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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Orthodox Trump Supporters Are Not White Supremacists
Since November 2016, members of the media have been finding Nazis everywhere — even in seemingly impossible places. The latest example in the Forward was a piece by Elad Nehorai proclaiming that Orthodox Jews are embracing White Nationalist ideology. Nehorai is a writer I have long respected and admired, both for his mastery of the…
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What Is The Debate Over Intermarriage Really About?
About twenty five years ago, I attended my sister-in-law’s marriage to a non-Jew. In other words, I broke a rule of the Rabbinical Assembly, the governing body of Conservative Judaism, thus risking expulsion from the group and professional suicide. A few nights ago, I asked my wife, “Did I know back then that I was…
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What Every Prospective Convert to Judaism Deserves To Know
When you go to a doctor, you initially have to complete and sign a plethora of forms. There are the checkboxes for all imaginable ailments and diseases, and you begin to realize “Yikes! There are so many things in me that can go wrong, it’s a miracle that I even can read this thing and…
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Why Poland’s Holocaust Bill Will Backfire
Efforts to protect the good name of Poland by criminalizing speech are backfiring. Rather than leading to more accurate statements about responsibility for the Holocaust, the draft amendment is having the opposite effect. The very statements that the bill is intended to ban and punish are being stated and restated across the globe in ever…
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Why Don’t More Local Law Enforcement Agencies Report Hate Crimes To The FBI?
The news from Charlottesville came while I was at work. I couldn’t stop staring at my laptop, watching videos of neo-Nazis and white supremacists rampaging through the streets. As tears streamed down my face, I tried to cry quietly so as not to disturb my coworkers. How could I continue working as if nothing had…
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The JNF Is Helping The Israeli Government Steal A Palestinian Family’s House
In late 2011, I publically resigned from the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in order to expose and protest the JNF’s efforts to use Israel’s arcane absentee property law to steal the Sumarin family home in Jerusalem along with many other Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and the occupied territories. Sadly, I just learned that the…
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The First Story In The Bible Was The First Case Of #MeToo
I’m sitting at home watching the news this past week in awe and with gratitude. More than 150 young women, including several world class athletes, have come forward to talk about the unspeakable abuse they endured at the hands of a predator doctor. One by one, they’ve broken through silence — often at a nearly…
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How Much Should Jewish Law Control The Jewish State?
For decades, religious and ultra-Orthodox members of Knesset, backed and encouraged by their rabbis, have worked to inject the secular state with as much Judaism as possible. In an extended and collective effort, they have done all they can to pass religious laws, to base the governing of the state on Jewish law, and to…
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The Destruction Of Susya Would Spell Disaster For Israel
This past summer, as a J Street U intern in Israel, I visited two West Bank towns by the same name: the Palestinian village of Susya and the nearby Israeli settlement of Susya. I expected to see a disparity between them, but what I witnessed was shocking injustice. While the surrounding settlements and outposts were…
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Jewish Leaders: You Fought For The Right To Boycott — Now Let People Use It
If you’ve ever been to a synagogue around MLK Day, you probably heard about the role Jews played in the Civil Rights Movement. Don’t get me wrong; I’m proud that white Jews joined Freedom Rides and marched with MLK, and I have deep respect for Rabbis in the South who risked their jobs to support…
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Chef Jordana Dishes On How To Stay Fit — And Keep Kosher, Too
Private Chef Jordana Hirschel, who began her career as a Weight Watchers receptionist, now helps others reach their own health goals through her work as a teacher and owner of a catering business. As someone who also keeps kosher, she is a living example that you can observe Shabbat, celebrate Jewish holidays, and go on…
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