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
-
When Pope Francis Brought — and Broke Down — Barriers for Philadelphia’s Jews
Sitting in synagogue on Yom Kippur, three days before Pope Francis’s arrival in Philadelphia, I couldn’t help but think about the scene unfolding outside my house. Already, metal crowd-control fences were lining my property right across the street from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where the pope would be sleeping. My little suburban block was in…
-
My Unforgettable Day With the Holy Father (Or How I Killed 7 Hours Waiting To See Pope Francis)
Media check-in time to see Pope Francis play Madison Square Garden was 11 a.m. on September 25, seven and a half hours before His Holiness was scheduled to process beneath the Jumbotron. Seven and a half hours is, in my opinion, too long to wait for anyone, even the Vicar of Jesus Christ, but the…
-
Pope Francis Makes Surprise Stop To Bless Sculpture Symbolizing Catholic Unity With Jews
Nearly 50 years after the Vatican officially proclaimed Jews free of guilt in the killing of Jesus, Pope Francis made a surprise change to his schedule on the final day of his U.S. tour to convey his own message of respect for the Jewish people. In an unannounced event, the pontiff stopped Sunday to bless…
The Latest
-
Travel Agents Turn to Iran — and Find Plenty of Jewish Interest
Ask the State Department whether it is any safer now for Americans to travel to Iran, and the answer you’ll get will be unequivocally negative. The nuclear deal reached with Tehran, as a State Department makes clear, “does not alter the United States’ assessment of the risks of travel to Iran for U.S. citizens.” But…
-
Newcomers Transform Dying Upper Manhattan Synagogues Into Hot Spots
A version of this article first appeared in Yiddish in the Forverts For years, the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol of Washington Heights, a large 99-year old Orthodox synagogue on 175th Street and Wadsworth Avenue, had barely been able to attract a minyan, the quorum of ten men required for worship. The 6 or 7 gray-haired veterans…
-
Searching for a Photo of Childhood Friend Lost in the Shoah
Who has a picture of Ruth Nelly Abraham? That intriguing headline, a plea from Holocaust survivor Inge Auerbacher, appeared in the Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel on August 3. Auerbacher, 80, was looking for a picture of her childhood friend, Ruth Nelly Abraham, who was murdered at Auschwitz. Auerbacher hoped a picture would breathe new life…
-
Will John Boehner Now Spill the Beans on Bibi Speech Drama?
(JTA) — John Boehner, the Republican from Ohio who is the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is quitting politics. Now that he’s going, maybe Boehner may feel free to elaborate on his role in the secret that launched the ongoing U.S.-Israel crisis — and perhaps permanently changed the relationship between the two countries….
-
New Controversial Circumcision Rite Rules: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
New York City has not only stopped requiring mohels to obtain written consent before performing a controversial circumcision rite — the city has also stopped alerting doctors and the public when it suspects that a mohel has infected a baby with herpes following the ritual, known as metzitzah b’peh or MBP. Between January 2013 and…
-
After Arson Murders, West Bank Village Waits in Vain for Justice
Over the past month and a half, residents of this tight-knit village in Israeli-occupied territory have oscillated between grief and anxiety. First came the July 31 death by arson of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsheh as the lives of his other family members hung in the balance; then the death of Ali’s father, Saad Dawabsheh, from…
-
David Gordon Survived Abuse and Gaza War — But Did He Really Commit Suicide?
On an early summer Friday in 2012, David Gordon was exploring the Galilee Mountains, near Tzfat, on his own. An Israeli couple saw him — a friendly-looking 19-year-old — on the trail, and asked if he would take their picture. Gordon happily agreed, and by the end of the conversation, in typical Israeli fashion, he…
-
Crisis on Continent Opens Britain’s Eyes to Plight of Refugees
On Sunday, September 6, in the sunny yard of a London school, I met Erica, a weary middle-aged woman from Eritrea whom I was trying to help. Over a Styrofoam cup of milky tea, she described her life—an unrelenting limbo of food vouchers, hand-outs and the unpredictable whim of local neighborhood councils. An asylum seeker,…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News An Alabama millionaire offered Jews $50,000 to move to his town. 16 years later, what’s left?
- 2
Culture Why is Israel’s attack on Iran called ‘Rising Lion’ — and what does the Bible have to do with it?
- 3
News ‘Very misguided’: ADL regional board member resigns over organization’s approach to antisemitism and civil rights
- 4
News As Israel attacks, what is life like for Jews in Iran?
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward NYPD investigating threats to Zohran Mamdani, including one saying ‘Check your beeper’
-
Fast Forward Trump defers Iran attack decision; Iranian foreign minister rejects talks unless Israel stops bombing
-
Culture Otto Frank’s refugee file, a Rothschild Talmud and a menorah bong tell the story of the Jewish past — and future
-
Fast Forward Edan Alexander, freed from Hamas captivity after 584 days, feted on return home to New Jersey
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
