Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the robust lives of American Jews. Here there’s a little of everything about the multifaceted world of Jewish life. There are light-hearted Jewish celebrity stories and shocking Jewish celebrity news. Food is also plentiful,…
Life
-
Marijuana Has Always Been A Part Of Jewish Life From Ancient Israel To The Shtetl
The Jewish rapport with weed is long and varied, implicit yet ingrained. President Richard Nixon, father of the Drug War, was one of the first to explicitly call it out: “You know, it’s a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish,” said Nixon. “What the Christ is…
-
The Binding of Isaac: A Lesson In Resistance To Power
The story of the Akedah — the binding of Isaac — seems out of touch with the times. As racism and nativism have shockingly returned to the halls of power, in the United States and abroad, we need to be roused to resistance and moved to vocal protest. As pressures for ideological conformity mount across…
-
Instagram Just Enabled Right-To-Left Languages — Like Hebrew!
Instagram has finally added support for languages that are written and read from right to left. Now, all Arabic, Hebrew and Farsi speakers can “tell their stories in the way that is more authentic for them”, said Instagram COO Marne Levine in a post last night: Right to left is here! And that means more…
The Latest
-
I Was A Pregnant Military Widow. I Feel Myeshia Johnson’s Pain — And Her Need For Space.
Fifty years ago I became a military widow when my husband of three years was killed in the Six Day War. I was pregnant with our first child. I was a young wife, 23 years old. I saw my husband before his death. Burnt beyond recognition, he was desperately gasping for air. I looked for…
-
Why Gender-Segregated Education Is Essential For The Ultra-Orthodox
Here in Israel, several academics have found a new reason to rally together: They’ve created a nationwide campaign against gender-segregated higher education programs, developed specifically for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) students. In petitioning Israel’s High Court to close such programs, these university professors hope to “halt the trend of women’s exclusion from spreading to other institutions around…
-
What Jewish Tradition Tells Us About Helicopter Parenting
I am a much better parent in public. When I am home alone with my children, I am quick to anger and slow to forgive. When my son spills his water for the second time during dinner, I grow exasperated and yell at him instead of helping him find a better place for his cup;…
-
Teaching In Qatar — And Keeping My Jewish Identity Secret
“I have my religion, and you have your religion.’ Qur’an (109:6) One of my best students, Assad, came up to me one day after Introduction to International Relations class to ask, with a smile, if he could touch me. Turning to his friend with a twinkle in his eyes, he grinned that he had never…
-
Apparently, Gymboree Thought Holocaust Fashion Was Appropriate For Toddlers
Yesterday, the Jerusalem Post reported that children’s clothing purveyor, Gymboree, was selling a dress with a Jewish star patch on its online site. The patch, which according to the product description was meant to depict a snowflake, has six points which is eerily similar to the Jewish star. The blue-and-white plaid dress is vaguely reminiscent…
-
Medical Cannabis Course In High Demand At Israeli College
Within the cannabis industry, it’s well known that Israel is leading the world in medical marijuana research. The tiny country is home to a fully legal medical cannabis program that serves 30,000 patients, while THC itself — the cannabis plant’s main psychoactive compound — was discovered by renowned Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam in the early…
-
Is Drinking Alcohol A Rite Of Passage Into The Fraternity Of Orthodoxy?
This past Simchat Torah, a friend and I watched warily as one of the congregants, usually a composed professional type, staggered around the front lawn of the synagogue, drunk and mumbling to himself. Inside, the other men of the congregation were bidding on aliyahs and other honors for the upcoming year, their wallets loosened thanks…
-
Is The Media’s Obsession With Hasidic Jews Anti-Semitic?
Our news feeds and Shabbos tables are abuzz with talk of ‘One of Us’, the latest Netflix film by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (the creators of Jesus Camp), about the lives of those who leave the Hasidic community and are ostracized. I confess: I will not be watching this documentary. This isn’t out of…
Most Popular
- 1
News Dutch Jews grapple with ‘weaponization’ of their fear following attack on Israelis
- 2
News What a Secretary of State Marco Rubio would mean for American Jews and Israel
- 3
Fast Forward Trump AG nominee Matt Gaetz has left a trail of antisemitic comments
- 4
News Your complete guide to Trump’s Jewish advisers and pro-Israel cabinet
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Will Trump’s efforts to fight antisemitism help degrade democracy?
-
Culture A Jewish snowman movie would have made a lot more sense than Netflix’s ‘Hot Frosty’
-
Fast Forward Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish Democrat, launches bid for New Jersey governor
-
Fast Forward Pete Hegseth, Trump’s defense secretary nominee, has multiple Christian and Crusades-inspired tattoos
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism