Jewish law
Israeli High Court Orders Disciplinary Hearing of Safed's Chief Rabbi for Racist Comments
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, a state employee, who once said anyone who touches a Jew should be 'annihilated,' scolds ruling of ‘politically motivated court’
Talmud's Solution to the Coronavirus Dilemma: Save Lives, or the Economy?
Jewish tradition has brilliant suggestions about economics. Those making the decisions during this crisis should take note of them
In First, Women Will Be Able to Take Israel's Jewish Law Exams
'These female Torah scholars want official expression of their broad knowledge of Jewish law in a way that will be recognized by the state,' attorney Elad Caplan says
Defying High Court, the Israeli Army Still Presses non-Jewish Soldiers to Convert
Soldiers continue to be approached regarding the army's pre-conversion course, regardless of their interest in participating
Is the Ancient Karaite Jewish Community About to Disappear?
A visit to the last two predominantly Karaite communities left in the world
How an Israeli Anti-abortion Group Got Its Hands on Confidential Information to Influence Women
When a staff member at an abortion clinic contacted religious organization Hidabroot with a guilty conscience, it realized it had hit the jackpot
How Jewish Mystics Sought to Vanquish Hitler – and the Coronavirus
Stopping the Nazis with the aid of magic and fighting the coronavirus with blasts of the shofar? Neither surprise Yuval Harari, a scholar of Jewish magic and mysticism at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Secret Consultations Behind Israeli Chief Rabbinate's Blacklist of Diaspora Rabbis to Be Made Public
Jerusalem District Court rules in favor of progressive Orthodox movement that demanded transparency in decision-making process
Ritual Baths in Israel Open During Coronavirus Crisis Despite Hygiene Shortfalls
'The risk of infection with the coronavirus is clear,' one expert says. 'If the chlorine level or acidity level is off, the danger is there'
How Judaism Handled Epidemics Down the Ages
Scientific observation gradually prevailed over the belief that outbreaks stemmed from God’s wrath, but the dilemma over succoring the sick remains
Israel's Chief Rabbi Should Be Disciplined for Racist Comments, Judicial Ombudsman Says
Controversial comments by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef targeting Israelis from former Soviet state prompted backlash, with Netanyahu labeling them 'outrageous'
You May Not See It, but ultra-Orthodox Women Are Angry
Four types of physical and invisible partitions erase and humiliate ultra-Orthodox women, but it's all women who suffer
Israeli High Court Allows DNA Testing to Prove Judaism
Petition filed by Avigdor Lieberman, Yisrael Beitenu and several individuals asking for the DNA testing to prove Judaism to be disallowed is struck down
Jews in Revolt
Globalization has broadened human interaction, but also created feelings of disconnect and alienation. Who knows about all that better than the wandering, solitary Jew?
The Wrong Way to Study the Talmud
Studying one page of the Babylonian Talmud every day has become a popular custom among a range of different communities in Israel and the Diaspora. But is this really the correct way to approach such a sophisticated, multilayered work?
After Retracting Initial Data, Israel Reveals: More Than One-third of Recent Immigrants Were ‘Not Jewish’
The revised data show 61% of Russian immigrants arriving since 2012 were classified as not Jewish, compared to fewer than 5% of U.S. immigrants
They Felt Pressured to Get Circumcised After Moving to Israel. They Now Regret It
Tens of thousands of teen boys and men from the former Soviet Union were herded into Israeli operating rooms beginning in the '90s to undergo circumcisions. Years later, they recall the resulting trauma and pain, and the damage wrought on their sex lives
Immigration to Israel Is on the Rise Thanks to These 'non-Jews'
Two out of every three immigrants to Israel come from either Russia or Ukraine, but most aren't recognized as Jewish – which makes things like marrying, starting a family and getting buried a problem
Rabbinical Court in Israel Separates Siblings in Bitter Divorce Case
Netanya Rabbinical Court rules three of the children would live with father, two with mother
Rabbinical Courts Can't Discuss Child Support Without Parents' Consent, Israel's Top Court Rules
Supreme Court says both parents must agree to allow a rabbinical court to address the issue during divorce proceedings in what a senior legal official calls a 'dramatic' ruling
Israeli Hotels Can Serve Food on Shabbat and Be Kosher, but for Restaurants It's Too 'Risky'
Rabbinical council rejects petition by a Jerusalem restaurateur, arguing eateries would be 'tempted' to violate religious law when the number of diners exceeded estimates
Israel's Rabbinical Courts Begin to Recognize DNA Tests, Potentially Opening Gateway to Proving Jewishness
'Scientists are reluctant to deal with this since it's reminiscent of what Nazis did,' says researcher whose work paved path for use of DNA testing as proof of Jewish heritage
U.S. Jew Disavows Divorce Deal to Have His Mother Buried in Israel
Man who has refused to divorce his wife for 15 years says he never agreed to deal announced by Israel's chief rabbi, but relatives vow to 'do everything' to persuade him
Israeli Minister Blasts 'Weak' Netanyahu Over Court Ruling Blocking Gender Segregation
Bezalel Smotrich also said court system was 'stupid' after judge barred a northern municipality from holding a gender-separated event for the ultra-Orthodox public, sparking heated debate by political leaders
At Rabbinical Court, Her Husband Accused Her of Cheating. Then She Lost Everything
When Liora and her husband divorced, she never imagined that she would find herself handcuffed and in a prison cell on the orders of a rabbinical court. Or that the divorce would leave her destitute