Opinion

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  Celebrate Sukkot With The Legendary Ushpizata

  Sukkot, or shall we call it sukes: that’s the holiday with those DIY huts reminiscent of our wandering through the desert. It’s got a touch of glamping, festive hosting, sweet foods and upbeat singing, even mystical guests called Ushpizin. Traditionally, these guests are ancient, and all male: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David….

  By Chana Pollack

  5 min read
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  Opinion

  The Germany Yom Kippur Attack Is A New Kind Of Anti-Jewish Terror

  The anti-Semitic motive of Stephan B. could not have been clearer. Dressed in military fatigues, he attempted yesterday to shoot his way into the synagogue and then Jewish cemetery in Halle, Germany, as members of the small, religiously conservative community made up largely of those with roots in the former Soviet Union gathered on Yom…

  By Liam Hoare Oct 10, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  All Is Not Forgiven Ellen, George W. Bush Is A War Criminal

  This week, a photo of comedian Ellen DeGeneres enjoying a football game alongside George W. Bush sparked an outburst of protests. Many denounced Ellen for legitimizing Bush, a man saddled with a legacy of anti-LGBT positions as well as the Iraq War. Ellen, who appears to have been jarred by the vehemence, responded by releasing…

  By Lev Golinkin Oct 10, 2019 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Jay Michaelson I supported Israel’s actions in Gaza in October 2023 — not anymore

  

• Rob Eshman The staggering hypocrisy behind Trump’s deal to free the last living American hostage

  

• Nora Berman She’s a titan of Israeli architecture. Her story contains troubling lessons for her country

  

• Dan Perry It looks like Israel totally underestimated Trump

  

• Emily Tamkin This week proved it: Trump’s approach to antisemitism at Columbia is horribly ineffective

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Angry At Trump’s Syria-Withdrawal? He Learned His Foreign Policy From Obama

  Donald Trump’s decision this week to abandon the Kurds in Syria to Turkey’s authoritarian leader Recep Erdogan is a warning to America’s friends facing dangerous enemies. Trump could abandon you in a New York minute. And so could Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and even Joe Biden if one of them ends up as the next…

  By Mark Dubowitz and Tzvi Kahn Oct 8, 2019 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  This Yom Kippur, Jewish Institutions Must Take Responsibility For Enabling #MeToo Abuses

  Jewish experience turns on vulnerability: So much of our communal discourse and action flow from Jewish fears about assimilation, anti-Semitism, the fate of Israel. Yom Kippur adds the dimension of also being vulnerable before God. Thinking of God’s power to write you into the book of death is meant to inspire a feeling of being…

  By Jennifer Thompson Oct 7, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Have Your Say | What Are You Atoning For This Yom Kippur?

  Have Your Say is your chance to tell us what you think. Comment below or on Facebook and let us know what you think about the question posed in the headline. We’ll incorporate your answers in a story later in the week!

  By Forward Staff Oct 7, 2019 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Stop Being So Triggered. This Yom Kippur, Commit To Ending The Outrage

  There are, in our world, forces of light and forces of darkness. We want to stand with one and against the other. But is that where we want to be standing on Yom Kippur? It is a perennial question, but more cutting today. Many of us took the post-Cold War liberal consensus, in which most…

  By Yehudah Mirsky Oct 7, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  What Trump’s Withdrawal From Syria Means For The Kurds – And For Israel

  There are three basic reasons why, on Sunday night, the Trump administration announced that US armed forces are abandoning the Kurds of northeast Syria. The reasons reflect brutal logic. That doesn’t make the outcome any more attractive or palatable. First, President Trump is consistent, albeit with frequent zigzags, about keeping American forces out of conflicts…

  By Yossi Alpher Oct 7, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Forget Impeachment. Congress Should Choose A Joint Resolution Of Censure Instead

  The revelation that Donald Trump withheld American foreign aid to force the president of the Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden has finally broken the impeachment logjam. We now appear to be moving towards impeachment in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives charging the President with “high crimes and misdemeanors” for grossly abusing the…

  By Burt Neuborne Oct 7, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Of Course Rabbis Should Preach Politics. Divorcing Religion From Politics Is A Christian Ideal.

  This time of year, during the High Holidays, there are a few things that non-Orthodox American Jews can reliably depend upon. In the days leading up to Yom Kippur, lots of us will complain about having to go without food for a day, and we’ll make jokes about Jews being the people “chosen to suffer.”…

  By Joel Swanson Oct 7, 2019 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  The Internet Sins We’ll Atone For This Yom Kippur

  On Yom Kippur, we confess an alphabet of annual sins: Bribe-taking! Bribe-giving! Foolish speech! Lewdness! Lying! Scoffing! It’s a list that has almost completely withstood the test of time. Most people would do well to apologize for blurting things out, passing judgment and “deceiving a fellowman.” And, more darkly, some people should seriously consider repentance…

  By Jenny Singer Oct 7, 2019 | 3 min read