In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Opinion
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Opinion
Jewish college students are more likely to oppose free speech — and that should scare us
One of the hallmarks of Jewish tradition is its intense focus on debate and disagreement. Unfortunately, it appears that this value is being lost on many of the nation’s younger Jews — namely those currently enrolled in colleges and universities. A just-released survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education captures the voices of…
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Opinion I grew up in Gaza schools. The textbooks aren’t what’s stoking violence and hatred of Israel.
Growing up in Gaza, I studied in UNRWA schools from first to ninth grade. I owe a great debt to my school, teachers and the Palestinian curriculum for making me into the person I am today — an ardent believer in nonviolence and the right of both Palestinians and Israelis to lead secure, prosperous and…
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Opinion I fought South African Apartheid and the Israeli occupation. Sally Rooney’s decision is wrong
Dear Ms. Rooney, No contemporary writer has gotten under my skin as you have. I have devoured your three novels and several of your stories, moved and astonished by the desires, anxieties and ambivalences of your characters and by the interplay among them; and not only moved and astonished but delighted by the quicksilver movements…
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The Latest
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Opinion Readers respond to Sally Rooney’s boycott of Israel
We received a slew of responses after publishing an Opinion article on Monday by Gitit Levy-Paz about the novelist Sally Rooney’s decision not to have her latest book translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher. Rooney, a celebrated Irish author who was nominated for the Man Booker Prize in 2018, said in a statement on…
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Opinion Why won’t Sally Rooney allow her latest novel to be translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher?
Editor’s note: The headline and body of this opinion piece were updated on Tuesday, Oct. 12, after Sally Rooney released a statement clarifying her stance on translation of her latest novel into Hebrew. She said that she is boycotting Israeli publishing houses, not the Hebrew language — and would allow a Hebrew translation of her…
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Opinion Joan Rivers, the ultimate Jewish woman, taught us how to take back our power
What does the Jewish mother make for dinner? Reservations. And what did the server ask her table? Nothing; they never let a man finish a sentence. This was the image of the Jewish American woman when men were the only ones telling the jokes. She was materialistic, tacky and a charmless striver; she was domineering…
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Opinion New Hulu series ‘Dopesick’ reveals the evils of the Sackler family, but hides the real fight
I’ve lost too many people to opioids to be surprised by anything I saw in “Dopesick.” The eight episode miniseries by Hulu, premiering Oct. 13, dramatizes the criminally deceptive marketing behind OxyContin, Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family and what led to a substance abuse crisis affecting millions of Americans. It is loosely based on…
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Opinion Stop comparing everything you hate to the Holocaust
A flier circulating in my home state this week depicts a Jewish politician seated at a table stacked high with gold coins. This incident is the third time in two months that candidates for the Virginia State Legislature have exploited antisemitic imagery for political purposes. In the first case, the candidate compared being a teacher…
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Opinion Josh Mandel wants to be the next Marjorie Taylor Greene. He’s obscuring his Jewishness to do it.
Josh Mandel, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio, is an awful amalgam of Trumpism, neo-fascism and faux-nationalism all wrapped in one spiteful 5-foot-8-inch bundle. His own family can’t stand him. Most of that is just boiler-plate Republican politics at the moment. Sure, Mandel wants to be a clone of Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor…
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Opinion Angela Merkel is on her way out. What’s next for Germany’s Jews and Israel?
Germany’s Jews had a strong ally in Angela Merkel, who confronted antisemitism head on throughout her 16 years leading the nation, and most recently during the May fighting between Israel and Hamas, when she condemned anti-Israel and antisemitic protests. This week’s federal elections have ushered in a new era for Germany. But it could take…
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Opinion Finally, muscular two-state U.S. legislation has been introduced. Biden must back it
“I support a two-state solution.” Great to hear! But unless the year is 1993, it’s hardly a bold statement. The two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has sadly become one of the many causes that politicians love to say they support but then do little or nothing to actively advance. Nowhere has this dynamic been…
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