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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Life Yes, The Orthodox Are Exclusive – But That Doesn’t Mean You Should Be
A follow-up to an essay published last week, “Do Pluralistic Jewish Organizations Stop At The Orthodox?” A few months ago, I attended a lecture by an acclaimed academic, an Orthodox Jewish female leader. She recounted a story: Highly credentialed with degrees from Ivy League institutions, she was invited to be on a panel discussion at…
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Opinion How The Obsession With Jewish Continuity Perverts Our Liberal Values
This week, we found out from sociologist Steven Cohen that the worlds of Reform and Conservative Judaism are disappearing into blackness — almost literally. Their scant replacement numbers are being demographically dwarfed by the masses of Orthodox children, and a generation down the line the American Jewish population will have drastically shifted its religious affiliation….
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Community What Is The Jewish Obsession With Intermarriage Really About?
Last week, the Forward published a piece by Allison Darcy entitled “Are Your Views on Intermarriage Racist?” It’s a well-written and thoughtful piece, and even as a religious woman who is opposed to intermarriage, I agree with many of her points. Particularly this one: “There is a big difference between wanting to marry someone who…
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Life Leading High Holiday Services – And Catching A Break From Motherhood’s Demands
When I was a little girl, my father always led the shacharit (morning service) on the High Holidays. The tunes permeated our house, beginning whenever he decided the season should. Sometimes he started ‘practicing’ as early as Purim. He knew it all nearly by heart, and even as a young child, I sensed that he…
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Opinion The ‘Orthodox Explosion’ Is Not About Numbers — It’s About Our Values
A recent article in these pages by sociologist Steven Cohen and others concluded, based on the Pew Research Center’s findings, that in 40 years, far fewer American Jews will identify as Conservative and Reform, and far more will identify as Orthodox. While the authors wrote of this as a “jarring” trend, it is hardly surprising…
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Opinion Does Orthodox Explosion Signal Doom For Conservative And Reform?
In the next 20-40 years, we will witness dramatic changes in the American Jewish population. The changes won’t be in overall size, but in how many Jews are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and nondenominational. In 2013, the Pew Research Center’s study of Jewish Americans revealed much about the future of American Jewry. We recently plotted the…
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News By The Numbers: 10 Surprising Demographic Facts About U.S. Jews
The Public Religion Research Institute (PPRI) released a report last week on “America’s Changing Religious Identity.” Many of the findings were of particular interest to the Jewish community. Below are the 10 most fascinating things we learned about the changing nature of the American Jewish landscape: 1: Jews Are No Longer The Most Educated Religious…
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News EXCLUSIVE: 3 Ex-Orthodox Women Accuse Community Member Of Sexual Assault
Five women who have broken with ultra-Orthodox Judaism are accusing a man in the ex-Orthodox community of sexual misconduct, with three alleging that he sexually assaulted them. The allegations surfaced when one of the women posted her story to Facebook, which prompted several women to tell their own stories of alleged mistreatment — from pressuring…
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