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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8 Foods You Didn’t Know Jews Eat During Hanukkah
This piece was contributed by Masa Israel Journey — for more information, click here. This year, like every year since I was a child, I started counting down the days to Hanukkah before the first blow of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. I just can’t wait for the one week when it’s socially acceptable –…
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I’m a Jew Who Voted for Trump. To Keep My Support, Here’s What He Must Do Next.
I lost, at least temporarily, some friends and social media outlets thanks to the recent election — but I may have gained a far broader appreciation of the greatness and opportunities for America’s future. Enough time has passed for the various realities of the election to settle in. I didn’t start watching returns until 10:30…
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How My Birthright Experience Turned Into A Fulfilling Career
Spring semester of my senior year of college was coming to a close and I was having the “crisis” everyone else was having: What did I want to be when I grow up? For some reason, mainly as an amalgam of my interest in leadership and the Jewish community, I thought to myself – “I…
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Donors Beware: Jewish Organizations Can Spend Your Money Pretty Much However They Please.
For charitable organizations to demur from their political responsibilities in today’s world is to mask the political leadership these organizations already exercise through their financial practices. Take, for example, a recent story reported in the Jewish press about a wealthy Los Angeles couple that holds a donor-advised fund (DAF) at the Jewish Community Foundation of…
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Sorry, America: There Is No ‘Hanukkah Season.’
Last year, the first Hanukkah candle was lit on December 6 and the full menorah was blazing, a sight that truly brings me joy, on December 13. Almost two weeks after that came Christmas, two and a half weeks later was New Year’s Day, and close to a month later the super-sized menorah installed on…
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We Have 44 Days Until President Trump. Will Obama Recognize a Palestinian State Before Then?
Anxiety continues to roil through the pro-Israel world over a possible last-minute political move by the Obama administration that could permanently alter the Israeli-Palestinian geopolitical landscape. 48 hours after the Nov 8 election, I flew to South Florida for a series of lectures and briefings organized by StandWithUs, NOVA Southeast University and other organizations as…
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Colorado JCRC Lost Me With Their Non-Response to Steve Bannon
Dear Colorado Jewish Community Relations Council, I want to thank you for having had such a rigorous conversation about what kind of statement to make in light of the post-election (and not just!) increase in anti-Semitic activity and other forms of violence around the country. It’s disturbing and upsetting. I understand how hard a big…
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We Need a Dose of Honesty To Battle the ‘Alt Right’ — Not Jews for Jesus
Concerns over the rise of political and nationalistic hostility toward Jews are valid, but they are not new. The latest surge should not propel us in a panic toward false and even dangerous solutions and alliances. The Forward’s November 30 article “Are Jews for Jesus a Secret Weapon in Anti-Semitism Fight With the ‘Alt-Right’?” makes…
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We Can’t Make Healthcare Great Again Unless We Consider This Hidden Cost
The new Republican administration is expected to tackle health care as one of its main domestic priorities after the new year. “The President-elect’s made it very clear. He wants the Congress when they convene in early January to take up the task of repealing and replacing ObamaCare first,” Vice-president elect Mike Pence told FoxNews on…
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The 3 Things That Make or Break a Jewish Day School
We all know that school leadership matters. Many know this from personal experiences. Others know this from research literature on the subject. In fact, in public schools, the quality of school leadership is second only to teachers in its influence on students’ achievement. Schools with effective leaders have more satisfied teachers, lower rates of teacher…
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How My Southern Baptist Minister Mother Explained Her First Christmas to My Orthodox Jewish Son
I am a Jew by choice, I was raised a Muslim, and my mother is an ordained Baptist minister. One might think that I would encounter religious conflict with my family on all fronts. In fact, people are often incredulous at the ease with which I can navigate through these three Abrahamic faiths. Perhaps, because…
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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 College campuses mark Oct. 7 anniversary with rallies and protests — but largely not confrontation
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