Opinion

• Opinion

  Why Is The Pro-Israel Right So Threatened By Black Jews?

  One of the responses to the horrific massacre of 11 praying Jews this fall was a call for more firearms in synagogues. From Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams to New York State Assemblyman Dov Hilkind to President Trump himself, many called for an increased presence of armed guards at Jewish places of worship. But not…

  By Batya Ungar-Sargon

  6 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Do Jews Keep Tearing Down Black Leaders?

  Tamika Mallory. Marc Lamont Hill. Alice Walker. Angela Davis. Every week seems to bring with it another black leader running afoul of the Jewish community — and an angry, effective response. Mallory’s refusal to denounce the notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, a man she had previously praised, led Jewish activists to call for her to resign…

  By Batya Ungar-Sargon Jan 13, 2019 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  In Praise Of Dual Loyalty

  Jewish social media is abuzz about dual loyalty following a controversy involving Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib. Accusation and counter-accusation have followed, with various defenders arguing that various dual loyalty charges are false and slanderous. I want to argue something different: The charge is true, but so what? Dual loyalties are good, natural and widespread. I write…

  By Anonymous Jan 10, 2019 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson What can really be done to prevent antisemitic attacks like Bondi Beach?

  

• Rob Eshman Australia shooting terrifies Jews worldwide — and strengthens the case for Israel

  

• Nora Berman Did crypto-Jews invent the modern tarot deck?

  

• Dan Perry The 3 responses to the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack that could make Jews safer

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Enough With The Hysterics. Anti-BDS Laws Are Perfectly Constitutional.

  The Constitutionality of laws penalizing the boycott of Israel, known as BDS, is being called into question by elected government officials as the Senate considers the Combating BDS Act in Senate Bill 1. As Senator Dianne Feinstein put it, “This Israel anti-boycott legislation would give states a free pass to restrict First Amendment protections for…

  By Ron Machol Jan 10, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Religious Women Are Consumed With Our Appearance. That’s How We Get Heard.

  Appearance is a source of excruciating anxiety for me. In both Orthodox and secular settings, I find myself wasting so much time and money on what I look like — and then resenting myself for it. And it’s not about halakha. Far beyond Orthodoxy’s laws of modesty are the social cues that we inevitably message…

  By Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt Jan 10, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Trump’s Shutdown Settles It: His Base Is About Racism, Not Jobs

  Last night, President Trump spent a handful of minutes spewing falsehoods about the dangers of illegal aliens. He seemed somewhat deflated, not his usually Mussolini-esque self, as he drearily delivered the usual Stephen Miller-composed, combatively factless diatribe with a self-righteousness that can only be described as a classic in the genre of moral turpitude. The…

  By Molly Jong-Fast Jan 9, 2019 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Angela Davis Is Not A Human Rights Hero

  The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Alabama museum and research center dedicated to the history of the Civil Rights Movement, has rescinded a prestigious award to activist, academic and Birmingham native Angela Davis, canceling the February gala at which it was to be presented. The news has sparked protests, and Birmingham mayorRandall Woodfin and the…

  By Cathy Young Jan 9, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Shameful Misuse Of Jewish Power

  In 1908, New York police commissioner Theodore Bingham wrote an extended piece for The North American Review. It was entitled, “Foreign Criminals in New York.” In it, Bingham derided his own city’s immigrants, whom he labeled criminals “of exotic origin.” While Bingham clearly viewed all immigrants with suspicion and contempt, he reserved his most savage…

  By Mike Rothbaum Jan 9, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Jewish Organizations Should Not Be Tearing Down Angela Davis

  On Sunday, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute announced that it was rescinding the 2019 Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award it previously planned to grant to Black Power icon Angela Davis, and cancelling the annual fundraising gala where it is presented. While the BCRI did not give a specific reason for the decision, local reporting and…

  By Rebecca Pierce Jan 9, 2019 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Are Jews White? American History Says It’s Complicated

  The first time someone told me I was white, I was seven years old. Three of my friends, all of them light-skinned black kids like me, taunted me in the schoolyard after my father dropped me off. “That’s not your real dad,” they said. “He can’t be because you’re white.” I was devastated. But I…

  By Tema Smith Jan 9, 2019 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  It’s Time To Retire The Term ‘Self-Hating Jew’

  Here is my resolution, and my request, for 2019: That we banish the use of the term “self-hating Jew.” There are Jews who hate Judaism. There are Jews who may hate Israel. There are Jews who may hate other Jews. In a society that values freedom of speech, conscience and expression, that ought to be…

  By Jane Eisner Jan 9, 2019 | 3 min read