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
-
Remembering Kutsher’s, a Many Splendored Resort
“Russian Transport”: An American Dream Derailed “Russian Transport,” a new play by Erika Sheffer and presented off-Broadway by The New Group at the Acorn Theatre, deals with a scenario that could not have been imagined at the time of Soviet Jewry’s “Let My People Go!” movement of 1967–1989. In the play, Diana (Janeane Garofalo) and…
-
W. Gunter Plaut, Noted Reform Scholar
Those Reform Jews fortunate enough to have met Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut even once never forgot him. He was a tall, imposing, self-confident figure who spoke impeccable, precise, German-accented English that commanded attention in every setting — in classes, at conferences and in public debates. On February 9, the Reform movement and, more broadly, American…
-
What Did Alan Gross Do in Cuba?
Alan Gross, the American Jewish contractor jailed in Cuba, has maintained for more than two years that he was guilty of nothing more than naiveté when he smuggled contraband electronic equipment into the communist nation. But official trip reports he filed for an American government agency, revealed by The Associated Press on February 12, paint…
The Latest
-
Transatlantic Jewish Meeting Triggers Row
A recent meeting between American Jewry’s primary umbrella group for Israel and other foreign affairs, and a controversial new European group has sparked heated exchanges among European and American Jewish leaders. In the days leading up to the meeting, communal officials on both continents warned the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations against…
-
Be My Israeli Valentine
Valentine’s Day is our annual chance to signal how much we love someone or perhaps would like to start a relationship. Such gestures can be tricky, though, in a place like Israel, where cultural differences complicate the back and forth of romance. That is especially true for American-Israeli couples. Aliyah among single American Jews was…
-
Orthodox Women Form Volunteer Service
A group of women who have been seeking to join Brooklyn’s all-male Orthodox ambulance corps has now dropped its campaign, opting instead to establish a separate women’s service to tend to emergency births. “We are not looking to create litigation or controversy, we are just looking to find a way to serve other women,” said…
-
Lauder Slams Obama for Israel ‘Disconnect’
The leader of the World Jewish Congress has harshly rebuked President Obama for allowing a “disconnect” in relations between the U.S. and Israel. WJC President Ronald Lauder said in a Friday address to the National Press Club in Washington that all U.S. presidents, including Obama, are supporters of Israel, but the current president has sent…
-
Loophole Puts Pension Plans at Risk
Seeking to cut pension costs, Jewish social service groups are using an obscure tax loophole to skirt federal rules that protect workers from being left out in the cold if their retirement plans collapse. Jewish organizations, including federations and hospitals, have filed for the special “church status” that strips workers and retirees of legal protections…
-
Reaching Out To Save Lives
The image of Israel’s Haredim has taken a public battering over the past few months, particularly over the issue of discriminatory conduct toward women, which even a few Haredi groups have disavowed. But in an unusual act of outreach, some of these ultra-Orthodox Jews have recently found an original way of engaging with people outside…
-
BDS Goes Mainstream; Jew Behind the Bug
In this week’s podcast, host Josh Nathan-Kazis talks with Forward fellow Naomi Zeveloff about a recent conference of activists advocating the boycott of, divestment from and sanction of Israel and their efforts to reach a broader audience. Then, managing editor Lillian Swanson stops by to discuss the story of a Jewish engineer who designed an…
-
Hadassah Stumbles as Centennial Nears
Hadassah, the international women’s Zionist organization, is entering its centennial year amid signs of increasing dysfunction. On February 7, the group confirmed that it is investigating allegations that two leading members of the governing board’s executive committee misused charitable funds. The allegations were made in a January 12 letter to Hadassah board members from Larry…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Culture Charlie Kirk kept a ‘Jewish Sabbath.’ What did he mean by that?
- 2
Antisemitism Decoded Israel is being blamed for Charlie Kirk’s death. Here’s what that conspiracy theory says about the far right’s divide
- 3
Fast Forward ‘Murdered for speaking truth’: Netanyahu and US Jewish leaders mourn Charlie Kirk
- 4
News Who was Horst Wessel, and why are people comparing Charlie Kirk to him?
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward In Israel, public tributes to Charlie Kirk include a street naming, a mural and a missile in Gaza
-
Opinion Amid terror in Jerusalem, a cab driver’s brave gesture showcased the Israel I’ve always loved
-
Looking Forward Everyone thought I was crazy for majoring in religious studies. Here’s why it matters now more than ever.
-
Culture Charlie Kirk kept a ‘Jewish Sabbath.’ What did he mean by that?
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
