Oh Thank Heaven for 2011

Image by istock
What a year it was, this two-oh-one-one,
Uprisings, protests, regimes on the run.
A year when “occupy” became a noun,
And millions tried to imitate Kate’s gown.
Bin Laden is gone, we’re out of Iraq.
Here at the Forward, it’s time to look back.
It was a year of Jacobs — Jill, Leslie,
And Rick, who now heads Reform’s polity.
Gabby Giffords displayed courage unique,
And the Brewer’s Ryan Braun reached his peak,
‘Till charges he had help throwing the ball.
The higher they go, the harder they fall.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Eric Cantor,
Already started their campaign banter.
Poet Philip Levine and James Levine,
The spelling’s the same, but the names don’t rhyme!
Poor Anthony Weiner texted too much
Queens voters said “bye, don’t stay in touch.”
Thanks to Michael Hirsch, the Triangle fire
Is a history that serves to inspire.
It was also a year to remember
The horrible attacks of September,
Michael Arad for his stunning design
And Daniel Libeskind for his vision so fine.
Birthright got more from Sheldon Adelson.
The New York Times promoted Jill Abramson.
John Zorn made music, Bill Kristol bought ads,
Adam Mansbach had fun with moms and dads.
Rabbi Pinto’s charity made headlines.
Was its luxury spending out of line?
David Yerushalmi launched his crusade.
Ruth Messinger brought Africa aid.
Michael Solomonov wowed with his food.
New Square noticed when Michael Sussman sued.
Mark Cuban, Fred Wilpon — yes, Jews do sports.
Does Joy Levitt have any tennis courts?
David Graeber spawned Occupy Wall Street
Mark Bittman opined on what we should eat.
Murdoch was defended by our Joel Klein.
MacArthur picked Alisa Weilerstein.
For Google ideas, Jared Cohen was your guy.
Want to live longer? Call Nir Barzilai!
Sharon Kleinbaum fought for same-sex unions.
Art Spiegelman drew a Maus reunion.
Natalie Portman had baby Aleph,
And Caryl Stern championed UNICEF.
Rahm Emanuel earned Chicago’s crown
While the Hasidic world dealt with Judy Brown.
Chaya Mushka, Chaya Mushka — what’s in a name?
For Lubavitcher girls, it was one and the same.
Tony Kushner courted controversy,
While his new play told its own history.
Dovid Katz challenged Lithuania.
Jaron Lanier warned about techno-mania.
Social justice was the theme for Simon Greer.
Michael Tilson Thomas delighted the ear.
Outreach was strengthened by Burt Visotzky.
Israel Project’s Jennifer Mizrahi
Turned a small group into a powerhouse.
Who says Jewish women are like Minnie Mouse?
Look at Sheryl Sandberg running Facebook.
And as she retires, don’t overlook
The contribution of Joan Rosenbaum
Leading a museum of great renown.
Jay Sanderson made changes in L.A.,
And the cops made trouble for DSK.
The Forward found George Washington’s letter
To Jews in Newport, pledging a better
United States shorn of all bigotry.
Now Richard Morgenstern holds the key
To showing the letter for all to see.
Will he do the right thing, and set it free?
As we light candles and greet the new year
We send our best wishes from everyone here:
Paul, Nathan, Nathan, Josh, Rex and Larry
Laura, Lil, Richard, Kurt, Nate and Barry
Sam, Janet, Sharon, Gal, Jane and Naomi
J.J., Maia, Eileen, Devra, Teri
Dan, Jeanette, Ezra, Dave and Gabrielle
And all of the writers whose work is so swell.
We follow in a great Forward tradition
And thank you for reading our next edition!
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion Yes, the attack on Gov. Shapiro was antisemitic. Here’s what the left should learn from it
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to a Jewish society at Yale exposed deep rifts between US Jews
-
Fast Forward On his first trip to Auschwitz, New Jersey governor urges vigilance against rising antisemitism
-
Fast Forward Survivors of the Holocaust and Oct. 7 embrace at Auschwitz, marking annual March of the Living
-
Fast Forward Could changes at the FDA call the kosher status of milk into question? Many are asking.
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.