In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Opinion
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Opinion
Bernie is right: Netanyahu is a racist. But he should stop saying it.
During Tuesday night’s Democratic primary debate, Senator Bernie Sanders said Israel was led by “a reactionary racist,” a clear reference to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his long history of bigoted remarks and actions towards Arabs. For many of us long frustrated by the favorable double standard to which Israeli leaders are often held in…
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Opinion Bernie Sanders represents an opportunity for Jewish-Muslim unity
I rarely go to the mosque, but the week that Trump was elected, I attended Friday prayers. My vision was blurry, and it had been a few days since I last slept, but it’s always in those moments, humbled and afraid, that I come crawling back to God. A group of local rabbis joined the…
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Opinion Bravo, Bernie, for skipping AIPAC. It’s a platform for anti-Muslim bigotry
There was a very Jewish moment at last night’s Democratic debate in South Carolina. Moderator Major Garrett asked Senator Bernie Sanders to defend his decision not to attend the AIPAC 2020 conference, and to reassure American Jews who might feel nervous or insulted. In response, Sanders reminded the audience of his Jewish identity and of…
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Opinion Letter | Celebrating Israel is a vital part of Jewish education – and American experience
The charge of dual loyalty has trailed the Jewish people for millennia, a curse that has been used to justify the persecution of Jews across continents and cultures. It is not rooted in reality, but the invocation of this lie has forced us to defend ourselves time and again. Today, some extremists employ this trope…
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Opinion Letter | My Jewish day school teaches derech eretz, not dual loyalties
Dear Editor, Last week, the Forward published an opinion piece accusing Jewish day schools of fostering a culture that advances loyalty to the State of Israel at the expense of the United States. In my experience at a Jewish day school, that claim could not be further from the truth. I am an 11th grader…
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Opinion Editorial | Bernie Sanders is making a mistake. He should speak at AIPAC.
I’m going to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference in Washington next week, and Senator Bernie Sanders should too. I’m not going because I agree with everything AIPAC says or does — of course not. I’m going because it’s the largest annual gathering of American Jews, a group that Sanders says he is…
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Opinion 100 women accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse. Today, their voices were heard.
In October of 2017, Alyssa Milano used the #MeToo hashtag, coined by Tarana Burke in 2006, to respond to sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Two years after the hashtag went viral and 30 years after the first allegation of sexual assault against him, Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of criminal sexual act in…
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Opinion Letter | They don’t hate us because we have ‘dual loyalties.’ They hate us because we’re Jews
Dear Editor, In a recent opinion piece in this paper, an anonymous writer complained that American Jewish schools are “preaching dual loyalty to Israel.” This was quickly followed up by a response whose author proudly waved the red, white and blue. While they both made important points in their own way, they each equally missed…
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Opinion Russia has killed more Syrian civilians than ISIS. Why are they getting away with it?
When Aaref Watad, a Syrian photographer, arrived at the scene of a recent Russian air force attack in western Aleppo, he found a car completely pierced by shrapnel and nine corpses. Four of them were children. The bodies belonged to a family that had been fleeing Aleppo for the Turkish border along with thousands of…
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Opinion Debate | Is Bernie Sanders good for the Jews?
After sailing to victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucus, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has emerged as the clear frontrunner in the race for the democratic presidential nomination. It’s a historic moment for American Jews; Sanders is the first Jew to get this far. But American Jewish voters could hardly be more divided over his success. For…
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Opinion My Jewish day school taught me that we are part of the American story
In a recent opinion piece in these pages, an anonymous teacher wrote that Jewish schools are teaching students dual-loyalty to Israel. This was not my experience. I graduated from Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy in ‘03 and Yeshiva University Boys High school of Los Angeles or YULA in ‘07. These were Modern Orthodox Jewish day schools….
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