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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The Schmooze Orthodox Rabbi Caught Studying Torah During Soccer Game Goes Viral
Rabbi Zev Leff never set out to be a viral star — he just wanted to get in some Torah study. But the Haredi rabbi of Moshav Matityahu, located near the Israeli city of Modiin, became an accidental sensation when a stadium camera caught him studying at the Israel-Scotland game in Glasgow. Rav Leff was…
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Community Stop Stripping Female Jewish Converts Like Ivanka Of Their Agency
In a New York Times article this weekend, Amy Chozick and Hannah Seligson wondered, “Are Jared and Ivanka Good for the Jews?” There’s plenty there to dissect, but what caught my eye was how they described Ivanka Trump, “who converted to Judaism to marry Mr. Kushner.” This is typical of how the media describes women…
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Fast Forward New York State Councilman Sorry For Suggesting Orthodox Jews Aren’t ‘Normal’
(JTA) — A councilman in upstate New York apologized for a text that juxtaposed Orthodox Jews with “normal” ones. Peter Bradley, a member of the Clarkstown Town Council in Rockland County, apologized on Nov. 12 and again the following day at a council meeting for the statements he made on Nov. 2, less than a…
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Fast Forward B&H Photo Sued For Giving $2K Baby Bonus Only To Jewish Workers
The Hasidic owners of a well-known photo equipment company offered their Jewish workers a $2,000 “baby bonus” for having children, but their Mexican workers weren’t given the same incentive, the New York Post reported. B&H Photo Video was sued for its discriminatory practice, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court Suit. The company is owned by…
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Opinion White Nationalism Is Spreading Among The Orthodox — Even After Pittsburgh
In the wake of the horrific massacre in Pittsburgh that left 11 Jews dead, the Jewish community came together. Groups that are often at odds with each other found unity in mourning the slain. While the attack happened at a Conservative synagogue, the Orthodox community was just as vocal in its communal mourning. There were…
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Fast Forward Man Who Snatched Orthodox Women’s Wigs Arrested In California
A man suspected of pulling wigs off the heads of Orthodox Jewish women in North Hollywood, California, was arrested Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported. Police believe the women were targeted because they’re Jewish. The man was not immediately identified. He is accused of three instances of battery, the Times reported. An 80-year-old woman said…
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Life Among Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox, ‘Civics’ Takes On A Very Different Meaning
“We don’t discuss politics, gossip or slander,” declared the billboard, located on a busy thoroughfare in the ultra-orthodox suburb of Ramat Beit Shemesh. “We should distance ourselves from everything having to do with the elections as if from fire,” one cartoon boy on the billboard was portrayed saying. “My father told me that he also…
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Fast Forward Orthodox Rabbi: Don’t Pray For Pittsburgh Victims Because They Were Conservative Jews
Updated 10:00 p.m. An Orthodox rabbi said that Jews should not pray for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre because they were killed while praying in a Conservative synagogue. “Somebody came over to me and told me today that he got an email that people should go gather someplace here in town to give…
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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 Ursula Haverbeck, infamous German Holocaust denier known as ‘Nazi grandma,’ dies at 96
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