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ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 588

religious worship

A woman argues with Rosh Yehudi activists at a mass street prayer for Yom Kippur on Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, on September 24, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash 90)
October 9, 2024, 5:00 am
High Court to rule on public Tel Aviv Yom Kippur prayer amid fears of repeat clashes
On Wednesday morning, judges are set to weigh in on a controversial service that underscores deep rifts in Israeli society and saw violent confrontations when it was held last year
By Mati Wagner
Transportation Minister Miri Regev speaks to the media after a court hearing at the Magistrate's Court in Tel Aviv, January 31, 2024 (Flash90)
January 31, 2024, 3:23 pm
Judge asks Tel Aviv’s mayor to drop ‘time wasting’ libel lawsuit over public prayer
Ron Huldai is suing Transportation Minister Regev for saying he prevented people from putting on tefillin in the street
By Canaan Lidor
Deborah Newbrun. (Margot Yecies via JTA)
November 22, 2022, 2:16 am
Jewish marriage rites are robust; now a rabbi is making rituals for Jews who divorce
Remembering what was lacking when she divorced, Deborah Newbrun adapts existing practices to help people with healing and closure
By Alix Wall
Crime scene tape surrounds Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
July 17, 2022, 9:29 pm
Amid increase in violence, US houses of worship bolster security measures
FBI hate crime statistics show that incidents in churches, synagogues, temples and mosques increased 34.8% between 2014 and 2018
By DEEPA BHARATH and LUIS ANDRES HENAO
Rev. Meredith Mills delivers a sermon from the pulpit for some 30 attendants during the second service of the day in the sanctuary at Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas, Dec. 12, 2021. (Michael Wyke/AP)
December 20, 2021, 9:27 am
Sapped by COVID, Jewish and Christian houses of worship strain to rebuild attendance
After coronavirus pandemic restrictions forced a pause in services on-site, some went online, but as rules ease many community members are still staying at home
By AP and ToI Staff
Artist Gregory Israel Abou burnes a paper with the name Yahweh on it, in a video piece that caused an uproar (video screenshot)
August 13, 2021, 6:48 am
Without authority, police summon artist for questioning for burning name of God
Gregory Israel Abou was told to come in and explain his actions in a video art piece, even though police did not have the necessary okay from state prosecutors
By ToI Staff
Preparations at the Western Wall in Jerusalem for the resumption of group prayers, October 15, 2020 (Western Wall Heritage Foundation)
October 16, 2020, 11:53 am
Western Wall is prepared for resumption of limited group prayers
Dividers set up at holy site ahead of planned opening on Sunday; worshipers will be able to attend in cordoned off sections housing up to 20 people each
By ToI Staff
Illustrative: To create a pre-recorded online service, Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, center, and musicians and singers from Mishkan Chicago recorded the songs and prayers of the High Holidays in August. (Courtesy of See3 Digital Events/ via JTA)
September 1, 2020, 2:12 am
US Jews prepare for pandemic-era High Holiday season of rupture and resilience
Many congregations opt for virtual services, while some Orthodox ones will have short in-person prayers, but COVID-19 is testing commitment across the religious spectrum
By Shira Hanau and PHILISSA CRAMER
Men wearing masks pray in Jerusalem's Hurva Synagogue on May 21, 2020. (Sam Sokol)
August 19, 2020, 3:39 am
How US Orthodox communities are preparing for a pandemic High Holiday season
For observant Jews, virtual services aren’t an option on the holidays. Already fatigued from a prolonged hiatus on usual worship, many do their best to restore a sense of normalcy
By Shira Hanau
Illustrative: Jewish men pray at a synagogue in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, Gush Etzion, May 20, 2020. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)
July 18, 2020, 4:34 pm
Want to pray with a quorum? Some US synagogues require a legal waiver first
With religious worship back on the table, congregations introduce limited in-person prayer — at your own risk
By Ben Harris
Rabbi Jason Nevarez, toward the back in light purple shirt, with his daughter Sophie at a socially distanced meeting with synagogue staff. (Courtesy of Nevarez/ via JTA)
July 13, 2020, 1:47 am
What it’s like to start a job as a rabbi mid-pandemic
Meeting congregants and community leaders is usually a priority, but these new US clergy must acclimate while socially distancing – but also have unique opportunities for closeness
By Josefin Dolsten
Illustrative: A Torah reading at Adas Israel Congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Washington. (Courtesy Adas Israel)
May 15, 2020, 4:03 pm
Conservative movement allows livestreaming on Shabbat, holidays during pandemic
Already under debate before the outbreak, ‘the conclusions will need to be reassessed as we transition to a new normal,’ says the author of the ruling
By Josefin Dolsten
Some synagogues are already preparing for the possibility that they could be empty during the High Holidays. Pictured: a synagogue in Brasov, Romania, December 2019. (Yaakov Schwartz/ Times of Israel)
April 24, 2020, 1:42 pm
Synagogues are already planning for a socially distanced High Holidays
With some experts predicting temple closures though 2021, clergy must face the possibility of empty sanctuaries this Rosh Hashanah
By Josefin Dolsten
Members of Chesed Shel Emes, a burial society based in Brooklyn, transport a body for burial at the cemetery it operates in Woodridge, New York. (Courtesy of Rabbi Mayer Berger/ via JTA)
April 23, 2020, 5:43 am
Jewish burial societies face difficult choices as deaths from coronavirus mount
In the last month, the Chesed Shel Emes in Brooklyn’s work has risen fivefold, as it faces hurdles from fears of contagion to mountains of paperwork
By Shira Hanau
When he's not working from home, Simmy Cohen keeps himself busy chanting classic children's books to Torah trope. (Screenshot from Twitter/Courtesy of Cohen/ via JTA)
April 22, 2020, 1:28 pm
Dad’s Torah reading of ‘Goodnight Moon’ goes viral
Cooped up at home, New York dad Simmy Cohen does some creative parenting — and racks up 40,000 Twitter views with his Jewish spin on a children’s classic
By Shira Hanau
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