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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Why Would Anyone Want To Be Jewish?
Each year, the anniversary of the founding of the African American Jewish community in Chicago is commemorated with a special Shabbat service and a huge party. All of our community rabbis come from far and wide, creating a great sense of unity. The one rabbi who was my greatest influence was Rabbi Hailu Paris, ז׳׳ל….
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Are Jewish Students Left Out of the Left?
A version of this article appeared in New Voices. When Jonathan Taubes was in high school, he read a lot of Noam Chomsky — so much so that Taubes and his friends jokingly refer to him as the Rebbe, or teacher. Chomsky, an American historian and social critic, writes about a diverse array of topics:…
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What It’s Like To Be A Hebrew Scholar — Who Grew Up In Rural China
A small peasant village in northern China seems an unlikely birthplace for a Judaic studies scholar and Hebrew language buff. But then again, Yan Wang never anticipated how far he would travel on his life’s journey, where his studies would lead, and the career path he would ultimately take. For Yan, the journey began after…
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All Of Europe Was Complicit In The Holocaust
In the build-up to International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2018, people will line up to say that we must never forget. But the world has long forgotten. In fact, the world never really remembered. Denial is not peripheral; it is rife. There is firstly outright denial, the received wisdom in many parts of…
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3 Reasons It’s Perfectly Fine To Call Hummus An Israeli Food
I just got back from a Shabbos spent in Monsey, New York, the first time I spent a Shabbos there in many years. When I got there in the afternoon, I davened at the Vizhnitz shtiebel (little shul), 2 houses down, because my hosts were still at the Yeshiva and I wasn’t sure where I…
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5 Steps For Creating LGBTQ-Friendly Jewish Spaces On Campus
A version of this article originally appeared in New Voices. I saw women and men sitting across from each other at tables and sat on the ground in between to make my presence visible. It was awkward for all of us. Apparently the irony of a heteronormative speed dating event taking place next door to…
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At Limmud UK, Jewish Innovation And Insights Abound
Attending the 5-day long Limmud Festival in the U.K. was like being at a huge and diverse buffet banquet of anything and everything related to living a Jewish life. The challenge at any particularly large banquet is to choose a combination of foods that leave you feeling satisfied but not overstuffed. Even though I had…
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This Holocaust Remembrance Day, We Must Replace Numbers With Names
In Jewish teachings we learn, “from generation unto generation we shall remember.” We Jews are blessed with a long memory. It is precisely our memory that today acts as the “canary in the coal mine” against the evil of mankind. It is this memory that has led Jews and Jewish organizations to be that canary…
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Stop Trying To ‘Win’ The Campus Battle Over Israel
The 2016 Presidential election shook and widened the partisan gaps in American politics. Nowhere is this most reflected than college campuses throughout the United States. With each passing year, the number of student advocates and political bodies on campuses continue to steadily grow. The involvement of these students extends beyond tabling events to community outreach…
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As Lincoln Plaza Closes, We Must Fight To Keep Arthouse Cinema Alive
As Lincoln Plaza Cinema closes its doors, I am identifying a huge void in the New York community. Obviously, the closing of this iconic film center is a major blow to the arthouse film scene, but even more so, it is a loss to the community of film lovers who access the Upper West Side….
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Yes, You Can Be Kosher And Keep The Keto Diet
In recent years, dietary fat has been vilified and classified as unhealthy, artery-clogging and disease-causing. As a result, “low-fat” labels are slapped onto products and they’re marketed with aggressive campaigns, touting them as healthier and better-for-you—even when that’s not actually true. However, more and more emerging research has come to the same conclusion: eating fat…
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