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
-
An Old Dog’s New Tricks
When I was a little girl, there were things as clear as sunlight, as the sea God had split just for the Jews. One of those things was that dogs were despicable creatures. They were scary and dirty, with teeth like knives, and paws with claws, ripping flesh off bone, the way they’d done to…
-
Brooklyn College Blasted for Sponsoring Boycott Israel Event
All of New York City’s Democratic mayoral candidates and a handful of congressmen have asked a public college in Brooklyn to withdraw its political science department’s co-sponsorship of a panel discussion on the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel. In a January 31 letter, the congress members and mayoral candidates decried the department’s…
-
Jewish Big Easy’s Back — In Time for Super Bowl
The Jewish Big Easy is back — and the Super Bowl proves it. New Orleans Jews are eagerly trumpeting Super Bowl XLVII as a means to showcase their rebuilt community, almost seven and a half years after it suffered a devastating drop in population following Hurricane Katrina. “We were impacted by Katrina just like everyone…
The Latest
-
Friends of Bezalel Gathering and a Surprise Phone Call from Tovah Feldshuh
Ido Aharoni Touts “Borat” at Friends of Bezalel Gala Honoring Leonard Polonsky “A win-win situation in politics in Israel means I win twice!” joked Ido Aharoni, Israel’s consul general in New York, at the January 24 Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design gala that honored financier, philanthropist and renaissance man extraordinaire Leonard Polonsky. Surprising the…
-
Ed Koch, New York Legend, Dies at 88
Edward Irving Koch, New York City’s long-serving, charismatic, controversial 105th mayor and arguably the most visible American Jewish official of his day, passed away this morning at age 88 from congestive heart failure. His three epitaphs, chosen several years before his death, expressed the centrality of Judaism to his identity. The first quotes the murdered…
-
What Happens When Jewish Law Hampers the Disabled?
About 10 years ago, Jason Lieberman stopped wearing tefillin. This was not an act of rebellion — Lieberman’s cerebral palsy simply made it too difficult for him to put them on. Seven years later, Lieberman, 34, who serves as treasurer of Matan, which provides Jewish education programs to special needs children, sought help from his…
-
Circumcision Rebellion, Dubious Orthodox Libraries, Bagel Battle
In this week’s Reporters Roundtable podcast, host Josh Nathan-Kazis is joined by Forward Fellow Seth Berkman to discuss why Orthodox mohels are refusing to present consent forms to parents before performing metzitzah b’peh — the controversial practice of suctioning blood following circumcision. Then, assistant managing editor Larry Cohler-Esses talks with Josh about the federal program…
-
Orthodox Rabbis Vow To Resist Consent Forms for Controversial Circumcision Rite
The leading association for mohelim who practice a risky oral blood suctioning technique in their circumcisions has vowed not to cooperate with New York City’s new health regulations governing use of the technique, known as metzitzah b’peh. Brooklyn mohel Rabbi Avrohom Cohn, chairman of the American Board of Ritual Circumcision, said his group would not…
-
One Italian’s Secret Jewish Heritage
When my Sicilian father-in-law converted to Judaism at the age of 60, he said he felt “a strong pull toward home, as if I always had a Jewish soul.” Several years earlier, Joe had survived colon cancer and several complicated surgeries. His long recuperation gave him time to read, and to think. His second wife…
-
Al Gore Says Stiff Competition Forced Sale of TV Network to Al Jazeera
Al Gore said on Tuesday that tough competition from major U.S. television networks forced him to sell Current TV, a struggling progressive cable channel, to Al Jazeera, and he praised the Arabic news broadcaster’s coverage of climate change. Gore, a former vice president who won a Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness about the problems…
-
Meet Fresh Faces of Knesset as Israel Election Sparks Parliament Shake-Up
Last week’s Israeli election saw a major shakeup in the country’s government, with 53 new members elected to its parliament, the Knesset. Some already have received wide attention, including Yair Lapid, the middle class-focused chairman of Yesh Atid; Naftali Bennett, the high-tech entrepreneur who chairs the new Jewish Home party; technocrat Yair Shamir, Yisrael Beiteinu’s…
Explore
Most Popular
In Case You Missed It
-
News How the online knitting world unraveled over Israel and Gaza
-
Culture The Trump administration says it’s posting ‘banger memes’ — here’s why that’s a problem for Jews
-
Fast Forward British music festival apologizes after cutting mics of Irish band that displayed Palestinian flag
-
Books In the story of a trip to Auschwitz, family can be a real pain in the tuches
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
