Haredi Jews
Israeli rabbinate under scrutiny as religious issues threaten government’s wartime unity
By David I. Klein — March 21, 2024
(RNS) — A complaint against the rabbinate's control of who is deemed Jewish comes as cracks are beginning to show in the sense of unity fostered by Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7.
Safeguarding Israel with Torah study
By Avi Shafran — March 12, 2024
(RNS) — The question of Haredi conscription is not a matter of political privilege but religious liberty.
How Orthodox Jewish women are creating a parallel entertainment market
By Yonat Shimron — March 4, 2024
(RNS) — Jessica Roda's new book explores how women in Haredi communities are embracing and creating digital arts tailored to the gender-segregated world of women.
Nine arrests at Chabad synagogue after students thwart filling of secret tunnel
By Fiona André — January 9, 2024
NEW YORK (RNS) — Monday’s chaotic scenes shocked members of the Chabad-Lubavitch community, who regard the synagogue as deeply sacred.
Haredi Jews, exempt from Israel’s military service mandate, sign up to fight Hamas
By Michele Chabin — October 30, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — 'This isn’t a drill. This is an actual war,' one ultra-Orthodox Israeli said. 'During wartime, we must all do the maximum. Anyone who isn’t studying Torah full time should contribute.'
An advocate for secular education among Haredi Jews discovers journalism
By Yonat Shimron — August 14, 2023
(RNS) — Naftuli Moster became convinced there needs to be an independent news outlet that holds Haredi leaders and institutions — and especially the rabbinic establishments — accountable.
Appealing to Orthodox Jews, Israeli media remove women from view
By Michele Chabin — July 21, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Determined to return women’s images to the public sphere, a feminist Orthodox Israeli has created a unique photo bank of religious Jewish women and their families. It has become a resource for positive images of religious Jewish women.
Choice is the future of religion in America
By Mark Silk — June 1, 2023
(RNS) — Judaism lays bare the complexities of American religion’s new regime of choice.
Israel’s new hard-line government has made headlines – the bigger demographic changes that caused it, not so much
By Michael Brenner — January 11, 2023
(The Conversation) — Two religiously observant groups of Jews in Israel, the ultra-Orthodox and Religious Zionists, are increasingly acting as political allies. The consequences could be profound.
Why Israel’s Orthodox Jewish parties want to narrow the country’s ‘Law of Return’
By Avi Shafran — January 11, 2023
(RNS) — The Orthodox parties see the law as a recipe for increased intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews.
Israel’s Haredi parties support Netanyahu again, but their politics aren’t what you think
By Avi Shafran — November 14, 2022
(RNS) — The 'ultra-Orthodox' Shas and United Torah Judaism parties aren't political hardliners, or very political at all.
Israel’s Haredi voters drift hard right in leadership vacuum
By Ilan Ben Zion — October 31, 2022
JERUSALEM (AP) — Itamar Ben-Gvir's sharp rise in popularity in the last three years has transformed him from a fringe provocateur to a central player in Tuesday's parliament election.
Holding Hasidic schools to account
By Mark Silk — September 25, 2022
(RNS) — The current Supreme Court, where a new New York law is likely to end up, isn't prone to do so.
What The New York Times’ story on Hasidic schools misses
By Avi Shafran — September 13, 2022
(RNS) — The vast majority of Hasidic parents and students cherish the education offered by their yeshivas.
Israel’s new policy on ‘kosher cellphones’ is an abomination for Haredi rabbis
By Eetta Prince-Gibson — July 13, 2022
JERUSALEM (RNS) — The country’s governing coalition has so far ended ultra-Orthodox control over adherents’ phones.
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