Opinion

• Opinion

  Letter | Differences among denominations will make us stronger

  Dear Editor, Regarding the Forward’s recent article, “Will Jewish denominations survive the pandemic: 30 rabbis weigh in,” whether we ultimately see the collapse of denominations or their preservation, clergy must be well trained to unite diverse Jewish communities. The strength of any community lies, not so much in the capacity of its members to agree…

  By Nicole Belson Goluboff

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  How sexual abusers can earn their way back into Jewish communal spaces

  Recently, there has been renewed discussion in Jewish communal spaces of men, once prominent in Jewish life but removed from it because of revelations of serial sexual abuse of women. The men — the journalist Ari Shavit, the writer Leon Wieseltier, and the social scientist Steven M. Cohen — have all expressed some regret, while…

  By Shulamit Magnus and Rafael Medoff May 19, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Jews of Color deserve an accurate count

  This weekend, eJewishPhilanthropy, the main online publication supporting the Jewish professional world, published an essay by demographers of American Jewish life, Ira M. Sheskin and Arnold Dashefsky, “How Many Jews of Color Are There?” which was republished in the Forward. The essay, a preview a chapter in their forthcoming “American Jewish Yearbook”, concludes that we…

  By Tema Smith May 19, 2020 | 4 min read

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The Latest

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  Opinion

  Will Jewish denominations survive the pandemic? 30 Rabbis weigh in.

  Last week, the Union for Reform Judaism announced it was laying off 20% of its staff, citing an existential threat to their organization and their denomination as a whole in the wake of the economic crash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the URJ, said he is considering the…

  By Forward Staff May 19, 2020 | 22 min read
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  Opinion

  How many Jews of color are there? Fewer than you think.

  This article originally appeared in eJewishphilanthropy. It is based on information presented in Chapter five of the 2019 American Jewish Year Book 2019, eds. Arnold Dashefsky and Ira M. Sheskin., vol. 119, Cham Switzerland: Springer, due out in June. You can read a response to this article by Professor Ari Kelman, who disputes the claims…

  By Ira M. Sheskin and Arnold Dashefsky May 18, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Enough doom and gloom: History shows American Judaism is much more resilient than you think

  Last week, in the wake of the economic downturn caused by Covid-19 as well as losses from cancelling its summer camp season, the Union for Reform Judaism announced it would be firing sixty employees, furloughing others, and reducing all staff salaries. Jewish professionals across the country, reeling from projected losses throughout Jewish organizational life, immediately…

  By Jonathan D. Sarna May 18, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Pompeo just saved Netanyahu’s tuchus on annexation

  There is much speculation about why Secretary of State Mike Pompeo chose to visit Israel this week amidst a worldwide pandemic. Management of relations with an ally – especially with one of the few countries that has benefited from having Trump in office, as opposed to a more traditional or normal administration – did not…

  By Abe Silberstein May 15, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  I hate Zoom Havdalah!

  I hate Zoom Havdalah! There, I said it. I also hate Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat, Zoom Seders, and Facebook Live events. Of course, at the beginning of this nightmare, we desperately needed Zoom Havdalah. For those insanely dark April days, seeing each other even in a small virtual square was practically the only thing keeping us…

  By Jonathan Leener May 14, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  We are opening our summer camp

  Every morning, as I begin my day, I scan my phone for the list. I’m not looking at my shopping list or my to-do list. I’m checking the updated list of summer camps that have decided to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not me. I’m the director of Oregon NCSY. And as of this…

  By Meira Spivak May 14, 2020 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Letter | Our ADL audit shows anti-Semitism doesn’t pick sides

  Dear Editor, In his recent article, Joel Swanson has parsed our new data on anti-Semitic incidents carefully and accurately, but he is wrong to conclude that the ADL Audit proves that anti-Semitism writ large is dominated by the right, or that left-wing campus anti-Semitism is fake news. I say this for two reasons. First, as…

  By Aryeh Tuchman May 14, 2020 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Let the pandemic be a time when we learn to grieve together and fight hate

  When we step out of our homes in the morning, we assume we will come home at the end of the day. We leave a crockpot with dinner cooking on the counter. We have laundry we’ll fold or bills we’ll pay or a Netflix binge waiting. On February 23, Ahmad Aubrey went out for a…

  By Carly Pildis May 14, 2020 | 4 min read