Opinion

• Opinion

  The years I spent in Ukraine taught me a very Jewish concept: hope

  BERLIN (JTA) – I watch what is happening in Ukraine and I feel helpless, scared for the state of the world, terrified for my friends and former students and anxious about the future of the place that I called home for nearly four years of my life. When I first arrived in Ukraine 12 years…

  By Jeremy Borovitz

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Despite childhood bullying, I’m proud of my Indian Jewish identity

  I’ve always viewed myself, growing up with an Indian Jewish mother, as an experimental new dish added to the menu of life. Add one cup of challah, another cup of sari’s and chutney, a dash of Germanic roots and blend vigorously until you get one enthusiastic and occasionally confused me. I have not always appreciated…

  By Sarah Brill Feb 23, 2022 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  That’s Amar’e! Black Orthodox superstars making outreach to the masses

  In a recent HBO special, superstar NBA player and coach Amar’e Stoudemire is seen by millions — not dunking, but davening. He followed that by making headlines in the Jewish world, announcing he’s ready for a shidduch and to remarry. Not to be outdone, another celebrity — top-selling rapper and producer Nissim Black — last…

  By Mordechai Ben Avraham Feb 23, 2022 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson A Yom Kippur confessional for 2025

  

• Rob Eshman When did Donald Trump become a liberal Zionist?

  

• Nora Berman The terrifying Nazi precedent for Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension — and the reasons to stay hopeful

  

• Dan Perry Trump is finally absolutely right about something in the Middle East

  

• Emily Tamkin Trump’s attack on George Soros is ludicrous. It also endangers Jews (and everyone else)

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  I survived being taken hostage in my Colleyville synagogue

  (JTA) — If I have learned anything over the past month, it is that racist tropes are not harmless words. They must be actively and consistently challenged. You know them and so do I. The racist tropes peddled about Jewish people are plentiful. What you may not know is that antisemitic tropes caused my friends…

  By Jeffrey R. Cohen Feb 22, 2022 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Did George Washington really love the Jews?

  Everything you need to know about George Washington and the Jews

  By Richard Brookhiser Feb 21, 2022 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I hate this Presidents Day — and all others

  Presidents’ Day is just plain odd

  By Dan Friedman Feb 21, 2022 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  A Palestinian-American died in Israeli custody. American Jews help fund the unit responsible

  An 80 year-old Palestinian-American, Omar Abdalmajeed As’ad, died cold and alone on Jan. 12, 2022. He died after being dragged from his vehicle, handcuffed, gagged and forced to lie on his stomach on frigid marble ground in below-freezing temperatures. Omar As’ad’s son told the Associated Press that his father was “the life of the party”…

  By Nora Berman Feb 18, 2022 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Wake the sleeping dogs! The Jewish world needs journalism without fear or favor

  This is an adaptation of Looking Forward, a weekly email from our editor-in-chief sent on Friday afternoons. Sign up here to get the Forward’s free newsletters delivered to your inbox. Download and print our free magazine of stories to savor over Shabbat and Sunday. The letter is dated Feb. 16, 1904. It’s typewritten on yellowing…

  By Jodi Rudoren Feb 18, 2022 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  I’m a queer Mizrahi Jew who left the NY Orthodox world. This ‘bubby’ took me in.

  (JTA) — This article first appeared on Alma. In Orthodox Judaism, a child’s Hebrew name is given within the first week. The rules for our lives are predetermined, assigned based on our gender at birth. Since I was born, I knew inside that I was created differently from others — and I was labeled a non-conforming…

  By Je'Jae Cleopatra Daniels Feb 16, 2022 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel thinks I only want to make aliyah so I can play basketball. But I just want to come home.

  (JTA) — Eight days after I was born, I had a brit. I was a Jew, and that’s what Jews do. Well, many do it anyway; Jews who are not observant may not, but that wasn’t my family. We kept Shabbat. We had the best meals and wine during Passover. And on Yom Kippur, at…

  By Jared Armstrong Feb 15, 2022 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  How I stay close to my son while arguing over Israel and Palestine

  As a progressive and pro-Israel mother of four teens, I’ve tried hard to instill in my children a balanced perspective on championing the challenged while supporting the world’s only Jewish state. But when my eldest son wants to discuss Israel-Palestine, we often descend into heated debate. Asher is a college sophomore and decidedly critical of…

  By Lynne Golodner Feb 15, 2022 | 4 min read