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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NYC Is Cracking Down On Yeshivas — And The Satmar Rebbe Has Declared War
For years now, the Hasidic community has feigned compliance with New York State Education laws. While Hasidic yeshivot don’t typically provide much secular education at all, they have at least claimed that they were complying with the law. However, a recent speech by the Satmar Rebbe Aron Teitelbaum disabuses once and for all the notion…
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When Did Jews Start Giving One Another Hanukkah Gelt?
Gift-giving on Hanukkah is one of those interesting modern conundrums, something that’s always fallen somewhere between bothering me and delighting me. Aside from inescapable disingenuousness of the Hanukkah Harry exchanges we staged in my yeshiva day school years and the slippery slope of Hanukkah gifts that seem to lead inevitably to Hanukkah bushes, Hanukkah stockings…
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For Some Jews, Israel Has Replaced God
A prominent pulpit rabbi in Florida once got into a dispute with an elderly member who adamantly insisted on fasting on Yom Kippur, despite his doctor’s warnings that doing so could have fatal consequences. After the argument escalated, Rabbi Zev Leff told the gentleman that if he fasted on Yom Kippur, he would not be…
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Why Isn’t Sheldon Silver In Prison?
In my August column, Why Sheldon Silver Is Headed To Prison, I stated offhandedly that “Silver will surrender in October.” Thanks to a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Sheldon Silver remains free on bail at least until December. The New York Times cast the turn of events as…
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Is Winning The Lottery Bad For Your Soul?
A different version of this article originally appeared in the Texas Jewish Post. I’ll admit it. I got excited along with the rest of the country when the Mega Millions lottery hit a whopping $1.6 billion jackpot in October of this year. I bought a ticket and enjoyed an overly long conversation with my wife…
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How Do You Spell Hanukkah / Chanukah?
8 crazy nights of candles, fried food, and celebrating miracles. It’s the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah. Or is it Chanukah? In Hebrew, there’s no room for debate: The word, חנוכה, pronounced with the same first guttural sound as “challah,” is always spelled the same way. But in English, there’s more wiggle room. The Associated…
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Israel’s Culture Minister Is Killing Israeli Cinema
Over the past 15 years, Israeli cinema has blossomed into a major force, becoming one of the country’s most impactful exports. What was once a struggling industry with low production values and local, sub-par storytelling has turned into a key player in film festivals around the world. Even in a tumultuous political climate, Israeli cinema…
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What Our Shul’s Monster Menorah Taught Me About Loss And Love
Exactly 20 Hanukkahs ago, I took a deep breath and descended a winding staircase to the synagogue basement. Awaiting me, as a lion waits for its prey, was the wicked monster, my name for my New England shul’s Hanukkah menorah. Not to put too fine a point on it — I hated the thing. Not…
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Why I Choose To Stay In Palestine
Unlike most Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation, I could pick up and leave at a moment’s notice. Still, I stay, even as President Trump wreaks havoc on us. An American friend asked, “Why?” Why do I stay, now that both my daughters have left Palestine? Why not return to Ohio, where I was born?…
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Stop Stripping Female Jewish Converts Like Ivanka Of Their Agency
In a New York Times article this weekend, Amy Chozick and Hannah Seligson wondered, “Are Jared and Ivanka Good for the Jews?” There’s plenty there to dissect, but what caught my eye was how they described Ivanka Trump, “who converted to Judaism to marry Mr. Kushner.” This is typical of how the media describes women…
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Orthodox Jews Aren’t Allowed To Watch Porn. This Website Helps Them Cope
On Yeshiva World News, an Orthodox Jewish news site, typical advertisements ask readers to join the “Stop Talking in Shul!” movement, book a kosher cruise or donate to needy Orthodox institutions. Alongside the cheery faces of smiling boys and men, there is often a nondescript blue advertisement depicting two silhouettes: one man in front of…
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