Opinion

• Opinion

  We Asked 23 Rabbis: What Are Jews, Exactly?

  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 are Jews? — a race, a religion, a culture, an ethnicity, a nation….?” Here are their responses: Avram Mlotek, Orthodox,…

  By Forward Staff

  9 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Growing Up Poor, Hanukkah Was A Fraught Time

  I was six when I first felt guilty for receiving a gift. I didn’t know what money was, but I was pretty sure we didn’t have it. Although I didn’t grow up feeling inadequate, I somehow knew we had less. Nevertheless, Hanukkah was a festive occasion in my house. My parents made an abundance of…

  By Eli Reiter Dec 12, 2017 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  URJ’s Hopes And Concerns About Trump’s Jerusalem Decision

  This d’var Torah for Parashah Vayeishev was presented by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, before the 74th Union for Reform Judaism Biennial convention on Saturday, December 9. The wide-ranging topics addressed include the significant progress on strengthening Reform Judaism in Israel; deepening commitments to and investments in Israel; how to…

  By Rick Jacobs Dec 11, 2017 | 14 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson What can really be done to prevent antisemitic attacks like Bondi Beach?

  

• Rob Eshman Australia shooting terrifies Jews worldwide — and strengthens the case for Israel

  

• Nora Berman Did crypto-Jews invent the modern tarot deck?

  

• Dan Perry The 3 responses to the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack that could make Jews safer

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

• 
  Opinion

  Trump’s Jerusalem Push Makes Perfect Sense To Evangelicals — And Boosts Roy Moore

  The MSNBC host Chris Matthews last week was not the only one to argue that President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was timed to sway the special election for U.S. Senate in Alabama tomorrow, where the turnout among white evangelical Christians may determine Roy Moore’s future. Matthews, however, went a step further…

  By Jane Eisner Dec 11, 2017 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Is The Two-State Solution Dead?

  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 Dec 11, 2017 | < 1 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Be a Mensch. Keep the capital in Tel Aviv.

  To the Editor: On December 6, 2017, the President of the United States said, “I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” Putting aside, for the moment, the questions of how did he determine this? And why does he get to determine it at all? I’d like…

  By Randi Hacker Dec 11, 2017 | < 1 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Cloaked In Pretensions, Gilad Atzmon’s Anti-Semitism Soldiers On

  Perhaps one of the defining features of anti-Semitism is the irresistible desire of many of its proponents for intellectual respectability. Anti-Semites are known to nestle their “critique” of Jewishness within a broader scholarly scheme. Of course, the desire for intellectual respectability doesn’t mean that anti-Semitism attracts the best minds of every generation; but it certainly…

  By Keith Kahn-Harris Dec 11, 2017 | 5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Trump Is Right: Jerusalem Is Israel’s Capital. Now Let’s Divide It.

  President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last week was met with a predictably mixed response. There was celebration across the political spectrum in Israel, protests among Palestinians and the rest of the Middle East and reactions ranging from concern to opposition throughout much of the rest of the world. But far…

  By Benyamin Moalem Dec 10, 2017 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Woody Allen Getting Away With It Is The Norm — Not The Exception

  Dylan Farrow says she was sexually abused by Woody Allen at age seven. I believe her. Why wouldn’t I? Actually, there’s an easy answer to that. By and large, most men do not believe most women who accuse men of sexual abuse. If that has changed (and I don’t think it has), it has only…

  By David Schraub Dec 10, 2017 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  It’s Time To Admit The First Intifada Was Nonviolent – And Led By Women

  Unlike the imagery we associate with it, the vast majority of the uprising was in fact characterized by incredible, highly effective and sustained grassroots organizing

  By Suhad Babaa Dec 9, 2017 | 5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Woody Allen Plays The Anti-Semitism Card To Escape #MeToo Reckoning

  Yesterday, Dylan Farrow published a brave and important op-ed in the LA Times, asking why the “#MeToo revolution,” which has exposed the horrific behavior of entertainment industry figures like Harvey Weinstein, has spared her father, Woody Allen, whom she has alleged sexually assaulted her when she was seven. It’s a devastating article which reminds its…

  By Eli Bromberg Dec 8, 2017 | 4 min read