Opinion

• Opinion

  Honoring the Office

  In the last few weeks, President Barack Obama has been assailed as never before, and there is good reason for all Americans to be concerned. Not about the name-calling, per se; name-calling, slander, outrageous characterization have been a part of American presidential politics since, well, George Washington. The much revered other tall, lanky president from…

  2 min read
• Opinion

  We Observe Anniversaries. God Laughs.

  The next few days feature a surprising string of important anniversaries in contemporary history. Here are a few of the key dates: September 15, 1959. Next Tuesday, for all you 20th-century history buffs (and you “Car 54, Where Are You?” fans) is the 50th anniversary of the day Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev landed at Idlewild,…

  By J.J. Goldberg Sep 10, 2009 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  An Experiment That, for a Time, Did Not Fail

  “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end…” That song may be much on the lips (or, more likely, in the hearts) of veterans of Israel’s now nearly comatose kibbutz movement. It may seem a bit odd to be talking about the kibbutz movement, home to less than 2% of Israel’s people,…

  By Leonard Fein Sep 9, 2009 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson What can really be done to prevent antisemitic attacks like Bondi Beach?

  

• Rob Eshman Australia shooting terrifies Jews worldwide — and strengthens the case for Israel

  

• Nora Berman Did crypto-Jews invent the modern tarot deck?

  

• Dan Perry An Israeli media mainstay is crumbling. Will liberal democracy go with it?

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Survival Is the Sweetest Revenge

  When I was 10, my father recommended a movie called “Where Eagles Dare,” the story of a few Allied soldiers who go behind enemy lines during World War II and wreak incredible havoc. When I asked if it was any good, my father just gave me a look. “Four guys kill like a thousand Nazis,”…

  By Rich Cohen Sep 9, 2009 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Back to School: Raise the Bar for Jewish Campus Life

  Anyone traveling recently by car (or clunker) on I-95, Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway, or any other major thoroughfare, may already be aware of the commencement of a great Jewish pilgrimage festival. Don’t worry, you haven’t slept through the High Holy Days; there is plenty of time still to construct a sukkah. I’m talking…

  By Wayne L. Firestone Sep 9, 2009 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Back to Shul: Innovate To Beat the Synagogue Slump

  In the coming weeks, Jews will be frequenting places to which they rarely go — their synagogues. One rabbi I know did an anonymous survey of his congregation on the reason they came to synagogue on the High Holy Days. The most common response was: “to see my friends.” It is enough to get clergy…

  By Sid Schwarz Sep 9, 2009 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Making a Turn Onto J Street

  I was born in Israel, on Kibbutz Nachshon. Driving from Nachshon on the road up to Jerusalem, you pass Latrun, where Joshua defeated the Amorites, Judah Maccabee won his first battle and Ariel Sharon fought to break the 1948 blockade of the holy city. History is everywhere in Israel, and it’s very much alive. In…

  By Hadar Susskind Sep 9, 2009 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Other People’s Sins

  This is the season of repentance. This is the time of year that we pause to look around, inside and out, and reset our compasses. Tradition teaches that in the month of Elul, which began August 21, each of us is called to reflect on our actions in the past year and seek to make…

  By J.J. Goldberg Sep 9, 2009 | 4 min read
• Letters

  September 18, 2009

  Where Are the Reform Outreach Centers? In your September 4 article “Largest Outreach Effort for Alums of Birthright Raises Concerns,” Reform rabbis Eric Yoffie and Andrew Bachman express concern over what is being taught at the Jewish Enrichment Center, which is staffed by Orthodox rabbis, and call for greater pluralism in Jewish outreach efforts. What…

  Sep 9, 2009 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Family Values

  Be fruitful and multiply. But if you work for a Jewish communal organization in America, you probably won’t be able to count on help from your employer. That’s the message from a massive study conducted by the organization Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community, which found that only 35% of Jewish communal organizations have…

  Sep 9, 2009 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Despairing Words

  Archbishop emeritus and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu is one loquacious fellow. There have been times when the talkative South African human rights activist has been pilloried for saying things that, in fact, he never uttered. But there are also instances when Tutu deserves to be criticized for things he says, and sometimes says again. In…

  Sep 9, 2009 | 2 min read