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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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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At NYU, Interfaith Solidarity Abounds
If NYU rates #9 on the list of “Worst Universities for Jewish Students,” then the Algemeiner would weigh in as #1 on the list of “Worst News Outlets for the Jewish Future.” Generally, it doesn’t top that list. To the contrary, the Algemeiner has established an important voice in the Jewish communal conversation. It was…
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Despite An Active Anti-Israel Community, Columbia Is A Place Where Jews Thrive
Pundits have called this year the beginning of a new post-fact order, and a recent ranking of colleges by the Algemeiner lends credence to that classification. In a list entitled “The 40 Worst Colleges for Jewish Students, 2016,” the Algemeiner ranks Columbia University as #1. I graduated from Columbia University just this week, and I…
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Jewish Life at SDSU is Not Defined By The Haters
For the second year in a row, San Diego State University, my campus, has been called an unsafe place to be Jewish. In 2015, David Horowitz listed SDSU as the “sixth most anti-Semitic campus” in the United States. This year, The Algemeiner’s first annual list of the “40 Worst Campuses for Jewish Students” in Canada…
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Geography, Trade and Peace With Our Neighbors
Historically speaking, we know Eretz Yisrael as the land of the Jews, living alongside many Nations who resided near and with the Israelites, and traded with them. Israel’s ancient lands were, and are, a crossing point for many peoples, not just our own. In that regard, we tend to think of maps of Israel as…
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What the Holocaust and Coming Out Taught Me About Hard Choices in 2016
My mother, Wilhelmina Herberdina Cornelia Visser Faas, will be turning 98 next April. Although her body is frail, her mind is agile and she continues to follow and weigh in on current affairs. Now that she has lost much of her sight and hearing she is more dependent on individual discussions to keep abreast of…
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The Top 6 Peace Obstructing Perceptions in Israeli Society
Most of Israeli society is not fully prepared for the possibility of peace between Israel and the neighboring Palestinian and other Arab nations. Although the vision and occasional programs of peace are being advocated by political organizations, peace movements and the international community, they fail to gain sustainable public acceptance. Israeli media channels constantly cover…
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Anti-Israel Activism Comes To Elementary School
Anti-Israel activism at colleges and universities receives a lot of media attention and debate, typically surrounding the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The BDS debate typically includes a cast of players who are capable of speaking for and defending themselves, including student and outside groups on each side, video and adult witnesses. Yet it would…
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How an Orthodox Rabbi Became A Reform Jewish Educator
In 1979, I was ordained as a rabbi by a prominent yeshiva. My training prepared me to become a modern Orthodox rabbi, presumably in a congregation. I previously served as a Jewish youth educator in the Chicago region of NCSY and as a visiting staff member for other regions around the Midwest. So, when the…
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What Are We Actually Celebrating On Hanukkah?
In less than a week, we will light candles to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah. Hebrew school pop quiz: What miracle are we celebrating? Classic Hebrew school answer: According to the Talmud, it’s that a small jar of oil lasted for 8 days. But this is not mentioned in any historical record (see the Book…
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Culture Mamdani’s first statement on antisemitism as mayor-elect got some weird pushback
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Opinion I spoke out against Mamdani. Then he won. Here’s how we walk forward together.
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Opinion Why a concert hall should be the last place for a protest — particularly an antisemitic one like this
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Opinion The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis
In Case You Missed It
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News Indiana University removed its Jewish studies director. His replacement has ignited a firestorm over Israel.
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Fast Forward Groundbreaking analysis of Hitler’s DNA shows no Jewish ancestry — but finds a genetic disorder
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Opinion A single arrest has thrown the battle for Israel’s soul into sharp relief
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Culture A young Muslim woman moved in with a 96-year-old Jewish actress – and it was bashert
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