Opinion

• Letters

  December 12, 2003

  ‘Beyond Walls’ Editorial Is Beyond the Pale The November 28 editorial “Beyond the Walls” is aptly titled; it crosses a journalistic barrier that has, until now, allowed the Forward to be perceived as a neutral forum with regard to different expressions of Judaism. “Protesters” within the Orthodox community unhappy with what they perceive as abuses…

  5 min read
• Opinion

  Modern-day Disputations

  One of the most haunting images in the Torah, found in this week’s parsha, casts a startling light on a question that’s roiling the Jewish religious world at this moment. The issue is interfaith dialogue. I know, I know, it’s one of the more sleep-inducing items on the official communal agenda. Those two words conjure…

  By David Klinghoffer Dec 12, 2003 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Defining Dr. Dean

  Al Gore’s endorsement of Howard Dean this week gives an all-but-official stamp to something that’s been increasingly apparent for weeks to anyone following the Democratic presidential contest: The former Vermont governor is now the front-runner. From a nine-way melee, the race has evolved into a two-way battle between Dean and everyone else. Dean has gotten…

  Dec 12, 2003 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz Class assignment: Get to know your murdered Jewish neighbors

  

• Rob Eshman Liberal Zionists are under attack. A new book proves their work has never been more important

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s most dangerous war is with itself

  

• Emily Tamkin American Jews have a Hasan Piker problem. Solving it is going to hurt

  

• Jay Michaelson Epstein and Iran are an antisemitism mega-crisis. Here’s what Jewish organizations should do about it. 

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  Olmert’s Choice

  When historical shifts take place before your eyes, it’s tough to pick out the single event that marks the moment of transformation. In the case of Israel’s move toward compromise and separation from the Palestinians, the shift has come in a cascading series of events over the last four months or so. The collapse of…

  Dec 12, 2003 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  The Spirit of Giving

  To people who believe in giving from the heart, New York at holiday time can feel more like a series of parallel universes than a city in the midst of celebration. Outdoor malls and Madison Avenue boutiques are filled with people who want for nothing, gift-shopping — busily, joyfully, even crabbily — for people who…

  By Sharon Glassman Dec 12, 2003 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Can America Afford Not To Provide Universal Health Care?

  As a nation, we do many things to reduce societal risk and promote health. We regulate the safety of cars, enforce standards to make our workplaces safer and set limits on exposure to toxic chemicals. Fewer fatal car crashes and healthier work and home environments allow people to live longer and healthier lives. We need…

  By Arthur Kellermann and Wilhelmine Miller Dec 5, 2003 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  A Study In Vibrancy

  As against the conventional lamentations regarding the state of American Jewish life, I am pleased to inform you that on December 21, a rather large miracle is scheduled to begin. It falls under the heading “Who would have thunk?” The background: The Association for Jewish Studies, founded in 1969, is the learned society for professors…

  By Leonard Fein Dec 5, 2003 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  The Truths of Geneva

  For all its theatrics, its celebrity cast and high-concept special effects, the “launch” this week in Switzerland of the so-called Geneva Understandings did not usher in a new era in Israeli-Palestinian relations. The document’s authors and architects did not have the power to do anything of the sort. Private citizens all, they could hug and…

  Dec 5, 2003 | 3 min read
• Letters

  December 5, 2003

  Abuse Issue Examined Ten years ago, the UJA-Federation of New York convened a group of human services professionals to determine what needed to be done about spousal abuse in the Jewish community — a long-denied issue that is a stark reality for far too many Jewish women and children (“Open Our Communal Eyes to Spousal…

  Dec 5, 2003 | 5 min read
• Opinion

  Changing Georgia

  Last week’s bloodless revolution in the former Soviet republic of Georgia is a reminder that change can come about peaceably, even in a region with a history as violent and turbulent as the Caucasus. What is needed is for all the players to rise to the occasion and play their parts resolutely, but responsibly. Three…

  Dec 5, 2003 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Liberal Nationalism

  The worldwide campaign to rob Israel of its good name has strained Zionism’s historic linkage with liberalism. Too many progressives have attacked Israel and Zionism, especially in academia. Palestinians have cleverly hijacked the rhetoric of human rights to rationalize that great human wrong, terrorism. The new, politically correct position of demonizing the Jewish state and…

  By Gil Troy Nov 28, 2003 | 3 min read