Scribe, the Forward’s curated contributor network, is a place for showcasing personal experiences and perspective from across our Jewish communities. Here you will find a wide array of reflections on Jewish issues, life-cycle events, spirituality, culture and more.
Community
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You say matzah — and matzo and matzuh and matzee and more
Readers respond to our editor-in-chief’s column about a Passover copy-editing conundrum
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In A Post-Fact Age, Where Should We Look For Truth?
“Climate change is real. Science is real. Facts are real. Just believing hard enough does not turn an article of faith into reality.” The radio display on the dashboard said 100.3 FM but that could not possibly be correct. The guest continued telling the morning program hosts, “We could solve the real problem of climate…
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The Show Must Go On: How One JCC Made The Most Of A Bomb Threat
“The show must go on” has become almost a trite expression, but a recent experience at the Rochester JCC breathed new life into the once tired phrase. A recent outbreak of bomb threats, made with the intent to cause fear, has hit Jewish Community Centers. Even after two such incidents, a JCC in Rochester, New…
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Orthodox Rabbis Warn Of ‘Moral And Spiritual Dangers’ Of Eating Meat
In an unprecedented statement, a group of Orthodox rabbis around the world, members of Torat Chayim, a progressive Orthodox rabbinic group, have called upon the broader Jewish community to consider the moral and spiritual dangers associated with meat consumption. In this statement, these members of Torat Chayim have called upon Jews of all persuasions, but…
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Mitzvah-Lite: What We Miss When We Only Follow “Moral” Commandments
A version of this article originally appeared in the Texas Jewish Post. The man sitting across from me at the pizza shop was a religiously liberal individual for sure — but also very much a person who wore his Judaism on his sleeve and whose life was dedicated to promoting Jewish values as he understood…
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The Biggest Threat To The Jewish Community Is Climate Change
As Earth Day 2017 approaches (it falls on April 22 this year, which also happens to be Shabbat), where are we as human beings? Where are we as Jews? My answer will probably not surprise you — we are focusing on the wrong things, and we are not doing enough to avert catastrophe. The human…
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Remembering What They Fought For
April 19th was warm in Warsaw, just like it had been 71 years earlier. I left my apartment wearing a coat, which I soon shed as I walked due North toward the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. As I did, I removed from it and restuck a paper daffodil to my shirt, unsure…
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5 Expert Security Tips For Uncertain Times
Recently in our Jewish community, there has been an unsettling increase in bomb and security threats against our schools, community centers and synagogues. These threats should be taken seriously. Below are 5 tips for protecting yourself in these uncertain times. #1: Take Responsibility Did you know that during violent attacks, First Responders usually arrive after…
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What Atticus Finch And Rav Kook Can Teach Us About Fighting Bigotry
For many American Jews, Passover is not only about recalling the history of the Exodus; it is also about internalizing one of its fundamental messages: the importance of battling all forms of discrimination. Indeed, because we were slaves in Egypt, the Torah commands us to heed the plight of society’s outcasts. However, there is another…
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Is Kosher Meat Always Moral?
My grandfather was a butcher. And though he has long since passed, I recall his passion for service and his love of animals, even though he thought that his obligation to the world was to use their flesh as food. The juxtaposition of a benign, kindly man flaying the flesh of an animal, their blood…
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Tufts Student: BDS Resolution Vote Marginalized Jewish Voices
At 1:00 a.m. on Thursday April 6, I got a text from a friend telling me that the Tufts University student government was going to hear a resolution about divestment the coming Sunday. We would have only four days to respond to this. Many members of the Jewish community and the Tufts Students for Two…
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What The Haggadah Teaches Us About Disability Inclusion
It would not be hard to imagine one’s mother exclaiming “Mother’s Day? You should be aware of your mother’s blessings every day of the year!” With Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion month (JDAIM) behind us, it is important not to lose momentum. The journey to advance inclusion is an ongoing process. While this quest is…
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Culture Why saying ‘L’shana Tova’ on Rosh Hashanah may not be the correct phrase
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Culture A Jewish prophet of the 1980s would be horrified to see that we didn’t heed his warnings
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Opinion With killing of Hezbollah’s chief, Israel occupies the inarguable moral high ground
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Opinion This is the most disorienting Rosh Hashanah in memory
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Film & TV How Leonard Cohen — and a Yom Kippur prayer — inspired a coming-of-age epic
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Opinion A year after Oct. 7, Israel has the chance to remake its future — for better or worse
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Opinion Campus protests defined the year since Oct. 7. Could they actually change U.S. policy?
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Special Report At the kibbutz hit hardest on Oct. 7, a wrenching debate over how to rebuild
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