Opinion

• Opinion

  What the world can learn from the Orthodox response to COVID

  In what we now know as the “early days” of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the waves of the virus washed over New York and New Jersey, the Haredi communities in the area seemed to get hit disproportionately hard. While no hard data exists to either validate or disprove this perception, it continues to persist both…

  By Eli Steinberg

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Can editors recognize anti-Semitism? An article about Soros suggests no

  It was a shock to read in The Chicago Tribune that George Soros is the secret force causing Chicago’s woes. Yes, that’s The Chicago Tribune, one of America’s major papers, not Hungarian propaganda. And worse, the column claimed that Soros, the Hungarian-born philanthropist, was the reason for the problems of — wait for it —…

  By Aviya Kushner Jul 23, 2020 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Nobody canceled Shammai. Our tradition demands we respect the argument.

  This article is part of a new series called “On Persuasion.” We asked thought leaders to consider what persuasion means to them. What works in terms of persuading people? Is it moot in 2020? What is the Jewish value of persuasion? Should we be opening our minds to other points of view, or closing them…

  By Jodi Rudoren Jul 23, 2020 | 4 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 Want to understand what’s wrong with the ‘pro-Palestine’ movement? This Palestinian can help

  

• 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

  Most Americans are now self-censoring. We’re regressing.

  It’s common to hear anecdotes about friends or family who just don’t feel comfortable discussing politics anymore. It’s not that most of these people are bomb-throwing radicals, but many seem to think the country is so polarized that nothing good can come from voicing their own opinion. A new poll from the Cato Institute and…

  By Zaid Jilani Jul 23, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Debate is a Jewish sacrament

  This article is part of a new series called “On Persuasion.” We asked thought leaders to consider what persuasion means to them. What works in terms of persuading people? Is it moot in 2020? What is the Jewish value of persuasion? Should we be opening our minds to other points of view, or closing them…

  By David Wolpe Jul 22, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  China is perpetrating genocide. We’ve seen this before.

  Samuel Willenberg normally worked on the fences. His job did not routinely bring him near the thousands of women who disembarked at Treblinka every day. One day, however, he was pulled aside by guards and forced to work as a “barber” cutting the hair of women on their way to the gas chambers. There he…

  By Chad Gibbs Jul 22, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Toronto store posted an anti-Semitic slogan. Did the Jewish community overreact?

  It started out simple: A small health food store in downtown Toronto called Foodbenders took to Instagram to proclaim that Zionists weren’t welcome at their store. Local news anchor Jamie Gutfreund took some screenshots and condemned the store on his Instagram account. View this post on Instagram At a time when racism is front and…

  By Zack Babins Jul 21, 2020 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  I’m a Jewish Republican. Ilhan Omar is a dear friend.

  I’m Jewish. I’m a Republican. And Ilhan Omar is one of my close friends, even though we agree on very little politically. I know this may sound surprising to people who have only heard the version of Ilhan portrayed in the media. But I have known Ilhan for almost a decade, and I can attest…

  By Benjamin Gerber Jul 21, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How Israel made the occupation taboo in schools

  Annexation doesn’t mean much to Israelis. Israeli publicist and author Rami Livni wrote captured it aptly when he wrote about a few weeks ago. “The reason Israelis accept annexation is not because they believe in it, it is because of a lack of knowledge,” he wrote in Haaretz. “They don’t know what annexation is. They…

  By Adi Adamit-Gorstein Jul 21, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  In the Talmud, God admits He’s wrong. There’s a lesson there about free speech.

  This article is part of a new series called “On Persuasion.” We asked thought leaders to consider what persuasion means to them. What works in terms of persuading people? Is it moot in 2020? What is the Jewish value of persuasion? Should we be opening our minds to other points of view, or closing them…

  By Joel Swanson Jul 21, 2020 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  The Democratic Party platform on Israel is totally worthless

  As with all Pyrrhic victories, those in the Jewish community celebrating the rather conservative Democratic Party draft platform position on Israel do not appreciate the broader trends that are inexorably moving against them. By pushing back against the use of the very word “occupation” to describe the status quo in the West Bank and East…

  By Abe Silberstein Jul 20, 2020 | 4 min read