Opinion

• Opinion

  The Silver Lining In Brooklyn’s Ultra-Orthodox Mudfest

  On Election Night, I turned on the TV and waited patiently. There was only one competition I was particularly personally invested in: the New York City Council race for the 44th District. The race was waged between an attorney named Kalman Yeger and a social worker named Yoni Hikind. Each had a strong ally backing…

  By Mark Pelta

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Hey, Congress: Pay Attention To Nazis, Not Activists

  This Tuesday, Congress held a hearing to address rising campus anti-Semitism. The focus of the hearing centered around redefining of anti-Semitism under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The proposed definition would expand “anti-Semitism” to include speech that “demonizes” Israel. But it completely fails to include in its definition the kind of…

  By Sophie Edelhart Nov 8, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  It’s Not The ADL’s Job To Tell Comedians What’s Funny

  Last Saturday night, Larry David delivered a monologue on Saturday Night Live (SNL) that included jokes about Harvey Weinstein and picking up women in a concentration camp, among other things. Many publicly denounced the monologue as heresy. Some went so far as to insist that no one should ever make another Holocaust joke ever again;…

  By Jay Karas Nov 8, 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 Is Israel really going to reoccupy Gaza? Ask Trump

  

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

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Why Doesn’t Birthright Believe In Israeli Democracy?

  So they will never know Wadeea. This was the thought that came to me as I read the disappointing news that Birthright has chosen to end meetings with Arab citizens of Israel, who make up one-fifth of Israel’s population. Birthright’s official statement explained that “there is a need for further analysis” of such meetings before…

  By Sam Sussman Nov 8, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Growing Up Ultra-Orthodox, There Was No Shame In Being Poor

  This essay is part of our ongoing series, Outside the Bubble: Class and Inequality in the Jewish Community. It explores the class divides in Jewish communities of all denominations, and the financial struggles belonging to these communities can incur. Please email your thoughts and essays to [email protected]. In the ultra-Orthodox community in which I grew…

  By Eli Reiter Nov 8, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Princeton Hillel Was Right To Disinvite Israeli Official

  Princeton’s Hillel has indefinitely postponed a scheduled event with Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, due to pressure from progressive students. The cancelation by the Hillel, known as the Center for Jewish Life, came after students complained that Hotolevy has “repeatedly made racist statements.” Hotovely denies any Palestinian claim to land, and recently told Palestinian…

  By Raphael Magarik Nov 7, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Avi Gabbay Is #Winning: Israel’s New Political Dynamo Plays For Keeps

  Welcome back to Jane Looking Forward. If you wish to continue reading this weekly newsletter, please subscribe here. And spread the word! Avi Gabbay wants you to know that he is a different kind of Labor Party leader. The newly-elected head of Israel’s oldest and arguably most troubled political party sat down with me for…

  By Jane Eisner Nov 7, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  We Asked 25 Rabbis: What Is One Thing Jews Need To Stop Doing?

  As a part of our Rabbi Roundtable series, we brought together leading rabbis from all corners of the Jewish world to offer their thoughts on the big questions. This week, we asked our rabbis, “What is one thing Jews should stop doing?” Here are their responses: Jill Jacobs , Conservative, T’ruah: The Jewish community should…

  By Forward Staff Nov 7, 2017 | 10 min read
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  Opinion

  Expanding The Definition Of Anti-Semitism Hurts Jews: Testimony Before The House Judiciary Committee

  The following is testimony presented before the House Judiciary Committee about proposed speech codes on November 7, 2017. It is increasingly common to hear reports that a “new anti-Semitism” threatens to endanger Jews on a scale not seen since the second World War and the Holocaust. Studies from several major Jewish organizations have sounded the…

  By Barry Trachtenberg Nov 7, 2017 | 8 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Hillary Clinton The Jewish Scapegoat Of Our Time?

  Like the overwhelming majority of Jewish women, I voted for Hillary Clinton. Her experience and competence as a Senator and Secretary of State, and then as a career politician who nonetheless seemed to believe in public service and democratic values earned my support. I was drawn to her lifelong insistence that women’s rights are human…

  By Helene Meyers Nov 6, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Is it ever OK to make Holocaust jokes?

  Have Your Say is your chance to tell us what you think. Comment below or on Facebook and let us know what you think about the question posed in the headline.

  By Forward Staff Nov 6, 2017 | < 1 min read