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
-
Polish Villagers Hold Jewish Wedding Without Jews
(JTA) — Nostalgia for Jews is a well-documented phenomenon in Eastern Europe, with cultural and even substantial commercial aspects. In Ukraine, so-called Jewish-themed restaurants with pork-heavy menus compete for tourists, while figurines of Jews are sold at markets as good luck charms. In Poland, graffiti reading “I miss you, Jew” have become a common sight. Beyond…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Top Jewish Frat Officials Leave, Alarmed At Secrecy On Finances
Two top officials of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the nation’s largest Jewish fraternity, have resigned their leadership positions, citing the group’s refusal to give them its financial records — a possible violation of New York state law. Michael Fishel, the group’s No. 2 official, who was slated to become its next president, resigned July 18 after…
-
Meet The Jewish Texan Who’s Fighting Affirmative Action
Edward Blum wants to restore the “original vision” of the civil rights movement. He’s says he’s trying to do it by hobbling the Voting Rights Act and dismantling affirmative action. A Jew from Texas, Blum is behind a barrage of court cases taking aim at some of the key achievements of the civil rights movement:…
The Latest
-
Unknown Client Said To Have Paid Israeli Teen For Phoning In JCC Bomb Threats
Remember the Israeli Jewish kid arrested as the culprit behind those phone-in bomb threats to Jewish community centers across America? New evidence indicates the real culprit behind that wave of hatred may not have been him. Newly unsealed documents in a separate case suggest that Michael Kadar’s alleged phone threats against the JCC’s were done…
-
At A Small Florida College, ‘Scubi Jew’ Aims To Save The Seas
Scubi Jew at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida isn’t your typical Jewish a cappella group or service club. Instead, it explores coral reefs and leads underwater cleanup sessions. Members don’t have to be Jewish to go on a dive — just scuba-certified, of course. Scubi Jew adheres to the tenet of tikkun hayam, or…
-
Evangelicals, Right-wingers, Prove Dominance Over AIPAC In Senate Vote
The pro-Israel community celebrated last week, as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopted legislation cutting funds from the Palestinian Authority because of stipends it pays to jailed terrorists and their families. The final version, approved in a 17-4 vote, was welcomed by a broad coalition of pro-Israel activists, from right-end group to centrists organization. But…
-
In Texas, Everything Is Bigger — Except The Separation Of Church And State
They say that everything is bigger in Texas. Not so for the separation of church and state. In that great state, the families of motorcyclists killed in traffic collisions can pay a fee of $350 to have a sign with their loved one’s name on it erected it at the scene. After one year, the…
-
Orthodox Jews Divide Over Questions Of Whether Yoga, Crystals, Reiki Are Kosher
An Orthodox community is in the midst of a philosophical crisis that’s pitting hard-line rationalists against New Age-leaning mystics — and the publication of a new book by a well-known rabbi has exposed and intensified the struggle. In his recently published “Alternative Medicine in Halakhah,” Lakewood, New Jersey rabbi Rephoel Szmerla gives Jewish legal justifications…
-
In Donor Letter, JNF Whitewashes Repayment Of $700K Loans As ‘Voluntary’
The Jewish National Fund’s explanation of why its CEO is returning a $525,000 loan he took from the organization omits the key fact that the New York State Attorney General demanded he repay the money. Instead, in an August 2 email to a concerned donor, JNF claimed that its CEO and the CFO, who also…
-
This Jewish Camp Is Teaching Teens With Special Needs How To Be Independent
Like many 20-year-olds, Jacob Rapport has a summer job. This year, he’s working at Trig’s Market in Eagle River, Wisconsin. He started off as a cleaner, but after a few weeks, he asked for and received a promotion to bagger. “I think bagging has more responsibilities,” he said. “There can be pros and negatives, but…
-
Quietly Going Its Own Way, JNF Cuts Off Its Israeli Parent
Before the founding of the State of Israel, American Jews dropped their nickels and dimes into the blue charity boxes of Jewish National Fund to help Zionist settlers make a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Their coins bought the land and founded the settlements on which the modern state of Israel was built. A century later,…
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Unarmed man who tackled Bondi Beach Hanukkah attacker identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed
- 2
Fast Forward First Puka Nacua, now Mookie Betts: Why do sports stars keep getting antisemitic around a Jewish streamer?
- 3
Fast Forward After MIT professor’s killing, Jewish influencers spread unverified antisemitism claim
- 4
Opinion I grew up believing Australia was the best place to be Jewish. This Hanukkah shooting forces a reckoning I do not want.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion The Gaza hostage crisis could forever change how American Jews relate to Israel — but it’s not too late to fix that
-
Yiddish ווידעאָ: היסטאָריקערין וויווי לאַקס באַשרײַבט געשיכטע פֿון לאָנדאָנער ייִדישער פּרעסעVIDEO: Historian Vivi Laks tells history of the London Yiddish Press
שבֿע צוקער פֿירט דעם שמועס מיט וויווי לאַקס און ביידע לייענען פֿאָר עטלעכע פֿעליעטאָנען פֿון יענע צײַטן.
-
Yiddish World Puppet Monty Pickle is guest on the Forward’s ‘Yiddish Word of the Day’
-
Culture We tried to fix Hallmark’s Hanukkah problem. Here’s the movie we made instead
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism