Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Brooklyn, a borough of New York City home to a major population of Hasidic Jews.
Brooklyn
The Latest
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Opinion Bill Thompson and 2 Josephs
New York mayoral candidate Bill Thompson’s political tour guides to Hasidic Brooklyn are two guys named Joseph — both famous influence-peddlers with strong community connections and checkered pasts. When he campaigned in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Williamsburg on Labor Day, Thompson was accompanied by Hasidic fixers Joseph Menczer and Joseph Goldberger, the New York Observer…
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Culture Brooklyn GED Program Seeks To Help Put Haredi Men ‘On the Path’ to Employment
Usher Bixenspan’s regular attire includes a black hat, a black coat and peyes, but for one afternoon in June, he wore a maroon gown, a graduation cap and a big smile. Bixenspan, 20, was part of the first graduating class of B’Derech, an academic program geared toward ultra-Orthodox Jews. The goal of B’Derech — Hebrew…
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Opinion Gay, Orthodox and Outspoken
The Supreme Court’s decisions around marriage rights may have elated gay and lesbian Jews and their allies. But for LGBT Jews in the Orthodox community, the ruling might have the opposite effect. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations issued a statement reiterating Judaism “forbids homosexual relationships”; Agudath Israel went a step further, claiming the “sanctity”…
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Breaking News Jackie Robinson Statue in Brooklyn Marred By Swastika and Anti-Semitic Slurs
NEW YORK – Vandals defaced a statue of barrier-breaking baseball star Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn, scrawling a racial slur, a swastika and anti-Semitic language on the figure outside a minor league baseball park, police said on Wednesday. The hate crimes task force was investigating and no arrests had been made, a police spokeswoman said. The…
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Breaking News New York Measles Outbreak Halted Among Orthodox
A measles outbreak among New York’s Orthodox Jewish community has been curtailed, according to officials for the city’s department of health. From March to June, 58 cases of measles were reported in Williamsburg and Boro Park in Brooklyn, two heavily populated Orthodox Jewish communities, among children and adults who were not vaccinated or had denied…
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Breaking News Brooklyn Rabbi Probed Over 20 ‘Fake Charities’
A Brooklyn ultra-Orthodox rabbi and purported do-gooder is under investigation for allegedly running 20 phony not-for-profit organizations to solicit funds from donors. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office issued a subpoena on June 7 to Rabbi Yaakov Weingarten of Brooklyn demanding he provide proof of legal incorporation, bank records, expenditures since 2007, and…
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Breaking News Anthony Weiner Charges Into Lead in New York Mayor Poll
Disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner, attempting a political comeback two years after resigning in disgrace from the legislature, has taken the lead over his Democratic rivals in the race for New York City mayor, a poll showed. Weiner, the only Jewish candidate, has the backing of 25 percent of registered Democrats, while City Council Speaker Christine…
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Breaking News Yeshiva Apologizes for iPhone-Happy Jewish Students’ Behavior on Plane
The decision to eject the senior class of the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn from a flight was not anti-Semitic, an internal school report found. AirTran Airways “abused its discretion” in forcing the 101 students off the early morning flight June 3 to their senior trip in Atlanta, according to the report authored by the…
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