Opinion

• Opinion

  Justice, At Last

  In a few weeks’ time, Judge Edward Korman of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn will formally close the debate over how to spend whatever money remains unclaimed from the $1.25 billion class-action settlement between Swiss banks and their Holocaust-era depositors. There’s a January 30 deadline for submitting spending proposals, which will be posted on…

  4 min read
• Opinion

  Time To Tone Down Criticism of Saudis

  With the American presidential campaign heating up, many candidates have been tempted to take a swing at Saudi Arabia. It is a soft target and, as is frequently the case in political campaigns, candidates often fail to consider carefully the facts of the situation or the long-term consequences of their rhetoric for our country’s foreign…

  By Edward S. Walker Jr. Jan 16, 2004 | 6 min read
• Opinion

  How Dean Can Capture the ‘Radical Center’

  With former Vermont governor Howard Dean leading the Democratic pack, his viability as a challenger to President Bush is coming under increasing scrutiny. In particular, many are asking whether he will be able to reach beyond his activist, liberal base of support and connect with Middle America. Can Dean win over good old boys who…

  By Richard D. Kahlenberg Jan 16, 2004 | 5 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

• Letters

  January 16, 2004

  Having read key portions of the presently unavailable controversial book “On the Exalted Nature of Israel and Understanding Its Exile” by Rabbi Saadya Grama, I understand both the critical article in the Forward and defenses of the book from within the charedi community (“Charedi Rabbis Rush To Disavow Anti-Gentile Book,” December 19). While this sounds…

  Jan 16, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Sticking With the Dems

  Jews have historically voted their memories rather than their pocketbooks. The memory of our immigrant status, of our poverty and of the opportunities afforded us by this great nation has always led us to favor candidates who are committed to repairing the world rather than increasing corporate profits, and to distributing justice rather than helping…

  By Alan M. Dershowitz Jan 9, 2004 | 4 min read
• Letters

  January 9, 2004

  Embarrassed By Iran’s Refusal of Israeli Aid I just read your editorial on the victims of the earthquake in Bam, Iran (“Iran’s Victims,” January 2). It was very touching; thank you for your kindness. I myself am an Iranian living in America and found the Iranian authorities’ refusal to accept help from Israel very embarrassing….

  Jan 9, 2004 | 5 min read
• Opinion

  No Tolerance For Intolerance

  ‘Tolerance” is a Jewish value, right? Yet it is also a word that is often used to designate an attitude of moral relativism, wholly alien to Judaism as traditionally understood. What then does it mean for a Jew to be tolerant? The question is a timely one. Each day’s news is filled with hints and…

  By David Klinghoffer Jan 9, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  An Early Spring Thaw

  It got a little harder this week to be a confirmed pessimist about the state of the world. In an astounding succession of developments, international trouble-spots from Libya to North Korea to the India-Pakistan frontier suddenly turned into promising zones of dialogue and perhaps even reconciliation. Tentative signs of a thaw are visible on a…

  Jan 9, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Spirit Mission

  Lifting our eyes to the heavens will have a very different feel in the days ahead, thanks to the success of the Spirit Rover, NASA’s Mars explorer. The remarkable photos sent back to Earth by the craft, showing the Martian surface with unequaled vividness and immediacy, make the 100 million miles that separate us from…

  Jan 9, 2004 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  A Land Grab at the Western Wall

  The Western Wall is a powerful symbol for Jews of all stripes. Unfortunately, recent developments at the Wall threaten to transform the holy site into a place where many Jews will feel increasingly unwelcome. The area immediately adjacent to the Western Wall has long been, for all intents and purposes, an Orthodox synagogue. A permanent…

  By Andrew M. Sacks Jan 9, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Where Compassion Is a One-Way Street

  Eitan Ronel, a retired lieutenant colonel, returned his rank insignia to the Israeli army chief of staff this week, along with a letter full of bitterness. “Human life has lost its worth and values we were raised on, such as purity of arms, have become a bad joke,” he wrote. Ronel’s protest over the army’s…

  By Yoel Marcus Jan 9, 2004 | 3 min read