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
We know what works in protecting synagogues. Now Congress needs to fund it
Antisemitic incidents in America have been on the rise in recent years, and 2022 is already off to a terrible start: a gunman took four people hostage inside a Texas synagogue, Jews have been physically attacked in the streets of Brooklyn, and several synagogues and other Jewish organizations across the country have received bomb threats….
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Opinion Germany denied my Holocaust survivor mother reparations — twice
When I was 34, I discovered my mother was a Holocaust survivor. My parents finally put their hellish marriage out of its misery and called it quits. In the aftermath, I came across an affidavit in which my mother was claiming financial support. In it, she stated she was born into the Jewish faith. It…
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Opinion ‘Difficult literature is more important than ever’: why we’re bringing Black plays to Jewish schools
McMinn County in Tennessee recently banned their middle schools from reading Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel “Maus,” a work that for decades has powerfully introduced young readers to the realities of the Holocaust. Shortly thereafter, residents of nearby Mount Juliet held a mass book burning, during which they tossed copies of “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” into…
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Opinion How should the media cover the Goyim Defense League?
Should I even write about the Goyim Defense League, and if so, how? That question pops up every time the group does, which has been often. Last week its flyers blaming Jews for COVID appeared in the East Bay city of Danville. The week before, the same flyers littered San Francisco’s upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood….
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Opinion Introducing “Vertl,” our Yiddish version of the world’s hottest word game
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. It should come as no surprise that for the past several…
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Opinion When I recall my father Elie Wiesel, my shame about these Olympics only deepens
(JTA) — On Friday my world was shaken. It hit me, as though it were a fresh wound: My father, Elie Wiesel, was really gone. It hurt terribly when he died over five years ago, on July 2, 2016. But I also found peace and awakening as I grieved. I had this sense from the…
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Opinion Amnesty’s Israel report has dangerous implications — for Jews and Palestinians alike
There is much to dispute in the laundry list of accusations against Israel in Amnesty International’s report released Tuesday as well as critiques that are worthy of fair-minded concern and attention. But why all the fierce reaction to one more critical report on Israel? What makes this document different from prior reports is that it…
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Opinion We desperately need an antisemitism monitor. Republicans must stop obstructing Lipstadt’s confirmation
Nearly 200 days after President Biden announced that he intended to nominate Dr. Deborah Lipstadt to serve as U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, she finally had a confirmation hearing before the Senate. The Feb. 8 hearing came months after leading Jewish organizations called on the Senate to consider this critical nomination and…
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Opinion Appeal to ADL chief: It’s time for you to call to reinstate Whoopi
A plethora of voices have weighed in on the controversy of Whoopi Goldberg’s remarks on “The View” regarding the Holocaust, her apology for the same, and her subsequent two-week suspension from the show by ABC News. Here is a direct appeal from Rabbi Tamar Manasseh of Chicago to Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt calling on…
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Opinion What counts as racism? How the ADL’s ‘woke’ definition caused an uproar — and should be a cautionary tale
It recently came to light that the ADL — the vaunted anti-extremism and civil rights organization — had released a controversial definition of racism a few years ago. Public awareness of ADL’s new definition happened to coincide with Whoopi Goldberg’s ill-chosen words that the Holocaust “is not about race, but about man’s inhumanity,” and unsurprisingly…
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Opinion ‘We all have to be prepared’: Hero rabbi from Texas testifies before Congress
The following is the testimony that Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Congregation Beth Israel, Colleyville, Texas delivered before a Congressional hearing on Feb. 8, 2022. It was shared with the Forward in advance and printed here with permission. Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman Slotkin, Ranking Member Cammack, Ranking Member Pfluger, thank you for the opportunity to share some…
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Culture Ashkenazi Jews, there’s 1,000 years of history you’ve been missing
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News Hundreds of Northwestern students can’t register for class because they won’t watch an antisemitism training video. Here’s what’s in it.
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Fast Forward The ADL doesn’t speak for New York Jews’ concerns, says Zohran Mamdani
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News Why was Netanyahu wearing a QR code at the UN, and where did it lead?
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Fast Forward New aid flotilla nears Gaza coast, with Greta Thunberg and a Jewish activist on board
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Fast Forward Israel’s secret ‘Esther Project’: DOJ filings reveal paid US influencer campaign amid AI-powered PR blitz
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Culture Gary Shteyngart reflects on his botched bris in a new short film
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Fast Forward Before his death, Charlie Kirk told Netanyahu that Israel faced a ‘5-alarm fire’ over PR strategy
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