The search to replace Britain's powerful longtime chief rabbi has gone international, but even as resumes are gathered and interviews conducted, some are questioning whether the position is still relevant and what it means today for the Anglo Jewish community....
Letter provokes responses Norman Pressman raises an interesting point in his objection to the all-girls musical productions of Block Yeshiva and Bais Yaakov (Letter to the editor, Feb. 29). He is correct that I will not be able to attend my own daughter’s...
The Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis has restructured the rabbinic oversight for its communal operations, and appointed two rabbis from within the local community to fill new positions of Rabbanim Acharaim (Certifying Rabbis). According to Perry Mendelson, president...
By Lisa Alcalay Klug, JTA
• Published February 8, 2012
LOS ANGELES -- With his yarmulke, ritual fringes and lyrics occasionally borrowed from ancient texts, Grammy-nominated reggae star Matisyahu may be the most publicly Jewish performer in the mainstream music scene. But he's not the only one. Growing ranks...
JERUSALEM -- Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, considered this generation's leading halachic authority, is in critical condition. Prayer sessions in Israel and around the world have been held for Elyashiv, 101, the leader of the Lithuanian haredi Orthodox...
By Uriel Heilman, JTA
• Published February 2, 2012
NEW YORK -- With day school tuition fees on the rise, New York housing costs among the highest in the nation and the job market still tough, the Orthodox Union has a solution for Orthodox Jews under pressure: Move to Houston. In a first-of-its-kind partnership...
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
• Published January 25, 2012
One of the most memorable events during my long career at the Jewish Light took place in July of 1978 at the home of the late Rabbi Menachem Zvi Eichenstein and the late Rebbetzin Renee Eichenstein. That's when the two invited internationally noted sex...
A population study of the greater Cleveland area found that the Jewish population has remained relatively stable over the last 15 years. The 2011 Greater Cleveland Jewish Population Study, the first comprehensive survey since 1996, found 80,800 Jews...
JERUSALEM -- Haredi Orthodox Jews clashed with police in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem. Some 200 protesters gathered in Shabbat Square Sunday afternoon after six respected members of the haredi Orthodox community were arrested for tax offenses....
By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published January 11, 2012
Assi Gastfraind has his audience's full attention. As he looks into young faces as bright as the Sunday morning sunlight streaming into this classroom tucked comfortably behind Bais Abraham's sanctuary, every question seems to elicit a sea of eager waving...
By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published December 14, 2011
They come for the wedding. They come for the bar and bat mitzvah. They come for the High Holidays. But the question that troubles Rick Kodner doesn't revolve around lifecycle events. How do you get them to come the rest of the time? "What's happened is...
By Repps Hudson, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published December 14, 2011
Rabbi Gilad Kariv believes Reform Judaism holds the key to reviving the moderate center in Israel, which many commentators in recent years have noted may has been hollowed out and lost to extremists. "I strongly believe Reform Judaism can be one of the...
