Opinion

• 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

  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

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz As editor-in-chief, I’m finding my way Forward (and back)

  

• Rob Eshman A two-hour State of the Union with zero vision for Gaza or Iran

  

• Dan Perry You could be imprisoned for praying at the Western Wall — and Bibi isn’t stopping it

  

• Emily Tamkin We’re losing the fight against antisemitism. Here’s how to turn the tide

  

• Jay Michaelson We are talking past one another on Zionism

  

The Latest

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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
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  Opinion

  Investigate de Blasio for reprehensible yeshiva ‘deal’

  This week, publicly released emails from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office revealed that City Hall interfered in the city Department of Education’s investigation into whether several dozen Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox yeshivas were providing at least the minimum standard of education required by law. According to the emails, first reported on by the New York Post,…

  By Victor Kovner May 13, 2020 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  What will the rabbinate look like after COVID?

  In many ways, rabbis serve as the first spiritual responders for Jewish communities; we are often the first place people turn in moments of crisis. As the leader of the organization that represents Reform rabbis worldwide, I’ve seen firsthand the key role rabbis have played in leading Jewish communities nationwide as they adjust to radically…

  By Hara Person May 13, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Letter | Don’t let COVID prevent you from crucial genetic testing

  Dear Editor, Hawkin Miller’s recent article “Do Jewish genetic diseases increase the risk of COVID-19?” brought back memories of my work as a genetic counselor and care coordinator for patients with Gaucher and other diseases common in Jewish communities. Many people with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to infectious diseases and complications, and they…

  By Karen Arnovitz Grinzaid May 13, 2020 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  The ADL’s data proves it: The right owns anti-Semitism in America

  These are anxious times to be an American Jew. Of course, every time is an anxious time to be an American Jew. As a New York-born Ashkenazi Jew, chronic anxiety is as much a part of my cultural heritage as bagels and schmear. Trust me, if there isn’t some genuine threat to my safety, my…

  By Joel Swanson May 13, 2020 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Blacks and Orthodox Jews are being unfairly targeted. It’s a reminder that we’re in this together.

  There are some aspects of life which are constants, as reliable as the sun rising each morning in the east and setting each evening in the west. Hatred of the other is one such constant. Even during a pandemic, prejudice against my community and racism against the Black community just doesn’t take a break. Of…

  By Eli Steinberg May 12, 2020 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  ADL’s anti-Semitism numbers confirm what we know: Anti-Semitism is contagious

  The battle between the algorithm and the gut is a well told tale, played out in baseball front offices and Davos panels. Do we trust our instinct or the numbers? The premise behind the question is that these two paths lead to different conclusions. The ADL’s just-released Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2019 is an entirely…

  By Ari Hoffman May 12, 2020 | 3 min read