Opinion

• Opinion

  Israel Was Right to Ban Tlaib and Omar

  There was no elegance to the messaging, but Jewish sovereignty is not a matter of slogans. The decision to deny Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib entry to Israel, which was announced on Thursday, came after their visit had already been approved. It also appeared to be in response to a remarkable tweet from…

  By Ari Hoffman

  3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Dear Reps. Omar And Tlaib: An Open Letter From A Palestinian You Won’t Get To Meet

  Dear Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, I just heard today that you won’t be arriving in Palestine this weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed his decision, upon President Trump’s request, and will not be allowing you into the country. My heart is broken. It is broken for you, Congresswoman Tlaib, the first Palestinian…

  By Issa Amro Aug 15, 2019 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  This Is How Israeli Democracy Ends

  This morning, it was reported that Israel would be denying entry to two U.S. Congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who sought to visit the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But Israel’s decision to block Representatives Tlaib and Omar, though shocking, is no surprise. Rather, it is part of a trend just as alarming as…

  By Emma Goldberg Aug 15, 2019 | 3 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 Charlie Kirk and Alan Berg: 2 murders, 41 years apart, show the painful perils of polarization

  

• 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

• 
  Opinion

  I’m Israeli. Netanyahu Is Wrong. He Should Let Ilhan Omar And Rashida Tlaib Visit

  This morning, it was reported that Israel would be denying entry to two U.S. Congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who sought to visit the West Bank and Jerusalem — this after Ambassador Ron Dermer said that they would be allowed entry. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently bowed to pressure by President Trump…

  By Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll Aug 15, 2019 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Have Your Say | Should Israel Bar Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib?

  Have Your Say is your chance to tell us what you think. Comment below or on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you think about the question posed in the headline. Should #Israel bar @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib from entering the country? — The Forward (@jdforward) August 15, 2019

  By Forward Staff Aug 15, 2019 | < 1 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Epstein’s Death Should Come As No Surprise. America’s Prison System Is Broken.

  On Friday, The New York Times reported that Jeffrey Epstein autopsy results confirm that the disgraced financier, who was accused by multiple girls of molestation and rape, had died by suicide. No person in the custody of the state should ever, under any circumstances, be enabled to take their own life. No matter what crime…

  By Rochelle Swartz Aug 15, 2019 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  How IfNotNow Lost Its Way

  Lies come in a number of forms. You can lie by telling an outright falsehood. You can lie by distorting the truth. And you can lie by omitting crucial context. Lying by omission is uniquely nefarious, for it involves taking something that is true in its complete form and altering it such that it still…

  By Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll Aug 14, 2019 | 6 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Have Your Say | Should Jeffrey Epstein Get A Jewish Burial?

  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.

  By Forward Staff Aug 14, 2019 | < 1 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Protest Is A Sacred Jewish Practice

  Despite growing up to become a rabbi, I don’t remember much about my Hebrew School days. I remember being excited to learn the letters, and being bored reading about some people called “Babylonians” in a book that smelled like a basement. One thing I do remember quite clearly, however, is a trip I took with…

  By Michael Rothbaum Aug 14, 2019 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  What The Israeli And American Left Can Learn From Each Other

  The right-wing in Israel has largely dominated politics for nearly 20 years. But I’m going to say something shocking here: Israeli voters are not right wing; Israeli Jews are. Nearly all Israeli Jews vote for Jewish/Zionist parties, while the vast majority of Israeli Arabs vote for Arab/non-Zionist parties. It’s from those Jewish/Zionist parties that the…

  By Alec Ewig Aug 14, 2019 | 5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  ‘#JewsAgainstICE’ Is Transforming The Jewish Community, Returning Us To Our Diasporic Roots

  This year, Jews across the United States marked the fast day of Tisha B’Av — the saddest day on the Jewish calendar which commemorates the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem — by protesting against a modern-day example of the destruction, uprooting, and banishment of communities: the detention and deportation of immigrants by US Immigration…

  By Joel Swanson Aug 12, 2019 | 7 min read