Opinion

• Opinion

  From Baghdad to Beirut, Arab Leaders Being Held To Account

  Long home to farfetched conspiracy theories and a political culture of victimization, the Arab world is now being swept by a new emphasis on accountability. While commentators and pundits debate the merits, drawbacks and sincerity of the Bush administration’s drive for democracy, events across the Middle East suggest that the relationship between rulers and the…

  By Michael Rubin

  5 min read
• Opinion

  Facing the Unresolved Issue in Interfaith Dialogue

  Built in the year 81 C.E., the Arch of Titus stands dramatically in the Roman Forum, commemorating Titus’s military triumph over the Jews and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem 11 years earlier. A bas-relief on the inside of the arch depicting Roman soldiers carrying the spoils of victory highlights the massive menorah. Contemplating…

  By Michael Kotzin Oct 28, 2005 | 4 min read
• Letters

  October 28, 2005

  Fund Ethiopian Efforts After years of stonewalling and foot-dragging by the government of Israel and the Jewish Agency, it will take deeds, not more words, in order for success and not “the sad reality” to be the hallmark of Ethiopian Jewish aliyah (“Poverty and Crime Rates Reveal Israel’s Failure To Absorb Ethiopian Immigrants,” October 21)….

  Oct 28, 2005 | 6 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 I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel

  

• Nora Berman The left is turning on AOC over Israel — and imperiling its own agenda

  

• Dan Perry Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  In the Wake of A Sinking Ship

  In November 2004, just after the reelection of President Bush, I wrote that the Republicans are “off to such a furious start that their excess may presage their early demise. Simply stated, the likelihood is that the Republicans will over-reach. The early indications are that they have not merely been buoyed by their victories, but…

  By Leonard Fein Oct 28, 2005 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  In Our Time

  Whatever else might be said about it, the Roman Catholic Church must be deemed one of the wonders of human civilization. In continuous operation for two millennia, it remains among the world’s most powerful institutions, claiming 1 billion followers, one-sixth of all humanity, in a tightly organized community of belief and influence that reaches into…

  Oct 28, 2005 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Sukkah in the Storm

  The sukkah, the fragile hut that gives the Sukkot holiday its name, could be the most ambivalent symbol in all of Jewish tradition. Custom dictates that we spend a week each fall dwelling — or at least taking meals — in a roofless shack, open to the heavens. It is, we are taught, a time…

  Oct 28, 2005 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Serving Justice By Not Publicly Serving Justices

  There are no daily front-page stories. There are no slick public relations campaigns touting or trashing potential candidates. And there are no public hearings on nominees’ fitness to serve. In Israel, the selection process for new Supreme Court justices unfolds behind closed doors, and information made public — even about the identity of the candidates…

  By Kathleen Peratis Oct 28, 2005 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Robert Aumann, Teacher Laureate

  The two winners of the 2005 Nobel prize in economics were announced the other day: Thomas Schelling, now at the University of Maryland, (before that, for many years, at Harvard University), and Robert Aumann of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Paul Samuelson aside, the winners of the Nobel in economics usually are not well known…

  By Leonard Fein Oct 21, 2005 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  The Book of the People

  This coming Tuesday, Jewish congregations around the world will complete their annual cycle of public Bible readings and start the reading anew, and they will mark the moment with the raucous festival known as Simchat Torah, the “Joy of the Torah.” The holiday is noteworthy for a number of reasons, but none more poignant or…

  Oct 21, 2005 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  In the Beginning …

  In addition to its specific, text-related theme, Simchat Torah has an added significance: It marks the end of the month-long cycle of holidays that begins with Rosh Hashanah. It is an emotional roller-coaster of a month for observant Jews, running from the trumpeting grandeur of the New Year proclamation to the anguished soul-searching of Yom…

  Oct 21, 2005 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Give Protestants Stake in Peace By Investing in Interfaith Efforts

  Last week’s vote by the Episcopal Church of America to reject divestment from Israel didn’t simply happen in a vacuum. It was the culmination of renewed efforts by Jewish organizations to engage the mainline Protestant churches. Last month I traveled to Israel with a group of Christians for the first time. The experience has convinced…

  By Robert Horenstein Oct 21, 2005 | 3 min read