Opinion

• Letters

  Letter | Lawsuits over vanilla flavoring are nothing to celebrate

  To the editors, Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, New York again leads the nation in food-labeling lawsuits, thanks in part to the torrent of filings over vanilla flavoring and other food additives. (“The Jewish lawyer fighting against fake vanilla — and for 3-legged squirrels,” Feb. 10.) The Empire State first overtook California as the favored jurisdiction…

  By Tom Stebbins

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  This Purim, don’t boo Haman

  Purim is back, a year after many of us gathered in person for the last time, with very different masks on. Jewish communities all over are rising to the challenge of a virtual Purim with wonderful expressions of creativity and care, as we continue to struggle with the challenges of COVID-19, as well as with…

  By Amichai Lau-Lavie Feb 25, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Let’s tell the whole truth when talking about the antisemitism envoy

  This is an adaptation of our weekly Shabbat newsletter, sent by our editor-in-chief on Friday afternoons. Sign up here to get the Forward’s free newsletters delivered to your inbox. And click here for a PDF of stories to savor over Shabbat and Sunday that you can download and print. My first close encounter with IfNotNow,…

  By Jodi Rudoren Feb 25, 2021 | 5 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson Being Jewish in America today feels like walking multiple tightropes at once

  

• Rob Eshman If war with Iran goes badly for the US, Jews will be the scapegoat

  

• Nora Berman Did Netanyahu coerce Trump into attacking Iran? No — but he tried with Obama

  

• Dan Perry The US and Israel could seek to topple Iran’s regime. They should choose negotiation instead

  

• Emily Tamkin Israeli leaders are using Holocaust comparisons to justify attacks on Iran. Is that kosher?

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  What Jewish comedians made of Michael Che’s Israel Joke

  (JTA) — It’s almost Purim, which means I am busy writing jokes that poke fun at the stuff we do and obsess about as Jews without offending too many people. Not always easy, and that’s when I am writing for an audience that I know extremely well. Now imagine writing Jewish jokes outside the bubble….

  By Andrew Silow-Carroll Feb 25, 2021 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Purim celebrates a thwarted genocide. Honor its message, and commit to aiding the Uyghurs.

  A few years ago, I told the story of Purim to a second-grade Sunday school class in a sleepy Rhode Island suburb. My students found the opening scenes to be thrilling and exotic, as the goofy Achashverosh expelled Queen Vashti and the beautiful Esther won his heart. Then suddenly, evil Haman called for the Jews’…

  By Zach Harris Feb 25, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  We must join forces to ensure the protection of American Jews

  Over the last several years, we have seen near-historic increases in antisemitic incidents and assaults as we have watched a surge in online hate from more vocal — and violent — extremist groups. From online hate to cyber-attacks to the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, the danger is real. To protect America’s Jewish community, it…

  By Jonathan Greenblatt and Michael Masters Feb 25, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The entertainment industry needs a reset. A new Black-Jewish alliance is ready for the job.

  For over a century, the struggles of Black and Jewish Americans have been deeply intertwined. Black and Jewish activists fighting against racial violence founded the NAACP in 1909 to push for a more peaceful and tolerant society. Arnie Aronson, a Jewish activist, worked with A. Philip Randolph and Roy Wilkins to form the Leadership Conference…

  By Andre Davidson, and Aton Ben-Horin, and Sean Davidson Feb 25, 2021 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Our yeshiva day schools have a binge-drinking problem. Here’s what we can do about it.

  (JTA) — Purim, which begins on Thursday night, is perhaps the happiest Jewish holiday of the year. It can also be distressing, as adults and young people use the spirit of relative abandon to indulge in binge drinking and other irresponsible behaviors. Make no mistake: Substance use and binge drinking are of great concern to…

  By Rivka Press Schwartz and Rabbi Tully Harcstzark Feb 23, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  ‘Save a single life, save an entire world:’ Faith leaders must stop fighting COVID restrictions

  After a year marked by loss — of loved ones, community, a sense of normalcy — it takes no stretch of the imagination to understand why people of faith across the country yearn to return to houses of worship. I am among them. A Zoom call can never replace the experience of being in the…

  By Jack Moline Feb 23, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The California ethnic studies antisemitism firestorm is far from over

  In recent days, the national Jewish community has focused on the ethnic studies model curriculum making its way through the approval process in California. The curriculum created a furor in 2019, when its first draft promoted gratuitous and offensive antisemitic and anti-Israel biases. California is the most populous state in the country and often serves…

  By Seth Brysk Feb 22, 2021 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why all American Jews should care about New York’s mayoral election

  More than 30 people are running to be the next mayor of New York City, including a former Democratic presidential hopeful, several candidates with years of service in city government, and more than a few unknown longshots. Trying to follow the race, especially as it debuts a new experiment in ranked-choice voting, can be dizzying…

  By Ruth Messinger Feb 22, 2021 | 5 min read