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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Prepent Day 40: My Final Reflections
Thursday 10/13/16 Tishrei 10 5777 Dear me, This journey is complete and the year is off to a good start. Today I’ll put up a temporary roof to sit under and watch the stars in the backyard. When you were 4 you made a drawing of a sukkah and signed it for the first time…
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6 Jewish Voting Trends You Need to Know
As the campaign moves to the finish line, with less than a month left, one finds a number of significant new developments emerging among Jewish voters: Non-Voting Jews: For the first time in contemporary American politics a significant number of American Jews are likely not to cast their ballots for President. Who are these non-voters?…
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Prepent Day 38+39: Words Matter — a Glimpse of the Divine
Tuesday 10/11/16 Tishrei 8 5777 Dear Words, It’s not just words, folks. Yes, you matter. Each and every word we say and txt and even the one we don’t say and swallow up, sometimes wisely, sometimes not. Words hurt. We hurt with words and we can apologize with words. Our words matter. I apologize to…
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The Ultimate Day of Vulnerability: When Yom Kippur and National Coming Out Day Overlap
Today is National Coming Out Day, and tonight is the beginning of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is Judaism’s highest holiday, and on it, we happen to read those infamous words, “A man shall not lie with a man as he does with a woman; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22). As a gay Jew, even…
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Seriously, Prayer Is Helping Me Fight Cancer — Here’s How.
Last week on Rosh HaShanah, I looked out at the sea of faces in synagogue and declared: “Today, I stand before you, my heart full of joy for having made it to this day. I am not cancer-free, but the medications I’m now taking are gentle, and are controlling the disease.” The congregation erupted: Amen….
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The Damnable Flip-Flops That Prove Donald Trump is Bad for Israel
A Trump Presidency could be disastrous for the State of Israel. I have voiced my opposition to Donald Trump’s campaign for President. As a member of Jews Against Trump, I am motivated by Jewish values to denounce his constant lies, his history of racism, and his unethical and self-promoting motives. In addition to my grave…
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This Yom Kippur, I Apologize for Not Taking Donald Trump Seriously.
After last night’s debate, I feel an unwavering and dramatic need to apologize. For almost the entirety of this election season, I’ve been in a dream-like state of denial. When Trump announced his plans to run, I laughed. When he continued to climb, I made the conscious choice to not engage with him — even say his…
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How a Small Group of British Jews Raised a Big Amount of Money for Child Refugees
Over the past seven weeks, the British Jewish community raised £200,000 ($260,000) for the resettlement of 100 unaccompanied children from the Calais refugee camp here in the UK. The campaign was initiated by a group of leaders from Masorti (Conservative) communities in and around London, who came together in the early summer to try and…
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Prepent Day 37: In Search of Reconciliation
Monday 10/10/16 Tishrei 8 5777 Dear Reconciliation Commission, I want reconciliation, within my head and my many inner voices, for some of the more complicated relationships among my family and friends. Reconciliation between the growing factions of discord and mistrust in our current conflicts of of values. How soon before my homeland and my new…
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Prepent Day 36: An Alternative to More Dead Chickens
Sunday 10/09/16 Tishrei 7 5777 Dear Responsibility, In Borough Park today cages of chickens start lining up the streets as the atonement rituals commence in full force. Kapprot, or the Chicken-Waving Ceremony to Absolve Sins, is still happening in many Ultra Orthodox communities worldwide, desptie growing protests. I grew up watching it but my father,…
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Q&A: How Do Developers View the Start-Up Nation?
‘Start-Up Nation’ and ‘Silicon Wadi’ are apt nicknames for the State of Israel in the year 2016. Like you, I love learning about the latest exits, investors, VCs, entrepreneurs and incubators in the Israeli Start-Up scene. However, I’ve noticed that little to no attention is paid to the developers, the men and women behind the…
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Fast Forward Unarmed man who tackled Bondi Beach Hanukkah attacker identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed
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Fast Forward Hanukkah shooting leaves at least 15 dead at Australia’s most popular beach
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Fast Forward Father and son suspects in Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack identified as Sajid and Naveed Akram by law enforcement
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Fast Forward Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani, father of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, criticizes university over antisemitism and protests
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