The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/rabbis/ News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:02:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2018/11/toi_icon_512-200x200.png rabbis | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/rabbis/ 32 32 ‘Do not oppress the stranger’: 1,000-plus US rabbis sign letter backing immigrant rights https://www.timesofisrael.com/do-not-oppress-the-stranger-1000-plus-us-rabbis-sign-letter-backing-immigrant-rights/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:01:10 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3775773 Ahead of HIAS's annual 'Refugee Shabbat,' Jewish clergy from 45 states invoke biblical commandments, say 'tradition is clear' in support of refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers

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]]> Andrea Weiss, trailblazing Reform rabbi who merged scholarship and activism, dies at 60 https://www.timesofisrael.com/andrea-weiss-trailblazing-reform-rabbi-who-merged-scholarship-and-activism-dies-at-60/ Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:29:24 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3769465 Former Hebrew Union College provost, the first-ever woman to ordain rabbis in the Reform movement, is praised by colleagues for bringing her 'whole heart' to everything she did

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]]> Jerusalem rabbi gets 20 months for using fake ID to dupe 12 women into sleeping with him https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-rabbi-gets-to-20-months-for-using-fake-id-to-dupe-12-women-into-sleeping-with-him/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:14:24 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?post_type=liveblog_entry&p=3757828 Married father used alias 'Jack Segal' on dating sites between 2016 and 2023, posing as secular and single; also ordered to pay up to $4,800 compensation per victim

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]]> Minnesota rabbi among dozens arrested in faith leaders’ anti-ICE protest https://www.timesofisrael.com/minnesota-rabbi-among-dozens-arrested-in-faith-leaders-anti-ice-protest/ Sat, 24 Jan 2026 03:23:29 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3740304 Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman briefly detained while trying to disrupt operations at airport that fellow rabbi says 'is being used to deport folks'

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]]> From a modest start, an Instagram look book for Jewish clergy is starting to take off https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-a-modest-start-an-instagram-look-book-for-jewish-clergy-is-starting-to-take-off/ Sat, 03 Jan 2026 01:03:57 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3721959 With stereotype-breaking 'what they’re wearing' posts, rabbis Arielle Stein and Rafi Ellenson showcase the rabbinate's different stripes on lifestyle account Rabbinic Fit Check

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]]> Surging LGBTQ enrollment in Jewish seminaries signals ‘astounding’ shift in US rabbinate https://www.timesofisrael.com/surging-lgbtq-enrollment-in-jewish-seminaries-signals-astounding-shift-in-us-rabbinate/ Sun, 23 Nov 2025 01:44:58 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3692283 A new study provides empirical evidence for a trend many have seen coming for years, as new models and broken barriers bring an influx of leadership from a once-marginalized population

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]]> Study finds ‘shortage’ of US rabbis is more about fit than numbers https://www.timesofisrael.com/study-finds-shortage-of-us-rabbis-is-more-about-fit-than-numbers/ Wed, 12 Nov 2025 19:20:13 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3687340 In first-ever empirical study of the American rabbinate, excluding Haredi circles, rabbinic foundation says declining enrollment in rabbinical schools is 'surmountable challenge'

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]]> 850+ US rabbis sign letter opposing Mamdani and the ‘political normalization’ of anti-Zionism https://www.timesofisrael.com/650-us-rabbis-sign-letter-opposing-mamdani-and-the-political-normalization-of-anti-zionism/ Wed, 22 Oct 2025 22:23:37 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3671743 Letter calling to 'defend the Jewish future' rejects 'false choice' of 'treating Jewish self-determination as a negotiable ideal or Jewish inclusion as something to be granted’

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]]> Rabbi Arthur Waskow, longtime progressive US activist and author, dies at 92 https://www.timesofisrael.com/rabbi-arthur-waskow-longtime-progressive-us-activist-and-author-dies-at-92/ Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:27:06 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3669965 From Philadelphia, Waskow spent over six decades championing progressive causes like civil rights, economic injustice and climate change through a spiritual Jewish lens

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]]> What are Jews in the pews most hungry to hear this new year? Rabbis weigh in https://www.timesofisrael.com/what-are-jews-in-the-pews-most-hungry-to-hear-this-new-year-rabbis-weigh-in/ Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:49:33 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3646032 In a time of turmoil in the United States and Israel, clergy offer High Holiday messages of hope and resilience

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]]> Two congregations, two opinions as Torahs hit the floor at separate NYC synagogues https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-congregations-two-opinions-as-torahs-hit-the-floor-at-separate-nyc-synagogues/ Thu, 28 Aug 2025 01:24:42 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3628421 Accidental dropping of the cherished scrolls can impact local communities - and the Jewish news cycle - while how it's dealt with can teach us much about contemporary Jewish values

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]]> US Conservative rabbi quits movement, preempting sanctions over performing intermarriages https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-conservative-rabbi-quits-movement-preempting-sanctions-over-performing-intermarriages/ Thu, 14 Aug 2025 03:46:17 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3618483 As the denomination's ethics committee opens an investigation into rabbinical scion Ari Yehuda Saks' participation in interfaith weddings, the cleric doesn't wait for a verdict

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]]> As images from Gaza spread, US rabbis wrestle with war’s morality from the pulpit https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-images-from-gaza-spread-us-rabbis-wrestle-with-wars-morality-from-the-pulpit/ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:22:24 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3609036 Amid pressure on Jewish institutions to reckon with ongoing war, clergy ask Israel to alleviate suffering in Gaza, employing a Jewish moral vocabulary in a moment of despair

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]]> 35 US rabbis arrested in separate NYC and DC demonstrations for Gaza food aid https://www.timesofisrael.com/35-us-rabbis-arrested-in-separate-nyc-and-dc-demonstrations-for-gaza-food-aid/ Tue, 29 Jul 2025 23:51:49 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3609517 27 held after protesting in Senate majority leader's office, 8 others detained near Israeli consulate, reflecting growing concern for Gazan civilians among liberal Jewish leaders

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]]> Why Reconstructionist Judaism head Rabbi Deborah Waxman is stepping down after 13 years https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-reconstructionist-judaism-head-rabbi-deborah-waxman-is-stepping-down-after-13-years/ Sun, 04 May 2025 00:57:31 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3540212 After leading the progressive denomination for 'almost a generation' as it grappled with issues like interfaith relationships and anti-Zionism, she's inviting in younger leadership

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