Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Orthodox Judaism, which aims for a stricter observance of halachic law than Conservative or Reform Judaism. It includes Modern Orthodox Judaism, as well as Haredi (sometimes called ultra-Orthodox) Judaism,…
Orthodox Judaism
The Latest
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News Orthodox groups launch uphill battle against daylight saving time bill
Orthodox advocacy groups are launching a longshot bid to stall a bipartisan bill that would make daylight saving time permanent across the nation. In a letter expected to be sent to congressional leaders on Monday, an advanced copy which was obtained by the Forward, the Orthodox Union warned that the bill, which was passed by…
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Opinion That’s Amar’e! Black Orthodox superstars making outreach to the masses
In a recent HBO special, superstar NBA player and coach Amar’e Stoudemire is seen by millions — not dunking, but davening. He followed that by making headlines in the Jewish world, announcing he’s ready for a shidduch and to remarry. Not to be outdone, another celebrity — top-selling rapper and producer Nissim Black — last…
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News Orthodox leaders travel to Israel to lobby government against issues important to Conservative and Reform movements
A group of American and European Orthodox leaders are heading to Israel on Tuesday for a 48-hour mission to lobby the government to shelve plans that would change the status quo on religious issues that are supported by liberal Zionists and the Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism. The mission is organized by Am Echad,…
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News No ‘Super Jewish’ district, but increased Orthodox influence in New York’s capital
Orthodox leaders are welcoming newly drawn lines that could for the first time give a member of the upstate New York community a shot at a seat in the state legislature. A new Rockland County district is the good news for Orthodox Jews looking for more representation in Washington and Albany, where the Democratically controlled…
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Fast Forward Stereotypes say Orthodox Jews avoid mental health treatment. The science says otherwise.
A new study counters the assumption that Orthodox Jews are reluctant to seek treatment for mental illness. It also concludes that when experiencing lower grade anxiety and depression, they pursue professional help more so than the general population. Writing in this month’s issue of the journal Transcultural Psychiatry, the study’s authors note stereotypes of Orthodox…
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Opinion I’m an Orthodox med student. My community needs real sex education
“You know, halacha (Jewish law) almost never allows contraception use,” an acquaintance boldly asserted to me recently. More than factually erroneous, the statement belied a misguided attempt to fill a void. In the absence of proper education, he had formed a lopsided picture of Judaism that would inform his personal moral code. This is not…
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Yiddish World Orthodox songwriter Yossi Desser debuts album of Yiddish Hanukkah carols
It’s that time of year again: no matter which supermarket you enter or storefront you pass by, it’s the same old Christmas carols on the PA system. But what if you heard them in Yiddish, celebrating Hanukkah instead? It may sound gimmicky but in his debut album, “Yiddish Hanukkah Carols”, Orthodox singer-songwriter Yossi Desser has…
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Culture With #MyOrthodoxLife, religious women say Netflix doesn’t speak for them
It looked like a pretty ordinary Instagram post: a smiling woman in a trendy periwinkle dress, posed against a background of roses. But Alex Fleksher, the woman in the picture, was on a mission. She wanted people to know that plenty of women “are leading happy, healthy, and fulfilled Orthodox lives,” she wrote. “I’m a…
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Fast Forward Why neo-Nazis marched in Ohio this weekend, and almost every weekend in the US
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Opinion The group behind Project 2025 has a plan to protect Jews. It will do the opposite.
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Opinion Just about every interpretation of Trump’s narrow election victory is wrong
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News Texas schools want to add Queen Esther to the curriculum. Here’s why Jews (and many Christians) are opposed.
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Fast Forward Rep. Ritchie Torres, outspoken pro-Israel advocate, is dropping hints that he could run for NY governor
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Fast Forward Ursula Haverbeck, infamous German Holocaust denier known as ‘Nazi grandma,’ dies at 96
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Fast Forward A Jewish museum in Tulsa held a funeral for remains of Holocaust victims it kept for years
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Sports Texas A&M’s Sam Salz cherishes his first taste of DI college football — and the opportunity to inspire fellow Orthodox Jews
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