Opinion

• Opinion

  As Jews, we cannot abandon America’s cities

  There is an old Jewish practice to pray for the welfare of the government under which they live. It dates back to the Babylonian Captivity, when tradition has it that the prophet Jeremiah urged his exiled Judeans to put in a good word, even for those who had burned their Temple to the ground. Why?…

  By Ari Hoffman

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Stop telling us we don’t have a right to criticize Israel. Zionism is about us, too.

  Whether or not it is appropriate for diaspora Jewry to speak out on Israeli policy has been the focal point of much debate within the pro-Israel American-Jewish community for decades, even when it comes to people like me who are Israeli citizens. It’s something I encounter a lot at my job at Israel Policy Forum,…

  By Shanie Reichman Aug 27, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Young Black Voters are alienated from the Democratic Party. Can Biden fix it in time?

  The Republican National Convention has in its first two days been a repudiation of the things Black voters care about: police reform, Black Lives Matter protests, and expanding housing access. Speakers touted keeping low income housing out of the suburbs, they defended the police, and they praised President Trump as the “bodyguard of western civilization.”…

  By Marcus Johnson Aug 26, 2020 | 5 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Jay Michaelson Mamdani’s victory is an opportunity for Jews to relearn the art of disagreement

  

• Rob Eshman ‘Israel is seen as violent’ — and Israeli chefs, once global culinary icons, are feeling the heat

  

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

  

• Dan Perry Trump wants to control the Israeli judiciary. Uh, good luck

  

• Emily Tamkin Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Letter | People who don’t believe in God have a lot to say about the subject, too.

  Dear Editor, Congratulations on your “Still, Small Voice” initiative to explore varieties of Jewish beliefs about God. I am sure you will find some interesting perspectives on this issue. However, you are missing important Jewish voices by only including those who believe in God. Pew’s 2013 A Portrait of Jewish Americans gave respondents three options….

  By Adam Chalom Aug 26, 2020 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Trump is illegally using Jerusalem as a backdrop for his reality show

  Later today, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will address the Republican National Convention from Israel. Violating multiple State Department regulations bearing his own name, Secretary Pompeo’s speech demonstrates two realities of the Trump administration: First, Trump has a reckless disregard for the law. This speech, taped during Pompeo’s official State Department travel to Israel, is…

  By Halie Soifer Aug 25, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Letter | No, Joe Biden does not owe Linda Sarsour an apology

  On Monday, the Forward published a piece by Joel Swanson titled, “Joe Biden owes Linda Sarsour a public apology.” The piece was written in the aftermath of a statement released by Joe Biden’s campaign about Ms. Sarsour, saying that she has “no role in the Biden campaign” and that Biden “obviously condemns her views and…

  By Jack Elbaum Aug 25, 2020 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Jews – and Americans – need Biden to stand against extremism from both sides

  Joe Biden is undoubtedly a lion in winter, but so much depends on his ability to roar with conviction. The Democratic nominee actually has to run two campaigns: The first is to defeat Donald Trump and save the country from an ongoing nightmare. The second is to save the left from an illiberal future. It…

  By Ari Hoffman Aug 24, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Joe Biden owes Linda Sarsour a public apology

  One of the most defining characteristics of President Trump’s personality is his consistent refusal to apologize, even when he has obviously behaved wrongly. It’s something observers have pointed out about Trump ever since he launched his campaign in 2015. But Joe Biden makes a point of portraying himself as a different sort of person, someone…

  By Joel Swanson Aug 24, 2020 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  The Jewish community has a blind spot: class differences

  A few months ago I interviewed a Jewish member of an interfaith couple as part of a research study conducted by Rosov Consulting. During the interview, I heard an anecdote that perfectly illustrates the way that Jewishness is implicitly classed: At an event for interfaith couples, a Jewish man met a couple in which one…

  By Annie Jollymore Aug 24, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Don’t call Orthodox Jews close minded. Our consensus is achieved through debate.

  There is a recurring trend I’ve been noticing in both private conversations as well as articles and OpEds discussing “issues” in the Orthodox world: Engaging in equal parts paternalism and dismissiveness – often with an extra serving of condescension – people often accuse adherents to traditional values of being closed-minded, and of “silencing” “nonconformist” perspectives…

  By Eli Steinberg Aug 24, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  ICE is forcing Muslims to eat pork. My fellow Orthodox Jews: This is our fight!

  In another dehumanizing episode for detained migrants, it’s been reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been feeding pork to Muslims held in a Florida detention center seeking to move to the United States to improve their lives. While most people should be outraged at such detestable behavior, Orthodox Jews in particular should be…

  By Eliezer Brand Aug 20, 2020 | 3 min read