Opinion

• Opinion

  Kosher certification should not be a political weapon

  The recent uproar over Ben & Jerry’s’ decision to stop sales of its products in the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria has many in the Jewish community enraged — along with the board of Ben & Jerry’s’ parent company, Unilever — and rightfully so. This blatant targeting of Israel and Jews is nothing new,…

  By Dani Klein

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Some feel trapped in ultra-Orthodoxy. Why don’t we help when they try to leave?

  Love or hate Julia Haart, the star of the Netflix reality show “My Unorthodox Life,” you have to admit that she has focused our attention on a very serious issue: you can’t leave the ultra-Orthodox world easily. Haart, relying on her secular education and business savvy, managed to propel her family into a Manhattan penthouse…

  By Joe Kolman Jul 21, 2021 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Don’t be distracted by the Ben & Jerry’s mishigas— the real challenge is the occupation

  Ben and Jerry’s decision to stop selling their ice cream in the settlements caught the new Israeli government by surprise. After years of the Netanyahu-Trump quite effectively shelving the Palestinian issue and the (very welcomed) signing of normalization treaties between Israel and four Arab countries for the first time in over 25 years, the movement…

  By Dany Bahar Jul 21, 2021 | 3 min read

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• 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

  What was lost in the Ben & Jerry’s Israel meltdown

  Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop distributing its products in West Bank settlements has unleashed a head-swirling discourse about BDS, ice cream and antisemitism that is quite disproportionate to the effect the Vermont-based company will actually have. But all this Chunky Monkey is hiding a more a concerning story: Despite the anger of some pro-Israel…

  By Abe Silberstein Jul 20, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  I played Israeli professional baseball. Here’s why this year’s Olympic team gives me hope.

  As Israel’s Olympic baseball team makes its way to Tokyo, they might capture more hearts here in America than back home. After all, it feels like there are more baseball diamonds in my town of Maple Glen, Penn., than there are in the entire country of Israel. But while baseball may not be at the…

  By Rabbi Jason Bonder Jul 15, 2021 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How to be sad on Tisha B’av

  Here are nine strategies to get in the right headspace on the saddest day of the Jewish calendar.

  By Laura E. Adkins Jul 14, 2021 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Debate | Should supporting Israel be a litmus test for participation in a rally against antisemitism?

  Last Sunday, thousands gathered in the nation’s capital to protest a rise in antisemitism. The “No Fear: A Rally In Solidarity With The Jewish People” event was organized in response to the global uptick in antisemitic attacks during the last round of violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in May. The rally brought…

  By Ari Hoffman and Joel Swanson Jul 13, 2021 | 8 min read
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  Opinion

  Having a miscarriage made me realize how badly we are failing Jewish women

  The most shocking thing was how quickly it happened. One moment I was full of hope, and the next I was crying in a hospital bed while my husband held my hand. “Don’t worry,” cooed the nurse. “You are young and healthy. You’ll have another baby soon.” After leaving the hospital, my husband drove me…

  By Carly Pildis Jul 12, 2021 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Israeli occupied West Bank has two legal systems— one for Jews, one for Palestinians

  For decades, Israeli governments have publicly preferred to leave the status of the West Bank — home to nearly three million Palestinians and half a million Jewish settlers — shrouded in ambiguous terms like “administered” or “disputed” territory. But these ambiguous terms conceal a troubling reality: the West Bank is governed by a double legal…

  By Nathaniel Berman Jul 9, 2021 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How a forgotten Brooklyn Congressman helped start the US-Israel relationship

  A letter signed by 73 House Democrats on June 23 urged President Joe Biden to abandon his predecessor’s tilt toward Israel and to return to a “longstanding, bipartisan United States policy” on Israeli-Palestinian relations. While it may seem like a drastic change in American foreign policy following four years of President Trump, it actually invokes…

  By Wayne Dawkins Jul 7, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Dropping my kids off at Jewish summer camp taught me how to let go

  For many, our slow-motion exodus from the pandemic has yielded a harvest of mundane yet miraculous firsts — handshakes, hugs, houseguests, days back in the office, unmasked cappuccinos at our favorite cafes and many more. I have savored these reunions with life as I once knew it, yet none of them prepared me for dropping…

  By Avi Dresner Jul 6, 2021 | 3 min read