sent to congregants, Steinlauf…
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Fast Forward ADL Signs Letter Urging Broadcasters To Avoid Using The Name ‘Redskins’
The Anti-Defamation League signed a letter initiated by Native American groups to broadcasters urging them to avoid pronouncing the name of the Washington NFL franchise, “Redskins.” “Some might argue that objectivity requires broadcasters to continue promoting the racial slur as long as Washington team owner Dan Snyder keeps denigrating Native Americans by using the epithet…
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News 600 Rally for Israel as Gaza War Expands
More than 600 people turned out for a rally for Israel in central Washington D.C., cheering Jewish and Christian clergy and lawmakers who pledged to stand with Israel during the Gaza conflict. Speakers at the rally Thursday in Farragut Square, just blocks from the White House, called for an end to the barrage of missiles…
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Opinion Can Washington D.C. Save This Rare Synagogue Mural?
Washington’s Synagogue Mural / Jewish Historical Society Stephanie Slewka was peeling layers of paint and plaster from her just-purchased house in downtown Washington, D.C. when she spied a blue patch — unusual in the mildewy mess of browns and beiges. Removing a few more gunky strata revealed a Star of David. And tearing off even…
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Fast Forward ADL Joins Football Players in Push for Washington Redskins Name Change
The Anti-Defamation League signed a letter initiated by Native American groups to NFL players urging them to speak out for changing the name of the Washington Redskins. “Players are the most publicly identifiable representatives of the league, which means your support is critical to ending this injustice,” said the letter sent Tuesday to more than…
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Fast Forward Cory Booker has long embraced Jewish tradition. Now he has married a Jewish woman.
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