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.
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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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Oberlin Is The Most Jewish Place I’ve Ever Lived
When choosing the right graduate school, I wanted to make sure that I found a school that had good academics and a good sense of community. As an upperclassman at a conservatory of music within a small liberal arts college, it was only natural that I’d look at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, perhaps the…
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Clickbait And Fear-Mongering Don’t Define Northwestern’s Thriving Jewish Community
Once again, Northwestern has been included on a wildly inaccurate and non-scientific list of “anti-Semitic” American college campuses. This time, it is Algemeiner’s “The 40 Worst Colleges for Jewish Students.” It is clear that Algemeiner’s editorial staff chose not to engage with the Jewish communities at the schools they listed; instead, they ranked them based…
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McGill Shaped Me Into A Better And More Engaged Jew
Attending McGill was the best thing to happen to my Jewish identity. For the first time, I was no longer the token Jew, but a leader in a vibrant Jewish community. Measuring quality of Jewish life on campus solely on perceived anti-Zionist rhetoric is immensely reductionist. Algemeiner ignores the vibrant, active Jewish community infrastructure on…
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At NYU, Cliques Aside, Jewish Culture Thrives
Walking onto NYU’s campus during my freshman year, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I feared the worst. I’d heard the stories about Students for Justice in Palestine antagonizing and threatening Jewish students, the administration and faculty taking part in the BDS movement, and Jewish students generally feeling unsafe. On top of the stress…
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At UCLA, Jewish Life Is What You Make of It
We certainly have to take steps to defend our identity against the BDS activism that percolates across many college campuses, but rather than hiding behind faces of nonchalance and indifference, our Jewish students work that much harder to connect with resources on campus to change the narrative. As someone deaf in one ear, I was…
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What Really Happened at the Presidents Conference Hanukkah Party
On December 14, 2016, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations (the Presidents Conference) in concert with the Embassy of Azerbaijan held a historic Chanukah party in Washington, D.C. that will be talked about for some time. Controversy continues to swirl over not only who attended the party, but who did not; how many…
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Illinois and UChicago Administration Consistently Stand With Israel
For much of its history, The University of Chicago has been a leader in supporting free expression, and its current administration continues to uphold this legacy proudly. While there are certainly problems for Jews on campus —I received anonymous death threats in my first year for defending Israel — the administration has taken major steps…
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Don’t Be Fooled by Kosher Accommodations: At Columbia, It’s Hard To Be A Pro-Israel Jew
I was not surprised when seeing Columbia University ranked #1 in the Algemeiner’s latest study of The 40 Worst Colleges for Jewish Students. It has been over a year since I co-founded Students Supporting Israel on campus, and everyday our team wakes up ready to fight for Israel. It is important to mention that Columbia…
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How Quirky Jewish UChicago Became My Second Home
As someone who grew up in a Modern Orthodox Jewish community, who spent the year learning and studying in Israel, and who has always felt a deep connection to her faith, many people are surprised to hear that it was only in college that I truly discovered what type of Jew (and person) I wanted…
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Seriously, Jewish Media, Stop Scaring Jews Away From Oberlin
Being Jewish at Oberlin is complex. On the one hand there is a large dedicated Jewish student population, an active Chabad and Hillel, and plenty of opportunities for engaging in Jewish life. On the other hand, there are incidents that make being Jewish at Oberlin difficult. That being said, I think that often the media…
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Though Spiritually Bereft, I Never Felt Bullied As A Jew At McGill
My time at McGill University was intellectually satisfying but spiritually deficient. Let me preface my words by acknowledging that I am an Orthodox Jew and Orthodoxy was absent from McGill University’s campus. Benchmarks of Orthodoxy such as a daily prayer quorum, hot kosher food, fellow observant Jews, and Shabbat and Chagim observance were scant. Orthodox…
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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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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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