Allies on Airport Security: Agudath Israel and the ACLU
Here’s another item for the Forward’s compendium of strange bedfellows: The American Civil Liberties Union is joining forces with the ultra-Orthodox organization Agudath Israel of America to protest the introduction of X-ray scanners at U.S. aiports.
The scanners beam low level x-rays through people’s clothing, and although “cloaking” software is supposed to introduce a level of modesty, it’s not clear it will be enough to satisfy Orthodox concerns.
The ACLU, meanwhile, has called the scanners a “virtual strip search.”
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
