Opinion

• Opinion

  What Has Trump Done To Us, America?

  I have one daughter who is a freelance journalist and has reported from all sorts of dangerous places in the Middle East and Africa. I have another daughter who is a nurse practitioner and right now is delivering health care to the Rohingya, whose plight is creating the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world….

  By Jane Eisner

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  For Centuries, Jewish Tradition Has Recognized Trans People

  The idea that there are two and only two sexes is relatively new. This week, in a memo leaked to the New York Times, the Trump administration stated its goal to institute a federal definition of sex as “unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with.” Furthermore, “any dispute about one’s…

  By Elliot Kukla Oct 26, 2018 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Israelis Are Divided Over Whether They Are ‘Jewish’ Or ‘Israeli.’

  By now it’s accepted that the American Jewish community and Israel are in crisis mode. Once bound by the tightest of familial bonds, the two communities have grown ever apart, leading to much hand-wringing. The cause of the crisis is generally chalked up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies – his embrace of the…

  By Shlomo Fischer Oct 25, 2018 | 6 min read

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz As editor-in-chief, I’m finding my way Forward (and back)

  

• Rob Eshman The real reason for the US war with Iran may have nothing to do with Israel

  

• Dan Perry In 3 days, Israel and the US reshaped the Middle East

  

• Emily Tamkin Gavin Newsom just confirmed the demise of the Democratic party’s support for Israel

  

• Jay Michaelson We are talking past one another on Zionism

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  We Palestinians Are Caught Between A Government That Tortures Us – And Israel

  My first time visiting a Hamas operated police station prison was unforgettable. A rusty blue-colored gate led to a narrow corridor that bifurcated into two depressing, colorless rooms. Inside, tens of people were sitting in the corners of each room on a cold floor or a few rotting mattresses. It was the middle of winter,…

  By Muhammad Shehada Oct 25, 2018 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  How Ivanka Trump And Don Junior Weaponize Class — In Opposite Ways

  Donald’s Trump’s money has been the subject of frequent discussion. Less often discussed is the question of class in relation to the President, or his family. But the class dynamics at work in the Trump clan — specifically, the way class is performed by the Trumps — provides a secret window into an important and…

  By Molly Jong-Fast Oct 24, 2018 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel Brands Us On The Left As ‘Traitors’ – Like The Palestinians

  Last week, Hagai El-Ad, the director of Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, had the distinction of being called a “collaborator,” an “embarrassment” and a “liar” — by his own government. This may sound shocking. But it’s actually symptomatic of how politically isolated we are on the Israeli left. This kind of incitement to violence and…

  By Mairav Zonszein Oct 24, 2018 | 4 min read
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  Letters

  I Tried To Explain Anti-Semitism – And Was Accused Of Comparing Zionists To Nazis

  A few weeks ago I was contacted via a friend by the chair of Dulwich and West Norwood Constituency Labour Party, which represents the London Borough adjacent to the one in which I live. The individual asked me if I would run a training session for them on anti-Semitism. Aside from my extensive involvement in…

  By Annie Cohen Oct 24, 2018 | 7 min read
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  Opinion

  The Left Is Redefining Foreign Policy. What Does It Mean For Israel?

  The youngest cohort of voters is pushing the Democratic Party left, inspiring mainstream political candidates to embrace policies once regarded as radical, including Medicare For All, abolishing ICE, and a $15 minimum wage. But the conversation about what the emerging left’s foreign policy should be is only just beginning. Bernie Sanders gave a speech earlier…

  By David Klion Oct 23, 2018 | 6 min read
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  Letters

  Wearing Tefillin Is Serious — And Only Those Properly Prepared Should Don Them

  There is nothing more admirable in this world than the desire to get close to God. It is an innate part of every soul to want to return to the spiritual bliss found in the Divine Presence. Luckily, that Presence also wants to draw us close. That’s why Hashem bestowed on humanity both the Written…

  By Menashe Shapiro Oct 23, 2018 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Jews Must Support The Trans Community — Our Lives Depend On It

  The Facebook messages usually start with a shy “Hi, Rabbi Becky,” though sometimes it is more direct: “Can I ask you a question?” They almost always come from the transgender and gender-nonconforming young people I know through my work with Keshet’s LGBTQ and Ally Teen Shabbatonim. On any day, I am balancing conversations about coming…

  By Becky Silverstein Oct 23, 2018 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Killing Peace With A Thousand Cuts

  The Trump administration is wielding a huge set of scissors and cutting its way through funding that Congress has earmarked for Palestinians. First, it was $200 million in bilateral aid, then it was funding for refugees in the West Bank and Gaza, and hospitals in East Jerusalem. You can argue all you want about whether…

  By Jane Eisner Oct 23, 2018 | 4 min read