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
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Opinion
Social Media Is Dangerously Undermining Our Democratic Values
Seven years ago, the internet felt like a vast new democratic space for borderless community building and for the exchange of political and intellectual ideas. For political and civil society activists, social media platforms became an invaluable tool for reporting and organizing. For dissidents in authoritarian regimes, it was an uncensored platform from which they…
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Opinion Israel Is Quietly Ridding Itself Of Thousands Of African Refugees
Over the past few weeks, the government of Israel has initiated a number of measures designed to bring an end to their African asylum seeker problem. The plight of tens of thousands of Africans, mostly Sudanese and Eritrean, who over the past decade have sought asylum in Israel after escaping dictatorship, war and genocide, is…
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Opinion I Am A Jew Of Color. I Think.
I am a Jew of color. I think. I’ve always been confused by this idea, of being “of color.” I’m Sephardic, but I grew up in a white town, and my parents grew up in an Ashkenazi area of Israel, so, culturally speaking, I always felt identified with some degree of whiteness. It was a…
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Opinion We Had A ‘P Is For Palestine’ Party For Kids, And The JDL Showed Up
On Sunday, I took my kids to the ‘P is for Palestine’ Hanukkah party on the Upper West Side. It took no convincing: all they needed to hear was “jelly donuts.” Little did they or I know that by the end of the party, the children would have come face to face with a group…
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Opinion Hey, Jewish Establishment: BDS Is Not Jews’ Biggest Threat — Occupation Is
For years now, American Jewish institutions have been making a familiar argument: that Jewish students are under threat from the boycott, divest, and sanctions movement. They hold massive conferences and raise impressive sums. Even Netanyahu has joined their efforts. But this enormous transfer of institutional resources serves a phantom threat. The idea that American Jewish…
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Letters It May Not Be A Golden Age, But Television Today Has Much To Offer
Dear Mr. Letzler, Many thanks returned for your thoughtful, informative letter in response to my article on Mrs. Maisel. First of all, yes, of course you are correct: It’s a rimshot! I stand corrected. Second, when I see your location is Germany, your thoughts and opinions are all the more meaningful to me. ( As…
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Opinion The Tragedy Of The Liberal Jewish Response To Rubashkin’s Release
The celebrations in Orthodox Jewish communities of President Trump’s commutation of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin’s prison sentence and the release, after eight years, of the former CEO of the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Iowa have subsided. But not before they engendered a rank venting of resentment in other Jewish circles over Mr. Rubashkin’s new freedom. Mr….
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Opinion Lorde’s Canceled Israel Concert Reveals The Hypocrisy Of BDS
Lorde began racking up praise and awards for her debut album, Pure Heroine, before she’d even hit her 18th birthday. Listening to her poetic yet sharp-tongued lyrics, combined with her soulful voice, one reflexively assumed she had spent decades meticulously reflecting on her own passing youth; in fact, she was barely old enough to buy…
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Opinion Trump’s Immigration Agenda Should Outrage Jews
The outrage of the moment has, understandably, been a new Congressionally approved tax overhaul that rewards the wealthy with tax breaks, adding the deficit and leaving the poor and residents of high-tax states with the bill. But released at year’s end is a new White House agenda on immigration that should chill the very soul…
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Opinion Thank You, Lorde, For Standing Up For Palestinian Human Rights
When I heard that the internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter and record producer Lorde was reconsidering a decision to play in Israel I had a gut feeling that she would cancel the show. This weekend, she did just that. “[I]’ve received an overwhelming number of messages and letters and have had a lot of discussions with…
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Opinion Despite My Non-Zionism, I’ve Chosen To Stay In The Jewish Students Union
My recent campaign to be the President of the UK’s Union of Jewish Students attracted a fair bit of attention in the Jewish media, largely because, as Joseph Finlay recently wrote in the Forward, my views are “diametrically opposed to those traditionally taken by UJS,” the British Union of Jewish Students. I am a non-Zionist,…
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