Toronto’s Orthodox community adjusts to Nicole, nee Mordechai

Mordechai’s community and friends are still adjusting to his decision to become Nicole - some better than others.

Mordechai used to be known in his Toronto Orthodox community as Nord,…

Mordechai, a 31-year-old Orthodox lawyer from Toronto, gave his wife a Jewish divorce this summer.

Then he began his life as Nicole, a woman.

Nicole isn’t the first transgender person to live an Orthodox life, but as far…

NEWTON, Mass., June 6 (JTA)—Anita Diamant, a Jewish educator and best-selling author of "The Red Tent," remembers going to Boston's Orthodox mikvah, or ritual bath, years ago for her husband's conversion.

"We sat in a tiny foyer, with the sound of the washer and dryer going next door,"…

There often seems to be great confusion about what can be considered authentic Judaism and what is outside the pale. Marc Shapiro's recent book challenging the place of Rambam's Thirteen Principles of Faith shows that even Orthodoxy is not completely clear on what beliefs cannot be considered orthodox. While…

I. An Ideal

The pressures and complexities of contemporary life often interfere with a person obtaining and maintaining clear insight into religion. There is so much to read and so many opinions on everything. Issues are often politicized, powerful lobbies sugar-coat their self-interests and the mass media commonly contribute immense…