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
Letter: AIPAC’s Jews Are Engaged – But Only With Israel
To the Editor: In Batya Ungar-Sargon’s recent article reporting on this year’s AIPAC conference, I was especially struck by her quoting a “Jewish community leader” who told her that “the Pew [Research Center] study and other data suggest that well over half of American Jews do not participate in Jewish life. In the course of…
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Opinion Yes, Farrakhan Is Still Dangerous. Just Ask Us Orthodox Jews.
If you think Farrakhan is irrelevant, it’s likely because you haven’t been spat in the face or heard your children cursed in the street. Watching the tepid response to the Women’s March Louis Farrakhan controversy, I can’t help but feel despondent. Even with a few voices in the Jewish media speaking out, many see Farrakhan…
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Letters To My Black Brothers And Sisters: I’m Black And Jewish. Farrakhan Is Bad For Us All.
To My Black Brothers And Sisters: I truly don’t understand how anyone in a position of social justice leadership could support or excuse Louis Farrakhan (I refuse to grant him the the honorific of Minister), and it makes me incredibly angry. I also don’t understand how people in the black community continue to support him….
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Opinion We Need To Talk About Black Anti-Semitism
A recent controversy involving anti-Semitic firebrand Louis Farrakhan and leaders of the Women’s March has revealed a perplexing division. Last week, Women’s March organizer Tamika Mallory came under fire for attending an event led by Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan and later posing for a photo with him. In true fashion, Farrakhan made several anti-Semitic…
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Opinion Ambassador David Friedman Can’t Silence the Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Movement
It seems those of us defining ourselves as “pro-Israel, pro-peace” have gotten under the skin of America’s Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. At AIPAC’s annual policy conference this week, he called those who define ourselves this way “blasphemous.” (I suppose that’s better than what he called us during the presidential campaign in 2016.) According to…
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Opinion A History Lesson For Chuck Schumer On Israel — And A Changing America
Chuck Schumer is worried about young people. In his speech on Monday at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference, he warned that “too many of the younger Americans don’t know the history” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “and as a result they tend to say, well, both sides are to blame.” And so —…
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Opinion Judaism is My Wakanda
I think I may have been the last black person in America to see Black Panther. For weeks it was all I heard about. Once again, black people were talking proudly of their African heritage and culture; I haven’t seen this much black power since Spike Lee made Jah patches mandatory for the young black…
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Opinion AIPAC’s Next Big Battle Might Be With Israel
For the past three days, American Jewish lovers of Israel have been enjoying each other’s company, en masse. Eighteen thousand of them, including 3,500 students, were funneled through the well-oiled machinery of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference in Washington, D.C. Every detail of the event was diligently attended to. In the…
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Opinion Linda Sarsour Has Been A Farrakhan Fan For Years
Among the women who became prominent as organizers of the Women’s March, Linda Sarsour stands out for her frequent claims to be a staunch opponent of anti-Semitism. Yet, when her close friend and fellow Women’s March co-chair Tamika Mallory was faced with sharp criticism for proudly advertising her recent participation in a major event with…
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Opinion Why Isn’t AIPAC Talking About Israel’s African Refugee Crisis?
In late February, the Jewish Agency joined a long list of groups opposed to Israel’s deportation of African asylum-seekers. Its board urged that Israel should grant legal status to 500 young people who had grown up in Israel and asked Jerusalem to ensure that “every migrant has an opportunity to apply for asylum and receive…
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Letters AIPAC Members Stand With Israel — As Americans, Not Foreign Agents
In his recent op ed in these pages, former AIPAC staff member MJ Rosenberg argued that AIPAC should register as a foreign agent. This argument requires a response from an insider. I worked at AIPAC for 25 years and remained a close admirer of the organization after I left in 1997 (Rosenberg’s attitude to the…
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