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
Jewish law
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
Opinion To the Rabbis Who Banned Jews From Owning Dogs: You Must Be Barking
When ultra-Orthodox Israeli rabbis recently called dog-owners 'accursed' they drew on a long tale of anti-canine hostility in Jewish sources. But dogs can be Jews' best friends, too
Israeli Court Acquits Settler Who Said Jewish Law Permits Killing Soldiers Evicting Settlements
Yitzhar resident called policeman 'dog' and wrote Facebook posts during West Bank evacuations, but judge ruled he didn't call on others to commit violence
All Dogs Are Bad and Their Owners Accursed, Israeli City’s Rabbis Rule
'A serious phenomenon has spread in our city Elad, in which young boys and children walk around publicly with dogs. This is strictly forbidden'
Coffee en Route to Synagogue on Shabbat? No Problem in 18th Century Prague
250 years ago, the city’s rabbis ruled that coffeehouses in the Jewish quarter were permitted to open on the Sabbath
Opinion Smotrich's 'Laws of the Torah' Are as Delusional as the Christian Right's 'Judeo-Christian Values'
Far-right politician Bezalel Smotrich is fluent in Judaism's canonical texts. He's also a minority-bashing ignoramus married to a mythological theocratic past constructing a 'Torah' in his own brutish image
Analysis Not the Palestinians, the Economy or Even Netanyahu: Election Will Test Israel's Jewish Character
Far-right leader has unleashed a firestorm with his comments on Jewish theocracy, making September 17 much more than another referendum on Netanyahu's leadership
Israel Will Not Be Governed by Jewish Law, Netanyahu Tweets After Political Ally's Remarks
Far-right leader Bezalel Smotrich, who is vying for the justice portfolio and known for his radical views, said Israel should 'go back to operating as it did in King David's days'
Opinion What Jewish Law Really Says About Abortion
The religious Jewish community cannot justify staying on the sidelines of the abortion debate, writes an ultra-Orthodox health care researcher
In First, Israeli Court Convicts Husband Refusing to Grant Wife Divorce of Criminal Offense
Meir Gorodetzky is sentenced to 15 months in prison – on top of the 18 years he already spent in prison on a civil offense