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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How Much Should You Reveal On A First Date?
Click here to anonymously submit a dating question for Sonya’s weekly column. Recently I was asked the ultimate first date question: “Sonya, how much should I share/not share on the first date?” I love this topic because as women, we are given all sorts of advice from “don’t share too much and say as little…
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Maybe It’s Time to Exile Yourself
On election day in 1984 I was stuck in LA freeway traffic, heading to the polls, planning to vote against Ronald Reagan, when I heard Walter Mondale concede on the radio. Not much point in voting. That moment perfectly typified my alienation from American electoral politics. Not only was I out of touch with the…
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Not Even Police Zip Ties Will Stop These Rabbis From Fighting for Standing Rock
Heads tilted toward the sky, we sang at the top of our lungs: Min HaMetzar karati Yah, Ahnani b’merchav Yah. From the depths I called to God, Who answered me with the Divine Expanse. (Psalms 118:5) As they tightened the zip ties around our wrists, we sang these words even louder. This was why we…
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Crowds Gather to Stand with Israel and Reject UNESCO Resolution
Words of history, political and emotional connections to Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the Kotel (Western Wall) and the Dead Sea Scrolls were emphasized by speaker after speaker on Nov 10. Jews and Non-Jews, young and old and people representing the five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester chanted, “We Stand With Israel,” as they waived Israeli…
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Fall is in the Air
After 20 years of collecting her stories, Alan Strozenberg created Yiddishe Mame, a character lovingly based on his authentic, witty and caring Jewish Mom. Click here to subscribe to the Yiddishe Mame Newsletter.
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With Trump as President Elect, Yiddish Literature Is More Important than Ever
Donald Trump has won the presidency, but I am not quitting my day job. Like many eight year-olds, I had mapped out a career plan so baroque that it would involve multiple stages. In my lithe youth, I would be a ballerina. After that, a stateswoman; maybe president. Finally, when I had acquired wisdom and…
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Picking Up the Pieces, Together
Nov 9 and 10 mark Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. Over seventy years ago today, thousands of Jewish businesses were destroyed in Germany and over one thousand synagogues burned to the ground. In Philadelphia yesterday, a store was vandalized with a swastika and a “Heil Trump” sign was left emblazoned on its walls. Walking…
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Surviving an Israeli Terror Attack Did Not Prepare Me For Surviving Donald Trump’s Victory
The day that it all happened could have been yesterday. In fact, it really feels like it was. I’m on a bus in Jerusalem, headed to the Tachaneh Markazit to catch another bus to Beit Shemesh. I’m ignoring everyone else on the bus, because that’s what you do when you’re sixteen. You ignore everyone but…
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Powerful Israeli Advice for Coping with Post Election Day Blues
At this time of devastation and grief it is better to hug, hold hands, exercise and eat well. But since we have already begun a new day in Israel after a restless night, I will offer these words: What you in America are going through is what we have experienced for the past 40 years….
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What Trump’s Victory Means for the Alt Right
Waking up with a slight hangover, pushing the cobwebs from my brain, I find that Donald Trump has pulled off what might be the greatest political upset in American history and won the Presidency. What does this mean for some of his most fervent supporters in the “Alt Right”? First off, this victory shows the…
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New York Votes: Nasty Women, Power Suits, and More
In Washington Square Park, Tyler Joe, photo editor of Elle magazine, was taking photos on behalf of Pantsuit Nation, the “Secret Group” on Facebook supporting Hillary Clinton. Mr. Joe was was in the park from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. today taking photos of pantsuit clad voters. One voter had a Susan B Anthony coin necklace…
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Culture Why saying ‘L’shana Tova’ on Rosh Hashanah may not be the correct phrase
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Opinion This is the most disorienting Rosh Hashanah in memory
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Culture How my odious cousin Roy Cohn was responsible for creating Donald Trump — and me
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Fast Forward Was the viral Ta-Nehisi Coates interview a hit piece or fair play? A journalism ethics expert weighs in.
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward As Florida braces for Hurricane Milton, this rabbi is defying an evacuation order so he can help
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Yiddish ווי האָבן ייִדן געהיט די ייִדיש־קולטור אױף יענער זײַט „אײַזערנעם פֿאָרהאַנג“?How did Jews maintain their Yiddish culture behind the Iron Curtain?
ייִדישע ליטעראַטן, װאָס האָבן געטרײַ געדינט די קאָמוניסטישע רעזשימען, האָבן גענוצט זײערע פּריװילעגיעס כּדי אָפּצוהיטן ייִדיש.
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Fast Forward All the Jewish NHL players to watch in the 2024-2025 season
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Opinion A two-state solution may seem like a distant dream. Here’s why it shouldn’t be
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