Opinion

• Opinion

  I went to Ukraine to find my roots. The KGB found me first

  The KGB men who took me into custody in Ukraine were straight out of central casting. The Bad Cop was older, with a porcine face. He wore a leather trench coat cinched tight to his fat frame, and spoke only Russian. The Good Cop was young and lean: Bobby Kennedy to J. Edgar Hoover. His…

  By Howard Fineman

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel can’t help Ukraine — and it’s America’s fault

  Suddenly, everyone is helping the Ukrainians. The ferocity of the Russian assault on an outgunned neighbor has stiffened spines from Washington to London and sent post-Cold War taboos tumbling across Europe. Pacifist Germany is dispatching weaponry and has promised to spend 2% of GDP on defense going forward. The EU is suddenly in the arms…

  By Gedalia Guttentag Mar 1, 2022 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  ‘Our own history will judge us’: Michael Oren on why Israel must take a stand for Ukraine

  Supporters of Israel — indeed, Israelis themselves — might be surprised to learn that the country’s policy on Ukraine is virtually the same as that of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. All have refrained from openly condemning Putin. Why would the position of the area’s only Jewish state and its only democracy dovetail with that of…

  By Michael Oren Mar 1, 2022 | 4 min read

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The Latest

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  Opinion

  Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s religious liberty opinions won’t bother most American Jews

  President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill Justice Breyer’s seat on the Supreme Court. The nomination is no doubt historic: If confirmed, Judge Jackson would be the third Black Supreme Court justice and first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. When it comes to matters of church and state, issues…

  By Michael A. Helfand Feb 28, 2022 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminds us what a Jewish hero looks like

  In November 1987, I visited Soviet refuseniks in Russia as part of a grassroots volunteer organization in Chicago dedicated to helping Soviet Jews. The USSR was in its final days. I recall how few lights were on when my plane landed, a reflection of a nation that struggled to provide basic necessities like electricity. Food…

  By Rabbi Irwin Zeplowitz Feb 28, 2022 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  What will you remember from Black History Month?

  On the final day of the shortest month on the nation’s official commemorative calendar, I have a question for everyone: How much will you remember of whatever you learned about Black history this month? Or on our pages, how much of Black Jewish history? I ask that not to point fingers, but to sincerely probe…

  By Robin Washington Feb 27, 2022 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Ukrainian refugees need our help. Here’s how Jews can act now

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently made an urgent plea to global leaders: “If you don’t help us now, if you fail to offer a powerful assistance to Ukraine, tomorrow the war will knock on your door.” The war is already knocking. Ukrainians — especially women and children — are fleeing their cities, enduring unimaginable risks….

  By Mark Hetfield Feb 27, 2022 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish history is repeating itself in Ukraine. This time, we must fight Putin back

  In 1911, my grandpa Jake was born in the small Hungarian village of Torun in the Carpathian Mountains. While he was still a child, the village became a part of Czechoslovakia, and after World War II, it fell within the borders of Ukraine. My grandpa was just a little boy when World War I broke…

  By Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback Feb 25, 2022 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Ukrainian Jews have thrived under democracy. I pray my ancestral country endures

  In 1929, my great-grandfather was given two weeks to leave Ukraine. Soviet authorities were intent on seizing his business. My great-grandfather Avrum owned a house in Uman and a dacha— a summer home — in Crimea. He was a NEPman— one of the successful traders who sprung up under the New Economic Policy of the…

  By Ed Weinberg Feb 25, 2022 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  I lost my Jewish community after my interfaith marriage, so I built a new one

  “Sure, I do interfaith marriages, but I have conditions,” the portly rabbi said, as he guided us to the two worn leather chairs in front of his desk. Then he sat down and clasped his hands together. A few weeks before, on a warm summer afternoon, my fiance Chris had popped the question at the…

  By Aileen Weintraub Feb 24, 2022 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Miriam restaurant was sprayed with “f— Jews” graffiti. Here’s why we responded with white roses

  At our table, we savored the plates of hummus, pita and shakshuka. It brought back wonderful memories of Jaffa and Jerusalem, places I haven’t been in a long time. My friends, colleagues and I, 11 of us in total, chose to go to Miriam restaurant as an act of friendship and solidarity with the Jewish…

  By Luke Moon Feb 23, 2022 | 3 min read