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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Yiddish World Why ‘Hester Street’ meant so much for Jewish women (and for Yiddish)
Before “Hester Street," Jewish-American women characters who looked and acted “too Jewish” were often ridiculed
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News Pinched by the pandemic, congregants are cutting synagogues dues from their household budgets
Across denominations and across the United States, Jewish families under financial pressure from the coronavirus pandemic are deciding that synagogue dues are an expense they can cut. “More congregations are seeing declines in members than are seeing growth,” said Amy Asin, vice-president of Strengthening Congregations, the synagogue advising arm at the Union of Reform Judaism….
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News Meet Gabbi Stein, the first Orthodox Jewish girl to earn the rank of Eagle Scout
Not long after the Boy Scouts of America started letting girls in, Gabbi Stein felt her parents nudging her to join. Their sales pitch was hardly original: Their daughter was a junior in high school. It would look good on her college applications. “At first I was like, Oh my God, this is totally not…
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News Frum Flush: at World Series of Poker, an Orthodox Jew makes final table
It’s been all gimmels for Gershon Distenfeld at the 2020 World Series of Poker main event. The Orthodox Jewish resident of Bergenfield, New Jersey, is one of nine contestants to advance to the last round of the no-limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament, whose winner — considered to be the world champion of poker in a…
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Community A Baal Teshuva, I chose this community. In Covid, they keep choosing to hurt my family.
'What you do, you do directly to everyone else'
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News Orthodox Jews are leaving Lakewood for a neighboring suburb. How much will they change it?
You won’t see any synagogues driving around Jackson, N.J. But they’re there — at least 15 of them, hidden inside unassuming houses on wooded lots, according to Tzvi Herman, an Orthodox resident of the town. Though invisible to passersby, the synagogues are signs of the sudden growth of the Orthodox community in this spacious south…
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Israel News ‘I’m considered a traitor.’ Orthodox Jewish Biden voters are feeling the heat
Some of the most moving conversations I have had recently were with voters who left their political home on the right, including Orthodox Jews, and voted for Joe Biden. Why did their stories make such an impression on me? Their reasons for rejecting Trump weren’t unusual. They eschewed his character, his policies, his populism and…
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Fast Forward Yeshivas, private schools, not impacted by NYC school closures
While New York City public schools are closing due to the city reaching an average 3% positivity rate over the last seven days, private schools, including Jewish day schools and yeshivas, are not being asked to comply with the city’s ruling — yet. The city and state both have different data for the seven-day average…
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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.
In Case You Missed It
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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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