In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Among the Villagers of Le Chambon
As the Holocaust loomed, a few Jews made their way to the area of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in the mountains of south-central France, 350 miles south of Paris. And the peasants and villagers took in the Jews who came. And the Jews kept coming. And the people kept taking them in. In this one speck of…
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Letters October 8, 2004
Promote Discourse On Leaders’ Israel Stance An October 1 letter to the editor mirrors almost to the word a complaint sent to me via e-mail by Ira Foreman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, following the inclusion of my thoughts on the potential for mischief inherent in the Senator John Kerry campaign’s evocation…
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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…
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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…
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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?…
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Opinion A Muse for Philip Roth
Most of the speculation about how American Jews will vote in November has been about the Bush-Kerry contest, without much consideration as to the issues that are motivating American Jews one way or another. With only a month until the elections, the findings from two new studies — the Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class
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Film & TV A new documentary challenges stereotypes about Orthodox Jewish women — and their wigs
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Sports NBA coach Steve Kerr: ‘Israel sought revenge for Oct. 7 and now 72,000 Palestinians have been killed’
In Case You Missed It
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Antisemitism Decoded The great antisemitism rug pull
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Culture An Israeli genocide scholar looks to Israel’s history to understand ‘what went wrong’
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Yiddish טשיקאַוועסן: אַ ירושה פֿון 200 ייִדישע חפֿצים געפֿינט אַ הייםTidbits: An inheritance of 200 pieces of Judaica finds a home
דעבאָראַ בראָדי, אַ לערערין פֿון קינדער מיט ספּעציעלע באַדערפֿענישן, האָט זיי געלאָזט אָנטאַפּן די זאַכן.
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Opinion The new face of Holocaust denial is harder to spot — and more dangerous