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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Our Tradition Demands That We Listen To Syrian Voices
This piece originally appeared in New Voices. When trying to make sense of the suffering and violence taking place in Aleppo and Syria at large, I have recently turned to Jewish prayers to provide me with the necessary structure to process the tragedy and aid those who are suffering. I grew up unable to conceptualize…
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Are Jews White Right Now?
This piece originally appeared in New Voices. After the election, my friend’s younger brother called from Israel. “Are we white?” he asked. Her immediate response was, “Not anymore.” As I listened to my friend talk about this exchange, I wasn’t sure which part was more telling, the question or the answer. The question – how…
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In 2017, Let’s Have Less ‘FaceTime’ and More Face-to-Face Time
My husband has been getting on my nerves lately. Whenever I look at him, he seems to be looking at a screen — his computer, iPhone, iPad, tv… It’s not that I care so much about being ignored— it’s our children I’m concerned about. What kind of a message are they receiving from a father…
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A Better World Begins With Me
People of the world, I have something to tell you. I’ve had enough of human suffering, Of man-made problems, Wars and genocides, Abuses and suicides, Greed and thievery, Racism and slavery, For they all share a common root, Being a purely human concept of wretchedness. No, there isn’t a magical solution to fix all problems,…
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Requiem for a Jewish Redneck
Visiting home in upstate New York on break from school, I hear my mother bellow from downstairs: “Lauren! Why is the puppy dragging around a menorah?” “Uh, no idea, Mom!” I reply. My heart drops. Sabre has stolen the menorah from my backpack and, in typical golden retriever fashion, begun parading it around. I take…
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Jews Must Not Flee To The ‘Alt-Right’
I just read an article in the Forward by a Jewish writer, Joshua Seidel, who claims membership in the “alt-right.” Seidel’s argument, like most other conversations that I’ve had with right-wing Jews in the aftermath of this election, was based on a particularist interpretation of Jewish needs and a sense that the political right has…
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The Holocaust Survivor Who Hated Anne Frank
The last Holocaust survivor died last week. Well, Trudy (not her real name) wasn’t literally the last survivor – but that day is not far off. She was my last Holocaust survivor, the last one I knew as a genuine friend, not as a congregant, or a colleague, or a symbol. She was a gossip…
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Reuniting Our Country Must Begin Now — Not in 2020
The New Year arrives in the afterglow of the menorah’s full brilliance – New Year’s Eve this year was also the 8th night of Hanukkah! The word Hanukkah means “rededication.” As we transition to 2017 and a new presidential administration, our country is in need of a chanukat habayit (dedication of the house), a reintegration…
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How Jews Can Reclaim Our Country From The Gaslighter-in-Chief
Here’s a fun exercise: do a Google search of “Trump just kidding.” My last attempt returned over one million results, ranging from “Jamie Dimon Says Trump Was Just Kidding About Kicking 11 Million Immigrants Out of the Country” to “Hillary Clinton in jail? Just kidding, says Donald Trump’s campaign manager.” It’s no longer news that…
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Inside the Jewish Community of Fort Smith, Arkansas
Have you seen the John Wayne film “True Grit”? It’s set in Fort Smith, Arkansas. This is how I explain my annual holiday vacation destination to anyone who asks. My wife and I have been coming here every Christmas for the past eight years to visit her family. In all the years of visiting this…
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Israel’s Response to the U.N. Resolution Matters Now More Than Ever
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the regrettable passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 with counterproductive diplomatic moves. Unfortunately, we expect his right-wing coalition partners to follow his lead, and also counter Secretary of State Kerry’s speech on Wednesday, by promoting new initiatives, such as advancing settlement construction in the most provocative areas…
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