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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First Rabbi Ordained on Harvard Campus: ‘Worst Colleges for Jews’ List Deserves an ‘F’
As the first rabbi ever to be ordained on the Harvard campus (my bet din was held this past April before more than 100 witnesses in an event room at Harvard Divinity School, where I took my M.Div. degree in June) — Harvard was a wonderful place to be Jewish. The campus certainly is liberal;…
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What Jewish Life at Rutgers is Really Like
Algemeiner’s recent publication of “the 40 Worst Colleges for Jewish Students, 2016” is both frustrating and frightening. First, while it is understandable that creating “lists” and provocative titles for articles helps to get the all important “click,” publications like the Algemeiner should realize the dangers of such a piece. We know that anti-Semitism is real….
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Columbia Unbecoming – Then and Now
When Algemeiner put Columbia University at the top of its list of the 40 worst Universities for Jewish students, Forward editor Laura E. Adkins doubted the list-makers’ methodology, invited students to chime in, and is now publishing vigorous debates. We write to enlarge and refocus the discussion. It matters little if Columbia University is at…
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UCLA Isn’t Anti-Jewish — But It Is Home To Radically Anti-Zionist Activism
I’m not surprised that my alma mater has been listed by the Algemeiner as one of the worst college campuses for Jewish students. UCLA is home to radically anti-Zionist activism, and during my junior year, a resolution by the University of California Students Association to divest from purportedly “imperialist” countries like Israel and the United…
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Jewish Life at McGill Involves So Much More Than Fighting BDS
I am a second year Jewish student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. I came to McGill in September, 2015, and from that time I have been highly involved in many facets of the Jewish community at McGill. First and foremost, my personal experience as a Jew at McGill has been immensely rewarding. It has…
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The Real Victims of The War on Christmas
A Jewish family from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has suffered a torrent of harassment after false reports from Breitbart and Fox News claiming they deviously arranged the downfall of their child’s elementary school Christmas play. As responsible reporting has shown, they simply asked that their child be excused from participation in the play, and it was…
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How To Help Addicted Jewish Youth
I often wondered how Jewish youth from nurturing families in close knit communities become substance abusers. Do we not provide our children economic stability, values and educational opportunity? Are we not role models of accomplishment and positive social involvement? Our children have every reason to feel good about themselves. And yet, more and more young…
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8 Types of Guys You’ll Date In Israel
This piece was contributed by Masa Israel Journey — for more information, click here. No matter where in Israel your travels take you, you’re bound to fall for at least one or maybe all of these guys below. Take a gander and find out which guy is your beshert (soulmate)! 1. The Hottest Man You’ll…
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University of Washington Exponentially Enriched My Jewish Life
The University of Washington (UW) was recently ranked the seventh worst college campus for Jewish students by Algemeiner in their “First Annual List of the U.S. and Canada’s Worst Campuses for Jewish Students.” While I believe a list like this can be damaging because it discourages prospective Jewish students from attending these campuses and expanding…
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Like the Maccabees, Vassar’s Jewish Community is Small But Mighty
My life began in the tight embrace of the Jewish Theological Seminary where my dad was undergoing rabbinical ordination and continued in the tighter squeeze of the approximate 100,000 Jews residing in the Greater Baltimore area. My senior year of high school, after attending a Jewish day school for nine years, spending seven summers at…
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Hunter College Jews Are Thriving
I am deeply troubled by The Algemeiner’s inclusion of Hunter College on its list of The 40 Worst Colleges for Jewish Students in America. I spent four years on Hunter’s campus as a student and an additional six months as a Hillel professional, and I speak from experience when saying that Hunter’s Jewish life on…
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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
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Fast Forward Nova survivor reveals she witnessed rape on Oct. 7 at Tel Aviv memorial ceremony interrupted by rocket sirens
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Fast Forward In NYC, Jews gather together — and apart — for prayer and protest to mark one year since Oct. 7
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Fast Forward Trump visits gravesite of Lubavitcher Rebbe to mark Oct. 7 anniversary
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Fast Forward Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff plant a pomegranate tree for Oct. 7 victims
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