Orthodox Judaism
Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, poses after winning the gold medal after the floor exercise during the artistic gymnastics men's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Olympian Dolgopyat arrives home to hero's welcome in Israel

By Laurie Kellman Aug. 03, 2021 07:31 AM EDT

Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, left, celebrates after winning the gold medal on the floor exercise during the artistic gymnastics men's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Israel's Olympic gold victory raises Jewish identity debate

By Ilan Ben Zion Aug. 02, 2021 02:52 PM EDT

Leo Soto, who created this memorial with grocery stores donating flowers and candles, pauses in front of photos of some of the missing people that he put on a fence, near the site of an oceanfront condo building that partially collapsed in Surfside, Fla., Friday, June 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Victims in Miami condo collapse came from around the world

By Regina Garcia Cano, Roxana Hegeman And Jocelyn Gecker Jun. 26, 2021 01:05 AM EDT

A participant pauses in the annual Pride Parade, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 25, 2021. Thousands of people attended the parade Friday in one of the largest public gatherings held in Israel since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Tens of thousands attend Pride parade in Israel's Tel Aviv

By Ariel Schalit Jun. 25, 2021 06:09 AM EDT

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, center, chairs the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new government in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 20, 2021. Bennett opened his first Cabinet meeting on Sunday since swearing in his new coalition government with a condemnation of the newly elected Iranian president, whom he called “the hangman of Tehran.” (Emmanuel Dunand/Pool Photo via AP)
Israel launches official probe into deadly festival stampede

Jun. 20, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Aranka Engel, 103, left, holds the hand of fellow Holocaust survivor Jean Kurz, 81, while watching Orthodox Jewish singer Yaakov Shwekey perform at a concert honoring them and dozens of other Holocaust survivors on Monday, June 14, 2021, at the Yeshivah of Flatbush theater at Joel Braverman High School in the Brooklyn borough of New York. It was the first large gathering for New York-area Holocaust survivors after more than a year of isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
NY Holocaust survivors celebrated at concert after isolation

By Luis Andres Henao Jun. 14, 2021 08:57 PM EDT

Torah ark desecrated inside Frankfurt Airport prayer room

Jun. 12, 2021 09:03 AM EDT
BERLIN (AP) — A leading Jewish group in Germany on Saturday condemned the antisemitic desecration of a Torah ark inside the Jewish prayer room at Frankfurt's...

Israeli left-wing protesters chant slogans and hold flags during a demonstration for the forming of a new government in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Hebrew sign reads: "We are the hope". (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Netanyahu opponents reach coalition deal to oust Israeli PM

By Josef Federman Jun. 02, 2021 11:37 AM EDT

NYC candidate avoids jail for sparking riot over virus rules

May. 08, 2021 12:40 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City political candidate who led protests against coronavirus restrictions in Brooklyn last fall will avoid jail time after pleading...

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men attend the funeral of Yossi Kohn, 21, from Cleveland, Ohio, who died during Lag BaOmer celebrations at Mt. Meron in northern Israel, in Jerusalem, Sunday, May 2, 2021. A stampede at a religious festival attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel killed dozens of people and injured about 150 early Friday, medical officials said. It was one of the country's deadliest civilian disasters. (AP Photo/Oren Ben Hakoon)
Israeli watchdog to investigate deadly festival stampede

By Ilan Ben Zion May. 03, 2021 07:00 AM EDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 28, 2020 file photo, Ahmad Kamel, right, performs the Maghrib prayer with his wife, Nadia Chaouch, as their son Ahmad Kamel runs past after the family broke the Ramadan daily fast just after sunset in their home, during the coronavirus outbreak in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Holy days arrive for the faithful as pandemic eases in US

By David Crary And Mariam Fam Mar. 31, 2021 09:08 AM EDT

Israeli politician Benny Gantz gestures as he speaks during a conference in Jerusalem, March 7, 2021. Israel is holding its fourth election in two years after two deadlocked votes and a government that collapsed after less than a year. It is widely seen as a one-issue referendum — with the electorate almost evenly divided — on whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can remain in power. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
EXPLAINER: Israelis vote in fourth election in 2 years

By Ilan Ben Zion Mar. 23, 2021 02:13 AM EDT

Ultra-Orthodox Jews some wearing costumes scuffle with police officers during celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Purim, in the Mea Shearim ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. The Jewish holiday of Purim commemorates the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the biblical Book of Esther. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Purim celebrations threaten fresh virus outbreak in Israel

Feb. 28, 2021 01:57 PM EST

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 file photo, an Israeli military paramedic prepares a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, to be administered to elderly people at a medical center in Ashdod, southern Israel. After racing to a quick start, Israel is blaming online misinformation for a sudden slowdown in its campaign to vaccinate its adult population. Israel's Health Ministry, which is spearheading the vaccination efforts, is employing both carrots and sticks as it tries to persuade reluctant holdouts to get immunized. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)
As vaccinations lag, Israel combats online misinformation

By Isaac Scharf And Ilan Ben Zion Feb. 15, 2021 01:09 AM EST

Two men from the Haredi Orthodox Jewish community arrive at an event to encourage vaccine uptake in the ultra-Orthodox community at the John Scott Vaccination Centre in London, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. In hopes of breaking down barriers that sometimes isolate the Orthodox from wider society, community leaders organized the pop-up vaccination event for Saturday night to coincide with the end of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Ultra-Orthodox Londoners roll up sleeves to fight COVID

By Danica Kirka Feb. 14, 2021 09:29 AM EST

File - In this Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 file photo, Israeli police officers clash with ultra-Orthodox Jews in Ashdod, Israel. Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clashed with Israeli police officers dispatched to close schools in Jerusalem and Ashdod that had opened in violation of coronavirus lockdown rules, on Sunday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)
Israel's ultra-Orthodox reject criticism, defy virus rules

By Ilan Ben Zion Feb. 10, 2021 01:24 AM EST

Anti-vaccine rabbi dismissed by Jewish organization

By Philip Marcelo Feb. 04, 2021 02:55 PM EST
BOSTON (AP) — A prominent Jewish organization is cutting ties with a longtime Massachusetts rabbi for actively promoting anti-vaccine views and strident...

FILE- In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021 fiel photo, President Joe Biden, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, places his hand over his heart during a performance of the national anthem, during a virtual Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service in the State Dinning Room of the White House, in Washington. Donald Trump's departure from the White House and the start of Biden’s presidency have stirred new hopes among many religious leaders in the United States, while causing dismay among others. For leaders of the two largest Christian denominations — the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention — the paramount concern about the Biden administration is its strong support for abortion rights. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
A mix of hope and dismay as religious leaders assess Biden

By David Crary And Elana Schor Feb. 01, 2021 02:12 PM EST

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews participate in the funeral for prominent rabbi Meshulam Soloveitchik, in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. The mass ceremony took place despite the country's health regulations banning large public gatherings, during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Thousands join in Jerusalem funerals, flout pandemic rules

By Ilan Ben Zion Jan. 31, 2021 07:52 AM EST

Israeli police officers stand by burning garbage during clashes with ultra-Orthodox Jews over the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, in Bnei Brak, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. As he seeks re-election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to a straightforward strategy: Count on the rock-solid support of his ultra-Orthodox political allies and stamp out the coronavirus pandemic with one of the world’s most aggressive vaccination campaigns. But with ultra-Orthodox communities openly flouting safety guidelines and violently clashing with police trying to enforce them, this marriage of convenience is turning into a burden. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Ultra-Orthodox unrest threatens Netanyahu reelection hopes

By Josef Federman Jan. 28, 2021 01:06 AM EST