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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Letters
Opposing Liberal Judaism In Israel Erases People Like Me
In their article from Aug 8, Einat Wilf and Ram Vromen write that the attempt to “import” liberal Judaism to Israel is a mistake on the part of American Jewry. It is important to note they write from the perspective of ones opposed to all religious efforts and as “believers” in a totally secular life….
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Letters Yes, Israel Needs Reform And Conservative Jews
A useful rule of thumb when reading op-ed articles suggests that if the title could also serve as the title of an op-ed piece presenting a diametrically opposite point of view, then the article is interesting and worth reading. Just as importantly, though, such titles should also make us approach the article with a healthy…
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Opinion How A ‘Misunderstanding’ Led To Death And Destruction In Gaza
There is only one reason why Gaza and Israel’s South were dragged into yet another devastating confrontation between the IDF and Hamas: toxic masculinity. We now know that another redundant escalation was sparked by a mistake. IDF soldiers were patrolling Gaza’s perimeter fence when they heard something and thought they were being shot at. So…
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Opinion Stop Trying To Bring Liberal Judaism To Israel. We Already Have Too Much Religion
Several years ago, I (Einat) had the honor of speaking at a Conservative Synagogue in NYC. I was asked why, as a proud Israeli feminist, I am not mobilized for the cause of the Women of the Wall. I admitted that while I am a feminist I am also a devout Atheist, and the importance…
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Opinion Sorry, Liberals: Anti-Zionism Is Anti-Semitic
It’s become quite the thing to deny one is an anti-Semite by insisting one is merely an anti-Zionist. Not only do people facing criticism for abetting anti-Semitism use this pabulum, but their Jewish defenders on the left do, too. In these pages, opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon recently asserted that one of the “most important questions…
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Opinion The Women Who ‘Don’t Have a Choice’ About Abortion, and the Man Who Is Stopping Them.
Welcome back to Jane Looking Forward. If you wish to continue reading this weekly newsletter, please subscribe here. And spread the word! This was not the first time that the Forward reached out to Jewish women and asked them to tell their stories about abortion. In 2016, under the headline “Silent No More,” we published…
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Opinion Neither Ashkenazi Nor Sephardi, Italian Jews Are A Mystery
One often hears about two main cultural groups of Jews: Ashkenazim and Sephardim. Some also speak of a third group, Mizrahim, for the Jews who lived in modern Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Georgia and Uzbekistan. But these groupings can be more complicated than they at first seem. There are three main ways of approaching the…
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Opinion Why Corbyn’s Definition Of Anti-Semitism Is Actually What Jews Need
Over the past two weeks, Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s Labor party, has faced renewed accusations of anti-Semitism. This latest escalation of the seemingly irresolvable brouhaha comes in the wake of a new code of conduct and definition of anti-Semitism that Labor has taken on to address protests from Jewish groups. But far from…
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Letters Why It’s Necessary To Break Bread With Trump Supporters
On July 9, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg concluded in this magazine that progressives do not have to engage Trump supporters. In her article, she argues that Trump is so pervasively evil that talking will do no good — or take so long that engaging with Trump is a waste of time. Rabbi Ruttenberg here falsely compares…
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Opinion I’m A College Student Who Opposes BDS — And Finds Canary Mission Reprehensible
In a recent article in these pages, Josh Nathan-Kazis exposed the growing efforts of right wing actors targeting American pro-Palestinian student activists, particularly those urging their universities to divest from Israeli and Israel-supporting businesses. Students who show support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement may wake up the next day to find their name…
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Opinion Israel’s Nation State Bill Shamed The Minorities Who Give Us Pride
I had the privilege of serving as the spokesperson of the first Druze Major General, Yousef Mishleb. I once tried to convince him to do an interview in Arabic on Al Jazeera because I thought it would send a positive message to the Arabic speaking world. “Peter,” the General told me when I asked him…
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