Opinion

• Opinion

  After Durban II, Egg on Our Faces

  By any conventional standard the declaration issued at the conclusion of the Durban II global conference on racism, held in Geneva in late April, was a signal — and a very, very positive — achievement. It is forward-looking in its commitment to protect victims of racism, includes significant new protections for migrants, omits the pernicious…

  By Kathleen Peratis

  3 min read
• Opinion

  After Loss, Choosing Love

  Gingerly, gingerly. You likely recall the heart-rending case of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, the Gaza physician three of whose daughters were killed in their home by an errant Israeli tank shell back on January 16, one day before the cease-fire that ended Israel’s assault on Gaza. There are many chapters to Abuelaish’s story. A master’s degree…

  By Leonard Fein Apr 29, 2009 | 3 min read
• Letters

  May 8, 2009

  Same Old Story, From Jersey to Pennsylvania The story you told in your excellent article “On the Jersey Waterfront, Jews Return, but Jewish Community Still Struggles” is not in any way an isolated one (April 24). I live in Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill County, within this state’s anthracite coal regions. Here we once had a number of…

  Apr 29, 2009 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman Charlie Kirk and Alan Berg: 2 murders, 41 years apart, show the painful perils of polarization

  

• Nora Berman Is Netflix’s new show the most Jewish cartoon ever?

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s strike in Qatar: An audacious bid for victory, or just another foolhardy provocation?

  

• Emily Tamkin Trump’s attack on George Soros is ludicrous. It also endangers Jews (and everyone else)

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  Specter’s Switch

  About 50 people gathered on the evening of April 26 at a home in suburban Philadelphia to raise funds for Pennsylvania’s senior U.S. Senator, Arlen Specter. The host, Mark Aronchick, is a prominent attorney and Democratic fundraiser who worked with Howard Dean and traveled with Hillary Rodham Clinton during last year’s campaign. Probably 80% of…

  Apr 29, 2009 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Hello and Farewell

  About a month ago, the Forward offered to convene an ongoing conversation between our readers and Jewish communal leaders, to hold those leaders accountable and to promote civil dialogue at a time when it is sorely needed. Not surprisingly, we haven’t heard from any communal leaders willing to participate. Yet. But we have heard from…

  By Jane Eisner Apr 29, 2009 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  When Charity Isn’t Charitable

  President Obama’s proposal to reduce the tax deductions enjoyed by wealthy individuals who give to charity has led to a predictable wave of protest from the philanthropic sector. I’ve just published a book arguing that people who are financially comfortable ought to increase their donations to help those in great need. So I too must…

  By Peter Singer Apr 22, 2009 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Disarming Dreams, Nuclear Realities

  President Obama’s landmark speech in Prague on April 5, in which he proclaimed “America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” was certainly historic. But it was not entirely without precedent. Ever since the days of Harry Truman, America’s first atomic president, almost every American administration — Democratic and…

  By Avner Cohen Apr 22, 2009 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Menacing Egypt From Lebanon

  In recent weeks, Egyptian media outlets have been accusing Hezbollah and Iran of planning attacks on targets in Egypt and fomenting the overthrow of the Mubarak regime. Cairo reportedly has smoking guns in the form of dozens of detainees, the intelligence these agents allegedly collected on Suez Canal targets and an illegal Sinai arms factory….

  By Yossi Alpher Apr 22, 2009 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  The Torturers and the Memo-Writers

  In his statement regarding the release of the shocking Department of Justice memos justifying America’s use of torture during the interrogation of terrorism suspects, President Obama said, “In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice…

  By Leonard Fein Apr 22, 2009 | 4 min read
• Letters

  May 1, 2009

  Spiritual Pros, Cons There are exciting policy implications in the new Synagogue 3000 study by Steven M. Cohen and Lawrence Hoffman, “How Spiritual Are America’s Jews?” as reported in your April 17 article “Study: Young Jews More Spiritual, Yet More Divided?” The authors of the study conclude that stressing spirituality will broaden Judaism’s appeal to…

  Apr 22, 2009 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Jews and Labor

  The men and women who founded the Jewish Daily Forward 112 years ago believed they were creating a newspaper for the Yiddish-speaking workers of the New World. Their devotion to furthering the cause of unionized labor wasn’t just an intellectual exercise. When the Forward needed money in its early years, unions contributed to its coffers,…

  Apr 22, 2009 | 2 min read