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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The Secret Jewish History of Paoli, Indiana
From 1985 to 1990, I was a neurologist at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. Living in Kentucky was a huge change for this native New Yorker, who had spent my whole life in the Boston-Washington corridor. My 5 years in Kentucky were, nonetheless, wonderful ones. Louisville is one of the…
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Want to help Syrians? Listen To Them.
There is a huge amount of rage being directed at President Donald Trump’s administration over it’s temporary ban on immigrants and visa holders from 6 countries in the Middle East and indefinite ban on Syrians entering the country. Uber has lost clients, Iraq and Iran have sought to ban US citizens from traveling there, an…
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Jersey City Mayor: We Are Proud To Welcome Refugees
On Friday January 27, as President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning refugees from over half a dozen countries, it is important to remember that while such orders have the ability to change policy, they do not have the ability to change our values. Here in Jersey City, we are as proud as ever…
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What Judaism Means To The Co-founder Of Nielsen Ventures
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. Bruce Haymes is currently the managing director and co-founder of Nielsen Ventures at The Nielsen Company (NYSE: NLSN). He is the primary officer responsible for Nielsen Innovate, Nielsen’s seed…
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Diaspora Jews Have No Right to Impose Our Policy Preferences on Israel
Earlier this month, The Forward published an article by Daniel Yadin entitled “Why Diaspora Jews Must Call Out Israeli Injustice.” Yadin’s narrative is increasingly popular among frustrated Jews living in the United States, and to be honest I see the appeal. On most issues, Yadin and I are probably in agreement— I disagree strongly with…
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A Jew Among The Jesuits
The Chattahoochee River flows south 430 miles, from its source in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Florida’s Lake Seminole, passing on its way near the extreme northwestern edge of Atlanta, Georgia. For nearly a week, recently, I sat looking over the river, fondly nicknamed the Hooch by Georgians, from the porch of Ignatius House, a…
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A Radically Egalitarian Jewish Wedding
It is a dark time for many Americans. The election of Donald Trump, coupled with Republican domination of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the vast majority of state legislatures threaten much of the progress many demographics, such as women and LGBT people have achieved not only during the Obama years but over the past several…
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After Birthright, Jewish Millennials More Likely To Embrace Zionism And Their Faith
The 2013 Pew Forum “A Portrait of Jewish Americans” posed the question, “What does being Jewish mean in America today?” On the final day of a free, 10-day Birthright trip to Israel, 39 Jewish Americans participants (ages 21-27) were asked the same question. Six young Jewish Israelis, who also participated in the entire trip and…
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Why ‘Soon By You’ Is A Communal Disappointment
In the Modern Orthodox communities of New York City, virtually everyone seems to have heard of “Soon By You,” a web series on a group of friends navigating the Jewish dating scene in Manhattan. The pilot episode of the series, released last year, counts more than 100,000 hits on YouTube. I was invited to see…
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Everywhere Is a Safe Space – Unless You’re a Conservative
A version of this piece originally appeared in New Voices. People who disagree with me are not worthy of my attention or my respect. At least that’s the message my fellow progressives are sending conservative students on campus. Here’s how the argument goes: Because of my superior morals and politics, I made the correct choice…
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We Aren’t Supposed To Count Jews — But Sometimes, We Must.
Seventeen. A number that in Hebrew Gematria, represents tov, Goodness. But today on Holocaust Remembrance Day, that number, for me, has a deeper meaning. You see, my grandfather Moshe (ז׳׳ל) was blessed, if you could call it that (I will), to survive the Holocaust, spending years alone hiding and fleeing through villages and forests before…
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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 This is the most disorienting Rosh Hashanah in memory
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Fast Forward Meet Lev Kreitman, who brought down Tel Aviv shooter and survived Nova music festival on Oct. 7
In Case You Missed It
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Oct. 7: One Year Later At Oct. 7 memorial ceremonies across Israel, searing grief and political tensions are on full display
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Oct. 7: One Year Later On the eve of this grim anniversary, what we can — and cannot — control
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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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