Rabbi Jay Michaelson is a contributing columnist for the Forward and for Rolling Stone. He is the author of 10 books, and won the 2023 New York Society for Professional Journalists award for opinion writing.
Jay MichaelsonContributing Columnist
By Jay Michaelson
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Opinion Why You Shouldn’t Go To Synagogue On Rosh Hashanah This Year
As the summer ends, Americans get back to business, and for American Jews, there’s no bigger business than the High Holidays at your local synagogue. I have some unconventional advice for you this year: Don’t go. Instead of attending the kitschy mass performances that even your rabbi probably finds uninspiring, choose a different holiday from…
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Opinion From Muslims to Ebola, Conservatives Always Want To Terrify Us About Something
Remember Ebola? It’s widely thought that our national panic over Ebola cost the Democrats the Senate in 2014. Of course, there were many other factors in play. But do you remember how Republican after Republican got on television to condemn President Obama for “not keeping us safe from Ebola”? Where’s Ebola now? Well, banished back…
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Opinion If Israel’s Occupation Is Permanent, Why Isn’t It the Same as Apartheid?
Apartheid. The word is thrown around on the left-wing side of Israel-Palestine politics these days, and often it seems intended to provoke outrage, not reflection. And indeed, that’s exactly what it does on the right. But with the news on August 22 that only 58% of Israelis still support a two-state solution (and that’s counting…
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Opinion Donald Trump Hates Losers. Judaism Can’t Get Enough of Them.
“Loser.” Donald Trump has called many people this word, and synonyms for it, over the course of his many careers. His adolescent name-calling has degraded our political discourse, and even if he fails at his new chosen vocation (as seems increasingly likely), the damage will be hard to reverse. Ironically, Trump himself is the candidate…
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Opinion Is Pokemon Go the End of Religion?
To fans, the smartphone-based Pokemon Go is a delicious addiction. To detractors, it’s a dangerous one. Its real significance, though, runs deeper than anyone is saying. Pokemon Go is the most successful “augmented reality” game yet, superimposing Pokemon characters on real-world settings taken from your smartphone’s camera. Rather than players leaving the real world to…
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Opinion Tim Kaine Is the Least Jewish Democrat Ever. And That’s a Good Thing.
In Lenny Bruce’s terms, Tim Kaine is the most goyish Democratic nominee in years. And I mean that in a good way. In fact, much of the third night of the Democratic National Convention felt more Republican than Democratic — and that is very good indeed. You remember (or I’ll remind you) how the comedian…
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Opinion Will Bill Clinton’s Spiritual Masterpiece Humanize Hillary for America?
Love him or hate him, former President Bill Clinton delivered a masterpiece of oration last night, a “Checkers” speech for the 21st century. He also reminded us why the spiritual is political and the political is spiritual. Clinton’s job was clear: humanize his wife, Hillary Clinton. Other people could talk about policy, or the threat…
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Opinion The Inconvenient Truths Stalking Hillary Clinton’s Democratic Convention
It’s hard to be a cheerleader when the world’s about to end. That’s how the Democratic National Convention feels right now. Everyone knows that Donald Trump’s post-convention boost is temporary. But still, to see a perfectly qualified, mainstream candidate — too mainstream for many — losing to a white supremacist demagogue with no knowledge of…
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