Halacha

New study examines debate over brain-dead pregnant women kept on ventilator

The case that occurred in 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia, has just been described in “The halachic heartbeat at the edge of life: navigating maternal brain death and fetal life.”

|ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Prof. John Loike (R), Prof Alan Kadish (M), and Rabbi Tzvi Flaum (L)
One should act heroically like a lion to get up in the morning to serve his Creator, the ‘Shulchan Aruch’ says.

Everyday heroines: Quiet burden of Israeli anchors waiting at home during wartime

While soldiers served for months, their partners carried the home front alone; now facing the emotional aftermath few see.

|ByMICHAL RONESS
"There is nothing sacred about suffering," argued Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain, who told the ‘Post’ that Jewish values of compassion should guide end-of-life care.

Compassion vs halacha: UK assisted dying bill sparks Jewish debate

RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain and UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis answer questions on the religious and ethical implications of assisted dying as the UK passed a law on the matter.

|ByMATHILDA HELLER
President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal, Katz Prize laureates, and members of the prize committee

Katz Prize honorees recognized at President’s residence

President Isaac Herzog hailed the laureates’ efforts to integrate Halacha, the Bible, and the modern State of Israel

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Israeli public ready for relaxation of conversion laws - poll

The much-politicized issue of Jewish conversions has seen Israel’s left and right-wing debate the merits of halachic conversion and what should be considered a legitimate conversion for decades.

JANUARY 24, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
President of the Supreme Court of Israel Esther Hayut and all fifteen justices assemble to hear petitions against the reasonableness standard law in the High Court in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.

Majority of Israelis feel deeper connection to Diaspora Jewry since October 7 - poll

The sense of solidarity has strengthened within the Haredi sector – 78%, the religious sector – 84%, former Soviet Union immigrants sector - 75%, and immigrants from other countries - 85%.

JANUARY 22, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Olim attend an event marking 25 years of the great aliyah from the former Soviet Union, in Jerusalem in 2015. Do we no longer have the resolve to save Jews?

What is the real meaning of unity in Israel these days? - opinion

You can’t open a newspaper, listen to the news, or scroll through social media without reading about the way the people of Israel have come together to fight for survival.

DECEMBER 29, 2023ByJONATHAN LIEBERMAN
BEIT MIDRASH LE’MAASEH: Men and women from across the political spectrum and the religious scale sit around one table.

Over 15 IDF soldiers pronounced dead in Gaza without bodies

Pronouncing a person’s death is one of the most sensitive, religiously complex issues faced by the Military Rabbinate.

DECEMBER 28, 2023ByYAKI ADAMKER, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
An IDF soldier salutes the grave of a fallen soldier at the Har Herzl military cemetery ahead of Israel's Remembrance Day, April 23, 2023.

Should Israeli hospitals treat Hamas terrorists? Jewish law explains

It ultimately remains difficult to justify prioritizing national resources for an enemy like Hamas when an Israeli citizen needs it at that moment.

NOVEMBER 25, 2023BySHLOMO M. BRODY
HAMAS MONSTER Yahya Sinwar, instrumental in the Oct. 7 attacks, was the recipient of lifesaving brain surgery at Israel's Shamir Medical Center in 2004.

Israel-Hamas war: The moral maze of hostage deals

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Jewish teachings, Benny Gantz made clear, informed his decision to support the Israel-Hamas deal to save hostages held in Gaza.

NOVEMBER 24, 2023ByHERB KEINON
Thousands gather as families of hostages vow to not return home until their loved ones are freed.

This is why Israel plans to bury hundreds of cars, with ashes and blood stains

To preserve the sanctity of those murdered by Hamas, for the first time since the establishment of the state, they decided to bury the vehicles.

NOVEMBER 22, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
Rabbi Yaakov Rose of ZAKA Tel Aviv examining the cars with remains in southern Israel

Denying Israelis Jewish burials: ‘What would God say?’ - opinion

As if it wasn’t bad enough for her grieving family that Alina was mercilessly killed, the Chevra Kadisha decided that Alina Plahti must be buried “outside the fence,” away from the Jewish graves.

NOVEMBER 19, 2023ByJONATHAN LIEBERMAN
TOTALLY AVOIDABLE hurt, upset, and unnecessary additional trauma were caused to the family of Alina Plahti, says the writer.

Israeli rabbis are issuing guidance about how to adjust Jewish law during wartime

The opinions are almost all rooted in the core Jewish idea that pikuach nefesh, or the preservation of life, overrides nearly every other religious law.

OCTOBER 18, 2023ByJACKIE HAJDENBERG/JTA
Head Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef seen with Chief Rabbi of Tzfat Shmuel Eliyahu at an inauguration ceremony for a new women's mikve, in the Northern Israeli town of Tzfat.

Rabbinate releases instructions for keeping Shabbat during wartime

Some laws can be altered or followed differently due to the principle of "pikuach nefesh," asving a person's life.

OCTOBER 12, 2023ByYUVAL BARNEA
ASHKENAZI CHIEF Rabbi David Lau (left) and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef: The silence of our two chief rabbis is thunderously indicative of the abject state of these once meaningful and relevant positions, the writer argues.