For 125 years, the Forward has delivered accurate, timely and nuanced news to American Jews. From breaking news to in-depth investigations, our reporting team covers the people, institutions and issues that define the many ways to be Jewish in the…
News
-
Bam! Pow! Whack!
Maxine, at just-turned-4, is in a superhero phase. This despite the fact that the only superhero she’s actually seen is WordGirl (the vocabulary-building crime-fighter from the planet Lexicon) on PBS. Both Max and her big sister, Josie, love the show; for Halloween, they dressed as WordGirl and her chimp sidekick, Captain Huggyface. (Guess who had…
-
Rabbinical Council: Rabbi Violated Rules by Joining National Prayer Service
The main Modern Orthodox rabbinical association says a prominent member violated its rules by participating in the National Prayer Service. A Rabbinical Council of America official told JTA that Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, the religious leader of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City, broke the organization’s rules by participating in the service Wednesday at the…
-
At Jewish Inaugural Gala, Axelrod ‘Kvells’
Washington — The 2009 Jewish Community Inaugural Reception wasn’t a black-tie event. There was no dancing and only a few traditional boldfaced names were spotted in the crowd. On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, Jewish communal professionals and politicians celebrated the historic transfer of power by talking politics. For organizational activists and those commonly…
The Latest
-
Yid.Dish: Baked Eggs San Francisco
The Hazon food conference was my first trip out to California, and boy did I fall in love. After a few days hiking in Big Sur, where sheer cliffs dropped down hundreds of feet to the blue ocean, foam rising rhythmically around small mountains of eroded rock, stretching as far as we could see, I…
-
Olmert’s Boast of ‘Shaming’ Rice Provokes Diplomatic Furor
Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert didn’t do anything wrong — but he should have kept his mouth shut. That was the reaction of several Jewish leaders to Olmert’s public boast January 11. He said he left Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “shamed” by getting President Bush to block her at the last moment…
-
Israeli Rights Groups Detail Allegations of Army Abuse in Gaza
Tel Aviv — On January 14, Israeli human rights groups issued a detailed report alleging serious human rights violations by Israel’s military in its three-week campaign in Gaza against Hamas. But Israel rejected the allegations and continued to notch up its effort to lay the blame on Hamas for the harm suffered by civilians during…
-
N.Y. Okays Public School With Hebrew Focus
The movement for publicly funded Hebrew language and culture charter schools took a giant step forward as a new charter school for New York City received final approval and plans emerged for a national center to back Hebrew charter school efforts across the country. On January 13, the New York State Board of Regents approved…
-
Revisionist: It’s Time To Quit Shoah Fight
One of the primary leaders in the fight to question and delegitimize the Holocaust has proclaimed that fight to be a lost cause, sparking a furious debate among his cohorts. Mark Weber, a telegenic Californian, has served for 15 years as director of the Institute for Historical Review, which was founded in the late 1970s…
-
Citing Disloyalty, Knesset Bans Main Arab Parties From Elections
Tel Aviv — In a move that some Israelis are calling a nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy — and others deem an overdue stand against a domestic fifth column — the Knesset has disqualified two Arab political parties from running in next month’s general election. The Knesset Central Election Committee, comprising members of…
-
Gaza Campaign Shifts Focus to Hamas Arms Smuggling, Puts Egypt on the Spot
Tel Aviv — As Israel’s military campaign in Gaza entered its third week, Israel’s leaders were shifting the stated aim of their offensive to preventing Hamas from rearming by smuggling weapons through a series of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. However indirectly, this meant Egypt, too, had become a focus of the ongoing offensive. Previously,…
-
Judge’s Ruling Seen as Imperiling Rabbinical Courts’ Role
A New York State court decision has called into question the arbitration powers of rabbinical courts, long used by observant Jews to settle civil disputes. In a decision issued December 18, Judge Bruce Balter of the New York State Supreme Court threw out an arbitration ruling by the Beth Din of America, one of the…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward A whites-only, no-Jews community says it’s found a legal loophole. A Jewish lawmaker in Pennsylvania wants to close it.
- 2
Film & TV So, what’s the deal with the honey scene in ‘Marty Supreme?’
- 3
Culture Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas?
- 4
Opinion What if Donald Trump puts his name on the US Holocaust Memorial Museum?
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion When Jews face violence, we’re told to move to Israel. Does that really make us stronger?
-
Fast Forward 18 notable Jews who died in 2025
-
Fast Forward Rep. Randy Fine’s incendiary comments on Muslims alarm many Jews — without denting his standing on the pro-Israel right
-
Fast Forward Before ‘SNL,’ there was Sid Caesar — and a roomful of Jewish writers
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
