Limits of Race
At a time when many Jews (particularly younger ones) are rejecting blood-based definitions of nationality, I was disappointed with the Jon Entine’s favorable May 11 review of Harry Ostrer’s “Legacies: Genetic History of the Jewish People.”
No doubt, ethnicity has played a large role in who we are as Jews, yet from the prophetic perspective, defining ourselves in these terms is idolatrous.
Rabbi Joshua Chasan
Ohavi Zedek Synagogue
Burlington, Vt.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
