Opinion

• Opinion

  A Failure of Moral Vision

  The movement toward divestment from Israel by mainline Protestant churches — first the Presbyterians and now, perhaps, the Anglicans — is an alarming measure of how badly Israel’s reputation in the West has been damaged in the last four years. The uneven warfare of the intifada, the spreading global specter of Muslim rage and the…

  3 min read
• Opinion

  The Miracle of Return

  More than any other holiday, the Day of Atonement is a marker of American Jews’ devotion to their heritage and traditions in the face of the assimilatory pull of the broader culture. Other holidays with a mass following, such as Passover and Hanukkah, are joyous occasions that combine family celebration with readily accessible messages of…

  Oct 1, 2004 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Generational Irresponsibility Of Epic Proportions

  Imagine if a candidate for office promised to introduce legislation called “The Social Security Do Nothing Plan.” Under this bill, promised retirement benefits would be cut by 16% for today’s 30-year-olds, by 29% for today’s 20-year-olds and by 35% for today’s newborns. Alternatively, payroll taxes would go up suddenly by 34% in 2042. With either…

  By Harry Zeeve Oct 1, 2004 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Rob Eshman American Jews can’t agree about anything — except Iran

  

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

  

• Dan Perry Trump’s new Gaza plan marks a radical break from Israeli policy — can it succeed?

  

• Emily Tamkin Is Mamdani bad or good for Jews? Here’s how to tell

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  A Settler’s Call For National Unity

  As the rabbi of one of the largest settlements in Judea, the municipality of Efrat, I identify closely with the settler community. I believe that when the history of this period is written, the various settlements of Judea and Samaria — peopled in the main by very idealistic, Zionistic and non-materialistic Jews — will be…

  By Shlomo Riskin Oct 1, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Badgering Honor

  Such a fuss! The Republicans set out to rob John Kerry of his heroism, and it appears that in the public mind, they have succeeded. Now, when we read of the senator’s Vietnam heroism, or lack thereof, it is usually juxtaposed against President Bush’s service, or failure to serve, in the National Guard. The score?…

  By Kathleen Peratis Oct 1, 2004 | 3 min read
• Letters

  October 1, 2004

  Key to Social Security Is Reforming Program It is odd that the Forward has chosen to at long last address the issue of the red ink that is a daunting part of our future, given the fact that I cannot recall another instance in which the editors objected to any spending proposals put forward heretofore…

  Oct 1, 2004 | 5 min read
• Letters

  September 24, 2004

  In Bush We Trust Columnist Leonard Fein finds it difficult to understand why 46% of voters “imagine that Bush is more trustworthy than Kerry regarding Supreme Court nominations” (“Heads I Win, Tails You Lose,” September 17). As a member of that 46%, let me explain. A president’s Supreme Court nominations are more likely to be…

  Sep 24, 2004 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Getting Our Learn On

  Time out: With just weeks to go before the fateful election, which will at last put an (upside down?) exclamation point to the end of a campaign that has tested our capacity for sheer endurance, it is time (and then some) for a brief recess. Two catalogs arrived in the mail last week — one…

  By Leonard Fein Sep 24, 2004 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Security and Sanctuary

  It has now been three years since the September 11 terrorist attacks. For us, as leaders of a Jewish agency that has served refugees and immigrants for 123 years, these have been very trying times. Clearly, we recognize the enormity of the attacks on that horrible day, as well as the ongoing danger to the…

  By Jerome Teller and Leonard Glickman Sep 24, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Shelter From the Storms

  The festival of Sukkot, which begins Wednesday night, September 29, is known for the custom among observant Jews of building sukkahs, or booths, in their backyards and on their rooftops. The booths, open to the sky and the elements, are meant to symbolize the fragile, transient quality of the Hebrews’ journey through the wilderness on…

  Sep 24, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Overcoming Israel’s Separation Anxiety

  As the year 5765 opens, for Israel the writing is on the wall. The country’s morale is being undermined; its resources are eaten up in a fruitless struggle. Since the beginning of the second Palestinian uprising four years ago, Israel’s economic position has deteriorated in comparison with other developed countries, and even compared with some…

  By Martin van Creveld Sep 24, 2004 | 5 min read