In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Legitimate Criticism Of The Women’s March Was Drowned Out By Racism
It’s undeniable that the Women’s March has made mistakes that are unbecoming of global leaders. Tamika Mallory’s support of Louis Farrakhan is distasteful in its tenacity and its ingratiating nature. Her calling him “The Greatest of All Time,” and responding to her critics by saying she had “the same enemies of Jesus,” has been incredibly…
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Opinion The Real Message Behind Linda Sarsour’s Apology
There are two Linda Sarsours. At least, that’s how it often seems to me. There’s the Linda who her Jewish allies know, a fearless woman fighting for the most vulnerable, powerful in her willingness to speak truth to power and constantly beset by horrific threats and disgusting insults, who wages war on those who seek…
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Opinion Ivanka Trump’s Privilege Blinds Her To Her Own Hypocrisy
I’m old enough to remember when Ivanka Trump was a feminist Democrat who was going to moderate her father’s racist policies. There was a time when I told myself that the employment of the president’s completely unqualified daughter was actually a good thing. After all, she had been a Democrat for years and so had…
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Opinion Stacey Abrams Lost. But She Brought Blacks And Jews Together Again.
Stacy Abrams may not be the governor of Georgia, but she has made a significant impact in this cherry red state. Georgia has a history rooted in racial terror, systemic oppression and white supremacy. People of color navigate through a maze of historical racism, injustice and past phobias that still threaten their freedom and safety….
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Opinion Are Ivanka And Jared ‘Good For The Jews’?
The two reporters who wrote the story splashed across the cover of the Sunday New York Times Style section asking whether Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are “good for the Jews” managed to quote only one woman — and 11 men. Sigh. I’m afraid this isn’t the first time the vaunted Times — a news…
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Opinion If You’re Only Calling Out Anti-Semitism On One Side, You’re Enabling It.
On Friday, November 16, Linda Sarsour accused American Jewry of dual loyalty, thereby inscribing herself into the registry of vicious anti-Semitic discourse. I write these words with hesitation and with little joy, for Sarsour has an impressive resumé of activism when it comes to laudable domestic causes. She has contributed much to the chipping away…
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Opinion Yes, There’s Anti-Semitism On The Left. But That’s Why Jews Need To Stay There.
Minnesota congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar has come under fire for her lukewarm support of BDS, the nonviolent movement to boycott, divest from and sanction the state of Israel, as well as for an anti-Semitic comment she made in 2012 and has not redacted. “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them…
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Opinion No, Linda Sarsour Did Not Accuse Jews Of Dual Loyalty. But The Right Wants You To Think She Did.
Linda Sarsour, the Palestinian-American, Muslim, progressive activist and co-leader of The Women’s March, is a lightning rod of controversy. Her critics will say it is because she fails to live up to her progressive values when it comes to matters of anti-Semitism, and some say she is anti-Semitic herself. Her supporters will say it is…
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Opinion The Women’s March Is Abusing Its Power — By Pretending It Doesn’t Exist
On Sunday night, Linda Sarsour, one of the leaders of the Women’s March, broke her silence about Louis Farrakhan. For over a year, the leaders of the Women’s March including Sarsour, who didn’t respond to a request for an interview, have faced calls to denounce the anti-Semitic, homophobic, transphobic misogynist Farrakhan, calls they have always…
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Opinion No, BDS Is Not Anti-Semitic, And Neither Is Ilhan Omar.
It turns out that Ilhan Omar, who this month became the first Somali American and the first Muslim refugee ever elected to Congress, modulates her views to fit her audience. In other words, she’s a politician. In February of last year, before she launched her congressional campaign, Omar praised the movement to boycott, divest from…
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Opinion Sheryl Sandberg Fooled Me, Too. Won’t Happen Again.
Yeah, Sheryl Sandberg got me too. When the Facebook COO published her feminist manifesto, “Lean In,” I was skeptical of her ability to truly understand the demands and pressures on most working women in America. Surely her fabulous wealth, fame and A-list connections meant she remained blithely unaware of the privilege that status conferred. “To…
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News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class
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Opinion How Israel became a country where teenagers murder each other in cold blood
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Sports NBA coach Steve Kerr: ‘Israel sought revenge for Oct. 7 and now 72,000 Palestinians have been killed’
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Film & TV A new documentary challenges stereotypes about Orthodox Jewish women — and their wigs
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Fast Forward U of Michigan apologizes after faculty chair praises pro-Palestinian students during commencement speech