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
No, We Aren’t Seeing The Return Of Nazi Germany
It is entirely predictable. As soon as an antisemitic attack occurs, particularly one as horrific as took place in Monsey on the seventh night of Hanukah, the phone, email, and social media accounts of people, such as myself, who study and write about antisemitism, are inundated with queries and comments. Some come from reporters and…
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Opinion Anti-Semitism Isn’t Blacks Vs. Jews. Saying So Hurts Us All.
Hanukkah of 2019 will be remembered as the week that the anti-Semitic violence that has become the new normal for us Orthodox Jews finally made it into mainstream consciousness. According to the Anti-Defamation League, at least 10 attacks took place over Hanukkah alone, reinforcing what we in the community have known for a while now:…
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Opinion Zionist Jews And Anti-Zionist Jews Are In A Stalemate. There’s Something That Can Break It.
Back in 1974, it made sense for an essay in The New York Times Magazine to start with the premise that “Something new has happened to the Jews of America: They have all been converted to Zionism.” In 2019, something new has again happened to the Jews of America: They have become divided by Zionism….
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Opinion Orthodox Jews Will Not Cower In The Face Of Hate. We Fight Darkness With Light.
Last week brought a slew of new anti-Semitic attacks against Jews in the most visible Jewish part of the country — in and around New York City. Jews that look the most Jewish have been targeted in the streets and where they live and work, most recently Saturday night at a Chanukah celebration in Monsey,…
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Opinion It’s Not The Jews’ Job To Figure Out How To Stop Anti-Semitism. It’s Yours.
What is happening in America now is not just a crisis for Jews, but for the country as a whole
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Opinion Why No One Can Talk About The Attacks Against Orthodox Jews
There’s a poem Jews sing every evening after lighting Hanukkah candles. It’s called “Maoz Tzur” — Rock of the Ages — and was written during the Crusades, one of the many times when Jewish blood ran through the streets; its lines are laced with the tragedy and longing that typifies Jewish liturgy. One chokes me…
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Opinion In 2020, Make Your New Year’s Resolution Getting Arrested
As a new year and new decade approaches, many people are partaking in the tradition of setting a new year’s resolution. My suggestion for this year? As a rabbi with a rap sheet decades old, it’s this: Get arrested. After all, getting arrested is a profound spiritual practice. For proof, look no further than Mahatma…
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Opinion De Blasio Is Sending Cops To Curb Anti-Semitism. Will It Work?
As Jews across the world celebrate Hanukkah, an apex of anti-Semitic attacks were perpetrated against Jews in New York City. Today, the Anti-Defamation League reported the seventh anti-Semitic incident since December 23. These attacks join a growing list of hate crimes targeting Orthodox Jews across the city, mostly in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Crown Heights and…
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Opinion Sorry, Stephen Miller: Calling Out Your Bigotry Is Not Anti-Semitic
An increasingly loud chorus of voices has been calling for the resignation of Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Trump and the architect of his family separation policy. The calls have come in light of emails he sent a former Breitbart reporter, which included links to articles on the white nationalist site VDARE. In…
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Opinion Hanukkah’s Lesson? The Israel-Diaspora Divide Is Central To Our Tradition
Hannukah may be ranked as a minor holiday by rabbinic tradition, but it’s anything but minor to American and Israeli Jews. A survey from 2018 found that two-thirds of American Jews view Hanukkah as “one of the three most important holidays.” 60% of American Jews light candles each night, as do 73% of Israeli Jews….
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Opinion Meet The Forward’s New Columnists
As we come to the end of an intense news year in the Jewish world and the dawn of a whole new decade, we are rededicating ourselves to one of the Forward’s core missions: being a platform for civil discourse on the issues that divide our communities. In service of that mission, we are adding…
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