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
-
The Joys Of Seder At The Diner
A stapled Haggadah started it all. In spring of 2010, I attended a Seder where the Haggadah was unbound, its pages stapled together. It had been crafted by three Reform temples, as its front page stated, and released in April of 1974; and its language was a poignant reflection of its era. “Our ancestors suffered…
-
Two Feminists, Israeli And Palestinian, Find Common Cause
Hamutal Gouri Donald Trump’s election to the presidency was a painful hit for many women, but also gave rise to one of the finest hours of American feminism. However, alongside the inspiring feminist resistance, a fierce controversy is arising these days regarding the boundaries of feminism; specifically, regarding the question whether the American feminist movement…
-
Leaving Our Political Bubbles With Help From The Haggadah
They say you shouldn’t discuss religion or politics at the dinner table. On Passover, breaking this rule is not only unavoidable, it’s required. Every year, during the holiday’s traditional Seder, Jews retell the story of our enslavement in Egypt and our escape to freedom, facilitated by a divine hand that made frogs rain down from…
The Latest
-
After Decades, Breaking Silence On Abortion
On June 22, 1989, I had an abortion. I’ve kept it a secret for almost 28 years. Why write about it now? On October 20, 2016, during a debate with Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton said, “I will defend Planned Parenthood. I will defend Roe v. Wade and I will defend women’s rights to make their…
-
Great Works From Galka Scheyer’s Art Collection On Display In Pasadena
On April 7th, a new exhibition is opening at the Norton Simon Museum in sunny (I’m assuming) Pasadena that has Sisterhood written all over it. “Maven of Modernism: Galka Scheyer in California”, curated by Gloria Williams Sander, will showcase European modernist art in the context of the Jewish “trailblazing impresario” who brought their works to…
-
Reform Movement Initiative Goes Beyond Equal Pay Day
Today is Equal Pay Day. Sounds delightful until you pause to think about what the day means: It highlights the pay gap between men and women by recognizing the day a woman would have needed to work until to earn the same amount as a man would have in the past year. Last year, Senator…
-
Knesset Members Met With American Jewish (Men) Leaders
On his “Martini Judaism” blog at Religion News Service, Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin discusses “a private meeting between American Jewish religious leaders and members of the Knesset, held under the auspices of the Ruderman Family Foundation.” In the piece, Salkin names attendees, remarking, between parentheses, “Yes, there were more women Knesset members than women American…
-
In Defense Of The ‘Little’ Seder
Whenever I admit that I am hosting a Passover Seder, I am inevitably asked, “So how many people are you having?” I always answer vaguely: “We’re having a bunch of friends over.” In our case, “friends” often only means two, and so sadly this questions makes me think of two friends as “only.” I feel…
-
How Gendered Dining Rules Like Pence’s Hurt Women At Work
When the Washington Post reported last week that in 2002, Vice President Mike Pence claimed “he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife and that he won’t attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side, either,” the internet, shall we say, reacted. Some reactions were, however, more helpful than others. Does…
-
The Limits Of ‘Lean In’ Empowerment
In an interview with USA Today, Sheryl Sandberg, of Facebook fame, admitted that “[i]n terms of women in leadership roles, we are not better off” than four years ago, when her bestselling book “Lean In” was published. Sandberg does not appear to have turned away from the approach the book suggests, namely getting women to…
-
Jewish Retirement Home Activists’ Epistolary Protest
Their handwriting may be a little shaky but their messages were loud and clear. Residents of Seacrest Village, a Jewish retirement community in Encinitas, California, and their volunteer assistants penned over 500 postcards during the March 15 Ides of Trump campaign. A grassroots, social-media driven effort hatched in California, the Ides of Trump created a…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News What a Secretary of State Marco Rubio would mean for American Jews and Israel
- 2
Fast Forward Trump AG nominee Matt Gaetz has left a trail of antisemitic comments
- 3
Opinion Trump’s first picks are die-hard Israel supporters, mocking the pro-Palestinian protest vote
- 4
News Your complete guide to Trump’s Jewish advisers and pro-Israel cabinet
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Will Scharf, co-founder of ‘Jews Against Soros,’ is Trump’s new White House staff secretary
-
Opinion Trump wants prayer in schools. The Bible tells us how dangerous that is
-
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’
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
