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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Problematic Pluralism: When Holocaust Memorials Forsake The Fight Against Anti-Semitism
As a young Jew growing up in New York, anti-Semitism, for the most part, was an issue of the past. Jewish suffering now serves as a template for others faced with similar discrimination rather than a daily reality. The suffering of six million Jews is utilized to justify political positions on the Syrian refugee crisis,…
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In Defense of the ‘Jewish Establishment’
Some young Jews have barely experienced anti-Semitism in their lives, and for that they have the “Jewish establishment” to thank. Others of us, however, have not been so fortunate, and still depend on Jewish institutions to provide us with the communities and tools that we need to deal with everyone from the “alt-right” to our…
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An Incredible Egg And The Meaning Of Life
We balanced an egg on our counter top this morning. It’s an equinox ritual at the Goldsmith home. Vernal and Autumnal, we take out a raw egg and, after a bit of futzing and few false starts, we get it standing on its end and the kids smile for this semi-annual Facebook post. I don’t…
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Would Judaism Want Us To Repeal And Replace Obamacare?
As the battle for the future of American health care rages in Washington, I find myself eager to understand what the Jewish tradition has to say on the subject. Does our ancient tradition offer any wisdom that might shed some light on this complicated subject? Do Jewish values point us in one direction or the…
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Chronicles of #TheGirlWithTheCancer
Stav Meishar, 28 years old, was born and raised in Israel. She is based in New York City where she founded the award-winning organization for creative Jewish education, Dreamcoat Experience. When she’s not shaping the futures of young Jewish minds, she is a stage artist specializing in Circus Arts. Stav’s biggest project at the moment…
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Taking Haredi Suicide Out Of The Shadows
In 2016, we saw a disturbing spike in suicides in the American Haredi community — and a flurry of speculation about the causes. Addressing this issue must be done with the greatest sensitivity. 75 suicides in a year is a statistic, but the reality is 75 individual tragedies. As a therapist with 20 years experience…
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Meet The Fierce Guru Behind The World’s First Jewish Dating App
Editor’s Note: In this series — Why Is This Interview Different From All Other Interviews — we will introduce you to pioneering Jewish leaders across a variety of industries. Sonya Kreizman is the co-founder and CEO of JCrush. Her no-nonsense, pragmatic advice has been heralded by many critics, especially within the dating app scene. In…
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Meet Comedic Genius Elon Gold
Elon Gold, considered by many to be this generation’s Borscht Belt King, is no stranger to those who watch Netflix. His act brings laughs to both Jews and non-Jews alike all over the world, including sold out shows in England, Sydney and Johannasburg. He has also starred in FOX’s “Stacked,” “Bones,” and NBC’s “In-Laws,” and…
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What I Learn From My Weekly Walks to Synagogue
Every Saturday morning when I am in town, I walk the mile and a half from my home in West Lafayette, Indiana to the Sons of Abraham synagogue in Lafayette. Originally there were four of us; when my youngest son was able to walk and therefore join us, we made five. People would greet us…
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The Secret Jewish History of Boxing
A version of this piece originally appeared in Plus61J. Boxing and I have a love-hate relationship. A keen tournament competitor as a kid, I was besotted with the fighters and wallowed in their stats, especially those of the Jewish boys. Later I shrank from the corruption, the sleaze and brutality of most of it. But…
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Rifts In The Jewish Sisterhood: Why Complaints About Zionism Vs. Feminism Are Beside The Point
Many of us saw the International Women’s Strike on March 8, 2017 — held on the historic International Women’s Day — as a day of unprecedented unity. By all evidence, the rallies, marches, walk-outs from workplaces, street theater and massive eruption of feminist protest on social media in hundreds of cities and countries across the…
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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
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward Antisemitism hits record high in the U.S.; new report shows most-ever incidents in single year
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Culture He founded the Harlem Globetrotters and is the shortest man in the basketball hall of fame. A new book tells his story.
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News One year after Oct. 7, a Yom Kippur ritual of communal mourning takes on fresh meaning
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Film & TV How Leonard Cohen — and a Yom Kippur prayer — inspired a coming-of-age epic
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