Orthodox Jews

When he was 7, a tiny gesture from his grandmother changed his relationship to God

5:00am July 22, 2024

by Laura Kwerel

Shalom Auslander grew up in a strict Orthodox Jewish home. When he was 7, his grandmother offered him something small that made him rethink his entire relationship to religion.

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Jewish pilgrims gather at a lake to perform Tashlikh, an atonement ritual that involves symbolically casting one's sins into a body of water, during the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Rabbi Nachman's tomb in Uman, Ukraine on Monday. Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a reported 23,000 adherents made the trip, which was complicated by the grounding of civilian aviation throughout Ukraine.

War didn't stop Hasidic pilgrims from gathering in Ukraine for the Jewish new year

4:31pm September 28, 2022

Orthodox Jews gathered in Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, at the tomb of a rabbi who preached his vision of a joy-filled life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Palestinian workers clean dirt off sweet potatoes to prepare them for export to the West Bank.

World News

A biblical rest from farming in Israel could help Gaza's growers. They are waiting

8:00am December 26, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

For Orthodox Jews during a yearlong agricultural sabbath, Israel pledged to lift some restrictions on produce from the Gaza Strip. Palestinian farmers in Gaza are wondering what's taking so long.

Members of the Orthodox Jewish community gather around a journalist as he conducts an interview on a street corner, last Wednesday, in the Borough Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo moved to reinstate restrictions on

Police Arrest Anti-Lockdown Protest Leader In New York's Orthodox Jewish Community

12:16pm October 12, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Harold "Heshy" Tischler, a talk show host and candidate for City Council, is charged with inciting a riot and unlawful imprisonment after he allegedly egged on violence against a journalist.

Hassidic Jews Socially distancing on a Willamsburg street during Saturday morning shabbat prayers on May 2.

Jewish Americans Say They Are Scapegoated For The Coronavirus Spread

3:29pm May 13, 2020

by Matt Katz

Violations of health regulations by Orthodox Jews have been documented by public officials and media at a level of scrutiny that Jews say others don't face.

Israeli police officers wearing protective gloves and masks check papers as they enforce restrictions in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem on Tuesday, during a partial lockdown to curb spread of coronavirus infection.

Israel Faces Challenges In Fighting Coronavirus In Ultra-Orthodox Communities

4:05pm April 01, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 12% of Israel's population — but account for many of Israel's COVID-19 cases. This week a senior rabbi finally urged his followers to obey government lockdown orders.

Orthodox Jewish women are increasingly joining a custom called Daf Yomi, Hebrew for "daily page," which involves reading a page a day of the Talmud, a centuries-old, multivolume collection of rabbinic teachings, debates and interpretations of Judaism. Her

Orthodox Jewish Women Take A New Lead In Talmud Study In Israel

9:42am February 02, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

"I never thought I would live to see this day," said one of the women participating in a recent celebration in Jerusalem.