In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Opinion
-
Letters
Letter: If Two Thirds Of Palestinians Want Peace, It’s Time To End The Occupation
Dear Jane, I am a Philadelphian who has admired your journalism and writing for many years. I read with great interest your piece in the January Forward magazine about your Encounter trip in the West Bank this past November. I agree positive recognition is deserved by Palestinians who dissent and protest non-violently. When you report,…
-
Opinion How To Enjoy Shlomo Carlebach While Acknowledging His Transgressions
Dear Editor, Thankfully, we have begun a conversationas to how communities can deal with sexual abuse allegations against Shlomo Carlebach. The sound of his gorgeous music may be an integral part of Jewish life, but the pain of those abused by him is too loud to ignore any longer. Here are two suggestions that would…
-
Opinion American Dollars Must Not Be Spent On Ahed Tamimi’s Arrest
Last month, Israeli soldiers invaded the home of 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi in the middle of the night and carted her off to detention in handcuffs. The teenage activist, from the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, has lived every day of her life under the brutal boot of Israeli military occupation. She has witnessed settlers…
Columnists View All
The Latest
-
Opinion Why Is No One Talking About Ahed Tamimi’s Call For Stabbings?
The sight of a young, unarmed woman standing up to heavily armed soldiers will always be a powerful one. This was certainly the case with a recent video seen around the world — that of Ahed Tamimi, the teenaged Palestinian girl who stood against the mighty IDF and was subsequently arrested. Who could resist the…
-
Opinion Israel Is Now Jailing Palestinians For Posting On Facebook
Israeli authorities rang in the New Year by turning to a tool of repression fit for the social media age: locking up Palestinians for Facebook posts. On January 1, Israeli military prosecutors indicted Nariman Tamimi, a mother and activist famous for leading the village of Nabi Saleh’s struggle against Israeli military occupation and land confiscation….
-
Opinion Who Is Ahed Tamimi?
16 year old Ahed Tamimi has now been indicted on five charges of assault for slapping and kicking an Israeli soldier. In the pages of outlets like Ha’aretz, +972, Mondoweiss and Al Jazeera she has been hailed as a brave rebel, courageously saying “No!” to the occupying Israeli military. In the meantime, “pro-Israel” organizations and…
-
Opinion Did Jews Buy Their Last Names?
As with many aspects of Jewish culture, religion, genetics and heritage, the origins of Jewish last names are ensconced in more myth than fact. There are many explanations out there attempting to explain the origins of Jewish surnames from Eastern Europe. Some see in them “Sephardic” roots, while others see a putative link to Antiquity…
-
Letters DC’s Museum Of The Bible Offers Skewed Story Of America
Dear Editor, I am delighted that an eminent legal scholar has responded to my piece, but I am baffled by most of his criticisms. Mr. Dane seems to think that I am arguing against the idea of the Christian Bible as a crucial text in the history of the American experiment. But I didn’t write…
-
Opinion I’m Black And Jewish. Israel Is Not My Promised Land.
I recently received an invitation from the Consulate General of Israel in Chicago to visit Israel. I should have felt proud. I should have felt honored. I should have felt something. But I didn’t. Imagine, a trip to the Holy Land, the land promised by God to Abraham: I’d wanted to go for so long,…
-
Opinion How I Came Face To Face With Palestinian Nonviolent Resistance
This compressed, rundown Arab village with roots that date back thousands of years to the biblical prophet Zachariah, now surrounded by a dozen gleaming Jewish settlements, may not appear like an obvious place to witness Palestinian nonviolent resistance. But it is there, if you look and listen carefully. It’s in the low-slung, trailerlike building that…
-
Opinion We Asked 20 Rabbis: Where Do You See The Jewish Community In 50 Years?
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, “Where do you see the Jewish community in 50 years?” Here are their responses: Adina Lewittes, Conservative, Sha’ar Communities: Jewish communities…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Unarmed man who tackled Bondi Beach Hanukkah attacker identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed
- 2
Fast Forward First Puka Nacua, now Mookie Betts: Why do sports stars keep getting antisemitic around a Jewish streamer?
- 3
Fast Forward After MIT professor’s killing, Jewish influencers spread unverified antisemitism claim
- 4
Opinion I grew up believing Australia was the best place to be Jewish. This Hanukkah shooting forces a reckoning I do not want.
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Holocaust survivor event features a Rob Reiner video address — recorded just weeks before his death
-
Fast Forward In Reykjavik, Hanukkah offers a chance for Iceland’s tiny, isolated Jewish community to come together
-
Opinion When my children decorate for Hanukkah, I don’t just see pride. I see pluralism in action.
-
Fast Forward ‘The most Australian name’: Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach attack, embodies a nation’s grief
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
