Why The Forward Accepted An Ad From Jewish Voice for Peace

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Dear Forward Reader:
We recently published an advertisement from Jewish Voice for Peace in the June 2 print edition of the Forward.
The ad gave us pause. It quotes Marwan Barghouti as “Leader of the Palestinian Hunger Strike,” but doesn’t say why he’s in jail. Barghouti was convicted of the murders of five Israeli civilians.
Printing this ad was not an easy decision
In the end, despite our reservations, we felt that at this time, when mass media itself is on the firing line, and freedom of expression is under pressure from our own government, we should do what our role requires and allow JVP to present its point of view. We leave it to our readers to make their own judgments.
Rachel Fishman Feddersen is publisher and CEO of the Forward.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
