Opinion

• Opinion

  Jeffrey Epstein Has Tainted Jewish Philanthropy. Now What?

  As reports surface about Leslie Wexner’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Jewish voices from many different quarters are beginning to ask whether the Wexner name is tainted. Over three decades, Wexner has built a philanthropic empire, funding a vast array of programs and institutions and building a reputation as a thoughtful and careful…

  By Lila Corwin Berman

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Democratic Candidates Are Failing Black Voters

  How do you have a world-viewed, prime-time presidential primary debate for a major political party in Detroit — and then just kind of gloss over Detroit? You have Democrats lead it. Two nights of sometimes contentious, sometimes fumbling debates between presidential wannabes yielded no honesty about the true state of things in Detroit. Candidates seemed…

  By Charles D. Ellison Aug 1, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  I’m A Rabbi From Baltimore. Congressman Cummings Is Our Hero.

  Editor’s note: Rep. Elijah Cummings died early Thursday morning due to “complications concerning longstanding health challenges.” This article was originally published on July 30th, 2019, in response to President Trump’s comments on Baltimore. Growing up in suburban New York as the child of two parents from Philadelphia, I came to know the character of both…

  By Joshua Gruenberg Jul 30, 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

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  Opinion

  The Real Reason The Left Hates Israel

  Five years ago, I was sitting in my office trying to figure out options for a desperate Palestinian woman. Her family had found her and her boyfriend together in his apartment in Queens, and they were threatening both of them with physical harm. I had been told that the young couple feared for their lives….

  By Sharon Goldman Jul 30, 2019 | 13 min read
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  Opinion

  The Real Reason So Many Republicans Love Israel? Their Own White Supremacy.

  If you listened earlier this month to Republican responses to Donald Trump’s call for Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley to “go back” to the “places from which they came,” you noticed something odd. Trump’s defenders kept mentioning Israel. “They hate Israel,”replied Lindsey Graham when asked about Trump’s attacks on The Squad….

  By Peter Beinart Jul 29, 2019 | 10 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Anti-Semitism Really At Unprecedented Levels In The US? Not According To Data

  On Sunday, a Jewish man standing outside a synagogue was shot in the leg in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime. It was only the latest in a string of anti-Semitic attacks this year. These attacks have brought in their wake headlines declaring “a spike in hate crimes” and “increased anti-Semitic attacks…

  By Alexander Gutfraind Jul 29, 2019 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Inspiring Women | The Sisters Behind ‘Dr. Fischer’ – One Of Israel’s Best Known Brands

  They say the lessons you learn at home stick with you forever. The truth of this can be seen in Sigal Bar On, who is 54 years old and not only co-chairs her parents’ company with her sister, but also continues her mother’s legacy of charity, both in her home and outside of it. “Dr….

  By Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll Jul 25, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  We Went To See The Occupation. We Came Back More Connected To Israel.

  One could read thousands of books and articles about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and still be stunned by a first glimpse of the separation barrier. Before J Street U’s “Let Our People Know” trip, most of us were familiar with data and statistics about the conflict and the Occupation. Yet, we confess that we were utterly…

  By AJ Nadel, and Channah Powell, and Elam Klein, and Ethan Wellerstein, and Gabriella Kamran, and Simone Pass Tucker Jul 24, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Netanyahu And Trump Are Xenophobic Tyrants. We Must Resist Them – Together.

  For American Jews, the recent resurgence of American nativism recalls the worst moments of the last century. American nativism brought us the Immigration Act of 1924, a racist law that closed America’s borders to Jews and other “undesirables,” and that ultimately barred our forebears from escaping the Nazis and finding refuge in America. Jews then…

  By Deborah Waxman, and Jill Jacobs, and Libby Lenkinski Jul 24, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  It’s Official: Al Franken Was The Victim Of #MeToo Overreach

  In the latest #MeToo news, veteran New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer has published a lengthy investigative story that appears to vindicate Al Franken, the former Democratic Senator from Minnesota who resigned in 2017 under a barrage of sexual misconduct charges. Mayer’s conservative critics have accused her of partisan bias, especially in view of her (they…

  By Cathy Young Jul 23, 2019 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Stop Blaming Women For The Bad Behavior Of Men Like Al Franken

  It was late fall 2017 when the Democratic Party was rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct against Al Franken, a well-liked senator who owed much of his fame to a long stint on Saturday Night Live. Franken stood accused of unwanted touching. Before long, eight women had come forward with startlingly similar accounts of unwelcome…

  By Tema Smith Jul 23, 2019 | 6 min read