Opinion

• Opinion

  Can Elizabeth Warren Win The Black Vote?

  As the Democratic primary for the 2020 election heats up and candidates drop like flies, two candidates appear to be heading towards a face-off: former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren. According to a Morning Consult and RealClearPolitics averaging, Biden is still ahead by a comfortable range of 10-12 percentage points. And…

  By Charles D. Ellison

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  YouTuber PewDiePie’s ADL Boycott Shows How Anti-Semitism Goes Mainstream

  YouTube’s biggest star is also one of its most controversial. Last month, PewDiePie, given name Felix Kjellberg, reached 100 million subscribers on his channel, where he plays video games for his viewers with a running commentary. He’s got the biggest viewership in the world after the Indian production company T-Series. But Kjellberg has also been…

  By Matt Jameson Sep 13, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Under Trump’s First Step Act, Thousands Have Been Released From Prison. Much More Is Still Needed.

  Earlier this summer, 3,100 people were released from federal prison ahead of schedule under a new criminal justice reform bill signed into law late last year. Many will find jobs and housing, transitioning back into their communities. It’s an important step in the ongoing fight for criminal justice reform. But it hardly fixes America’s over-incarceration…

  By Aliana Knoepfler and Ames Grawert Sep 12, 2019 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman A billionaire Gen Z influencer is reinventing philanthropy — with this South African rabbi’s help

  

• Nora Berman Is Netflix’s new show the most Jewish cartoon ever?

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s strike in Qatar: An audacious bid for victory, or just another foolhardy provocation?

  

• Emily Tamkin Trump’s attack on George Soros is ludicrous. It also endangers Jews (and everyone else)

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  This Is The Least Important Israeli Election Ever

  When you have seen as many Israeli elections as I have, patterns repeat. Every party spends a few months feeling out their electorate, dramatically overplaying the dangers of their opponents, and fighting internal battles for leadership. In the final month, you get TV ads, building-sized posters, overblown and suspiciously timed leaks, dramatic yet empty policy…

  By David Hazony Sep 12, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  What We Can Learn From The Jews Of The NAACP About Intersectional Organizing

  You may know that the NAACP was formed in the wake of the 1908 Springfield, Illinois race riots, a horrific event that left nine African Americans dead and countless injured or homeless from arson. But you may not know that American Jews made several important contributions, lending organizational, legal, political and financial weight to this…

  By Bob Silverman Sep 12, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Benjamin Netanyahu Is BDS’s Best Recruiter

  Standing next to an easel bearing a large map of Israel stands Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Pointing to the map, Abbas declares that, if re-elected, he would annex one third of Israel. The Palestinian state’s new borders would include some of the most valuable parts of Israel, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, and maybe…

  By Dean Obeidallah Sep 11, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Plea To My Israeli Brothers And Sisters, From A Palestinian Who Can’t Vote

  In his latest, brazen campaign promise on Tuesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that, if elected, he would annex the Jordanian Valley. This action, which would cede about 30% of the West Bank to Israel, would essentially render the peace process moot, with a viable Palestinian state being virtually impossible under such conditions. The…

  By Muhammad Shehada Sep 11, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Can My Jewish Culture Survive My Intermarriage?

  I’m reading Tzivia a book about Rosh Hashanah, about a community pitching in to help a little girl experience her favorite holiday tradition. “Max told Abby, who told their teacher, who told the principal, who told the rabbi — ” “Wait, what’s a rabbi?” My Jewish five-year-old doesn’t know what a rabbi is? “Oh, you know…” Her…

  By Darcy Reeder Sep 11, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Netanyahu Just Promised To Annex The Jordan Valley. Good.

  On Tuesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that if reelected, he would annex the Jordan Valley and perhaps “other areas” of the West Bank. Good. Critics will say that by calling for annexation, Netanyahu is killing the two-state solution. But he’s been doing that for a decade. He’s been doing it by subsidizing…

  By Peter Beinart Sep 10, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  What Bernie Sanders Is Saying When He Won’t Talk About Being Jewish

  You might think that as American Jews are suffering the worst anti-Semitic violence in the history of the United States, they would be taking comfort in the fact that, for the first time, there is a Jewish candidate for president with a non-negligible chance of success. They’re not. It turns out that Jews don’t like…

  By Batya Ungar-Sargon Sep 10, 2019 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  To Counter Israel’s Racism, Every Israeli Jew Should Vote For The Arab Joint List

  It happens in every election cycle: After beating the drum of the threat Iran poses to Israel, and after attacking the media, flying to Ukraine and England, and touting his special relationship with President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist Likud Party always finish off their campaign with one final, racist push…

  By Etan Nechin Sep 10, 2019 | 5 min read