Opinion

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  The virus is the enemy — not us

  Dear Editor: In an Op-Ed published in The Forward, Avi Shafran of Agudath Israel denigrated the Judaism practiced by the overwhelming majority of Jews in New York. He seemed to be arguing that only Haredi Jewish leaders can speak for our city’s Jewish community. This could not be further from the truth. With COVID-19 once…

  By Matt Nosanchuk

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Chabad of Poway Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein Deserves Jail Time

  Does a rabbi who pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations meant to serve people with special needs deserve to walk free? How about a rabbi caught running a decades-long scheme whereby he accepted large tax-deductible “donations” to his shul, kicked back 90% to the donors and kept 10% for himself? Or a rabbi…

  By Sharon Rosen Leib Oct 16, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  ‘Blasphemy’ is non-halachic Jews name-calling Haredim

  In her denial of a temporary restraining order to prevent Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s latest, onerous rules for “virus uptick areas” in several Orthodox-heavy neighborhoods, Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto of Federal District Court in Brooklyn posed a rhetorical question. “How,” she asked, “can we ignore the compelling state interest in protecting the health and life of…

  Oct 15, 2020 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman There’s a shocking new report on civilian deaths in Gaza. If only it were accurate.

  

• Nora Berman Is Netflix’s new show the most Jewish cartoon ever?

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s new gift to the far right could help end the Gaza war

  

• Emily Tamkin Entering motherhood — and an obsession with the works of an Italian Jewish literary hero

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  If you want to help Haredim fight COVID-19, help — don’t hector

  Rising cases of COVID-19 in New York’s densely Orthodox neighborhoods, and the protests there that followed city and state lockdown measures, have inspired a spate of recent public statements and articles urging the Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, community to take the virus more seriously. The authors are generally Jewish, whether Haredi, modern Orthodox, or non-Orthodox, and…

  By Moshe Krakowski Oct 15, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  BDS resolutions on campuses represent dangerous ‘intersectionality’

  Over the past few weeks, in moves that were in equal measures galling, ill-timed and stunningly decontextualized, students at two prominent American universities — including my alma mater — voted in favor of divesting from Israel. These votes occurred during the 2020 High Holiday season, when Jewish students may have been less available to weigh…

  By Daniel Pomerantz Oct 15, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Facebook has banned Holocaust denial. But what about other genocides?

  Facebook announced a major policy change to its posting guidelines this week to ban content that “denies or distorts” the Holocaust. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, who in 2018 had said Holocaust denial was “nothing more than things that different people get wrong,” explained the move by saying his “own thinking has evolved as I’ve seen…

  By Joel Swanson Oct 15, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why the UAE deal is not ‘peacemaking’

  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples, “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Christians tell this story over and over again in churches across the globe. And yet, so often, what is called peacemaking in the political world leaves peace far away and on the distant…

  By Mae Elise Cannon Oct 14, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The verdict is in: Trump embraces Fascism

  In Germany, they call them “Führer Balconies.” The term refers to buildings with prominent balconies high enough to keep the great leader separate and above the lowly masses, but not so high that the gestures of the leader — a man of the people, after all — would be impossible to see. That’s all I…

  By Laura Morowitz Oct 14, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  38 billion reasons to vote for Joe Biden

  In these polarizing times, bipartisan support for a strong U.S-Israel relationship is more important than ever. As a Member of Congress representing South Florida from 1997-2010, I appreciate that many voters carefully consider both domestic and foreign policy when making their choice for president. I want to assure these voters that we can count on…

  By Robert Wexler Oct 13, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel pays the price for Netanyahu’s pandemic politics

  As New York targets neighborhoods, including those with many Haredi Jews, where COVID-19 outbreaks have spiked, Israelis can only look on with envy. For the past three weeks, the country has been in a nationwide lockdown to contain a world-high infection rate, that is primarily concentrated in Haredi areas. But rather than focus on those…

  By Harry D. Wall Oct 13, 2020 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Despite Armenia’s emotional appeals, American and Israeli interests are with Azerbaijan

  For another take on how Jews should engage with the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, click here. The ceasefire announced Friday in Moscow between Armenia and Azerbaijan is already coming under considerable stress. But even if it holds up, it is hard to see this long-frozen conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region going back into hibernation. An assertive Turkey,…

  By Abe Silberstein Oct 12, 2020 | 4 min read