Opinion

• Opinion

  Facebook Took Down The JDL’s Page. They Were Wrong.

  On Tuesday of last week at around 2 in the afternoon, Facebook took down the page for the New York chapter of the Jewish Defense League, a far-right organization that purports to protect Jews from anti-Semitism “by any means necessary” – which often includes violence. Karen Lichtbraun, a 57-year-old member of the group, had been…

  By Elisheva Goldberg

  6 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Anti-BDS Legislation Is So Problematic

  Dear Editor, I appreciate that the Jewish Federation of North America’s William Daroff reviewed and replied to my recent op-ed on the dangers of misguided legislative attempts to silence and penalize supporters of the BDS Movement. But his reply contained several important mischaracterizations of how this legislation works, and why it is so problematic. Daroff…

  By Jeremy Ben-Ami Dec 1, 2017 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  What Sort Of Israel-Arab Peace Are Jared Kushner And The Saudis Cooking Up?

  Nobody outside the tight-lipped circle of principals knows what’s in the Trump administration’s planned Israeli-Palestinian “deal of the century.” But there are hints and rumors, and a coherent picture seems to be emerging. And based on what’s emerging, it looks like it’s going to be a letdown. The plan is being drafted primarily by presidential…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 30, 2017 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson Stephen Miller’s cavalier cruelty misses the whole point of Passover

  

• Rob Eshman Is JB Pritzker’s very Jewish toughness the key to fighting Trump?

  

• Nora Berman She’s a titan of Israeli architecture. Her story contains troubling lessons for her country

  

• Dan Perry The Trump administration is primed to give a gigantic gift to extremists in the West Bank

  

• Emily Tamkin Passover teaches us why Jews should stand with Mahmoud Khalil

  

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  Opinion

  Not All Men Are Pigs. Thinking They Are Insults Women.

  I am of the generation whose mothers told us that men wouldn’t buy the cow if they got the milk for free. We were told that sex was transactional, something you provided your lawfully wedded husband in exchange for the security and comfort of family life. My mom didn’t tell me to close my eyes…

  By Naomi Paiss Nov 30, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  No, The Orthodox Aren’t Stealing Birthright. They’re Attracting Young People

  Last week, Haaretz ran an explosive story. “Orthodox trip operators are taking over Birthright Israel Programs” proclaimed the headline. The article examined Birthright’s recent decision to drop the Reform Movement “as a certified trip provider,” attributing this “split” between Birthright and the Reform movement to the “aggressive” and often misleading “marketing” of Orthodox trip providers…

  By Gil Troy Nov 30, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Forward’s Opinion Editor Misunderstood The ZOA Gala

  Dear Editor, Forward opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon’s op-ed about the Zionist Organization of America’s November 10, 2017 annual gala engages in the same unsubstantiated smears against Steve Bannon and Dr. Sebastian Gorka that the Forward has previously engaged in, and that were repeatedly shown to be false. The Forward editor compounded this by disparaging the…

  By Morton Klein Nov 30, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  American Jews: Stop Getting Distracted By BDS

  Fighting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement has become a primary focus of US Israel advocacy. As BDS resolutions come to a vote on campuses across the country, the issue dominates how we talk about Israel. This is to our detriment. The single-minded focus on BDS in fact only makes it harder to fight, and…

  By Ben Elkind Nov 30, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Doesn’t The New York Times Mention Ben Shapiro’s Islamophobia?

  Now and then—when Donald Trump retweets a video entitled “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!” by a British woman convicted of harassing a woman wearing a hijab, for instance—the media notices anti-Muslim bigotry. But often, it remains invisible. In recent years, this species of prejudice has become so pervasive, especially on the American…

  By Peter Beinart Nov 30, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Fault Lines Season 1, Episode 13: Is Israel Still Relevant To American Jews?

  What are American Jews interested in talking about, if not Israel? Is Israel still a hot-button issue on college campuses? Has the election of President Trump, and the shakiness of American liberal democracy, distracted Jews from thinking about Israel? Listen to Peter Beinart and Daniel Gordis’ lively conversation regarding American Jewry’s opinion on the Middle…

  By Forward Staff Nov 29, 2017 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Fault Lines Season 1, Episode 14: On The Future Of Right-Wing Jews

  Who are the Jewish right? How is Trump-era conservatism affecting American Jews? There are a lot of Jews at Breitbart, Josh Mandel is running a campaign for Senate, and we might soon see a lot more right wing Jews. Is the state of political discourse becoming even more vitriolic? How do Orthodox Jews feel about…

  By Forward Staff Nov 29, 2017 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Fault Lines Season 1, Episode 15: Changing Views On Intermarriage

  Some prominent conservative rabbis are now pushing for the ability to ordain intermarriages. Why are these rabbis pushing for this now? Are conservative rabbis trying to compete with reform rabbis? Is it part of a new push to appeal to millennials who wouldn’t consider conversion? Listen now and please let us know your thoughts by…

  By Forward Staff Nov 29, 2017 | < 1 min read