Opinion

• Opinion

  An Unseemly Silence

  As President Bush attempted to sell the American public and the international community on the need for a war in Iraq, America’s most important Jewish organizations rallied as one to his defense. In statement after statement community leaders stressed the need to rid the world of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. Some…

  2 min read
• Opinion

  High Noon at Sycamore Ranch

  Last weekend’s Likud party defeat of Prime Minister Sharon’s Gaza withdrawal proposal has thrown Israeli politics into confusion. With no road map to go by, the country is busy trying to guess the wily old general’s next move. Sharon has already dismissed calls for him to resign or to withdraw the plan. Instead, he will…

  By Barry Rubin May 7, 2004 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  When Unemployment Doesn’t Work

  As the election-year debate proceeds over what policies can best promote the creation of new jobs, there remains a simple, inexpensive step the federal government can take right now to help many of the people hit hardest by the poor job market. That step, endorsed by public officials from Senator Hillary Clinton to the chairman…

  By Isaac Shapiro and John Springer May 7, 2004 | 4 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 ‘Eddington’ is full of conspiracy theories but it’s not about Jews. Or is it?

  

• 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

  Freed From Shackles of the Past, Europe Forges a Unified Future

  This weekend, much of Central and Eastern Europe will be celebrating as my country of Latvia and nine other new member-states officially join the European Union. Last month, five of those states — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia — also joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. For many in Central and Eastern Europe, membership…

  By Nils Muiznieks Apr 30, 2004 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  A Scheduling Conflict

  The temptation is to write about the small things, the odds and ends of daily life that describe what it is like to be in Israel these days — better than all the momentous debates and decisions that are very much, and appropriately so, in the news around the world. The first two weeks of…

  By Leonard Fein Apr 30, 2004 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Israel and the Swiss Banks

  With Israel facing unprecedented diplomatic isolation, and with antisemitic rhetoric and imagery surging to dangerous levels around the world, Jerusalem could not have picked a worse time to pick a fight with a Brooklyn federal court over its share of the $1.25 billion settlement between Holocaust survivors and Swiss banks. The Swiss bank restitution fund…

  Apr 30, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  The Message From the Mall

  Last week’s Washington rally for women’s reproductive choice wasn’t merely one of the largest demonstrations in American history. It was one of the largest gatherings of American Jews in recent years. Based on numbers provided by participating Jewish organizations, impressions from participants and inquiries with organizers around the country, it seems clear that Jewish march-goers…

  Apr 30, 2004 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  April 30, 2004

  Progressive Union Aims To Open Student Talks The April 16 article on the lack of open debate on campus is a crucial reminder of the need for support of left-leaning Jewish students who wish to voice their opinions about Israel on campus (“Stifled Discussion Dampens Student Advocacy Efforts”). To address this need, several progressive Zionist…

  Apr 30, 2004 | 5 min read
• Opinion

  The Dumb of All Fears

  Terrorism is the national obsession du jour, and its costs are high and rising rapidly. Our fears of terrorism are real and justified, but if we allow ourselves to be obsessed with them, we will inevitably do stupid things that will likely make matters worse, not better. Next up for scrutiny through a terrorism-obsessed lens…

  By Kathleen Peratis Apr 30, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  With Liberty and Social Justice for All

  From the stage, looking out at a rainbow of bobbing placards, the energy and commitment of the crowd massing on the national mall in Washington, D.C. was palpable. The April 25 March for Women’s Lives was one of the biggest demonstrations in American history. And whether you agree with press estimates of 800,000 marchers or…

  By Marsha Atkind Apr 30, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Racing To Rescue Shoah Evidence

  That the Holocaust was one of history’s most well-documented crimes is well-known. But few people know just how much documentation — “evidence” of the crime — remains yet to be identified. Finding these original materials, preserving them and making them available for research is fundamental to the mission of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum….

  By Sara Bloomfield Apr 30, 2004 | 3 min read