In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Shame On The Department Of Ed For Their Islamophobia. We Jews Know The Toll Of Censorship.
In August of this year, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill threatening to revoke $235,000 in federal funding unless they agreed to significantly revise its educational programs. The letter cited the universities’ positive portrayal of Islam, noting that in the consortium’s…
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Opinion Sorry, Anti-Zionists: Israeli Democracy Is Alive and Well
We Israelis hear it all the time: Israel is a racist endeavor. It’s an Apartheid state. It’s a joke of a democracy. These claims are a mainstay of the movement to boycott Israel, and they are repeated like mantras at protests and on social media. Well, haters, I hate to break it to you, but…
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Opinion We Are Witnessing A ‘Liberal’ Revival In Israel
Beyond interminable coalition bargaining, one of the more interesting developments around Israel’s April and September elections was a renewed attention to the word “liberal.” During these two cycles, it suddenly became fashionable for parties and political figures to present themselves as liberal — and not just on the left. Hawkish, right wing spoiler Avigdor Lieberman…
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Opinion What The Democrats Can Learn From Israel’s Election
Last week’s Israeli elections presented a golden opportunity for the left, center-left and Arab parties to organize and rally behind a single unified effort. Together, they could have mobilized to secure a firm majority for the forces of democracy and progressive values that the last election in April failed to deliver. Unfortunately, they squandered that…
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Opinion Hasidic Schools Have No Intention Of Providing An Adequate Education
In his speeches, Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the grand rebbe of one of the largest Hasidic factions in New York State, has openly and repeatedly acknowledged the lack of secular education in Hasidic Yeshivas. In a 2018 speech he said, “We all know the truth, that in our primary Torah schools for boys, they studied at…
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Opinion The Truth About Secular Studies In Haredi Schools
The question of whether ultra-Orthodox children are getting enough secular education is wracking New York. The New York State Education Department will decide later this month about whether to start enforcing regulations in ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi) schools, regulations proposed in a prolonged public campaign by activist groups such as the Young Advocates for Fair Education….
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Opinion Stop Celebrating. Netanyahu Is A Symptom Of Israel’s Problem, Not Its Cause
When the polls closed after Tuesday’s election in Israel, and the 24-hour long Israeli closure of the occupied Palestinian enclaves came to an end, it was unclear who had won and who had lost. But now, it’s clear that the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history, Benjamin Netanyahu, failed to secure a right-wing majority…
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Opinion Netanyahu’s Loss Is Israeli Democracy’s Gain
For Israelis, myself included, imagining the end of Netanyahu’s era as prime minister has long seemed like a useless theoretical exercise. That all changed after this week’s election. The end is nigh. “King Bibi” as his supporters like to call him, may be able to hold onto his position as prime minister for a few…
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Opinion Thank You Elizabeth Warren, For Bringing Our History To Today’s Debate
Crowds piled in to Washington Square Park in New York City’s shtetl of Greenwich Village Monday night to hear Senator Elizabeth Warren’s plan to set this country on a more just path. In outlining some of her anti-corruption ideals, listeners found the presidential candidate framing her contemporary governance wish-list within a historic context: The Triangle…
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Opinion Stop Gaslighting The Left About Evangelicals. They Believe Awful Things About Jews
Most evangelicals believe that Jews who don't convert will go to hell, for one
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Opinion Who Won The Israeli Election? American Jews
Tuesday was election day in Israel. But no winner has yet been declared. As of this writing, it appears that the parties committed to supporting Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister will not win a majority in Knesset. At the same time, the opposition parties ostensibly committed to ousting him will also fall short of a…
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Fast Forward Jewish activist Shabbos Kestenbaum settles antisemitism lawsuit with Harvard
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