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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Letters
Here’s How the Orthodox Deal With Sexual Assault
The Harvey Weinstein scandal is just the latest case of the misuse and exploitation of power through sexual harassment and abuse by people in influential positions. It has caught everyone’s attention and has empowered victims to come forward, speak out, and be believed. Hopefully it is finally the catalyst for significant cultural change. But sexual…
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Opinion I’m a Conservative Jewish woman and I oppose Quebec’s new burqa ban
Earlier this year, I wrote about a town in New Jersey called Mahwah, where tensions have erupted between Orthodox Jews and their non-Jewish or nonreligious neighbors. Things were getting so bad that a group called Mahwah Strong formed, devoting itself to keeping the town “diverse.” That diversity didn’t extend to Hasidic Jews, which many in…
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Opinion Our Conversation About Israel/Palestine Is Broken
Recently the Palestinian Freedom Theater had its U.S. Premiere of the play “The Siege” at NYU’s Skirball Center. Almost immediately, members of the Jewish leadership and right wing pro-Israel groups came out against the play, claiming it is “one sided”. And they are right. The play is one sided. It represents the Palestinian side of…
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Letters Why The Forward Took Down a Story About Elie Wiesel
Dear Rabbi Farber, Thank you for your note regarding our decision to take down the Elie Wiesel story. Your concerns are valid and commendable, and I’ll do my best to respond. The story in question was not reported by the Forward. It was aggregated from a story that appeared on another site. We made a…
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Letters Letter to the Forward: Please Explain the Elie Wiesel Retraction.
Dear Editor, I saw the retraction of the Elie Wiesel story. It is very difficult to read such a terse and vague statement and not worry that perhaps it isn’t about journalistic standards as opposed to threats by powerful people. I have no opinions on the subject personally, I don’t know the author and did…
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Opinion We Asked 22 Rabbis: Are Jews The Inheritors Of Eretz Yisrael?
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, “Are Jews the inheritors of Eretz Yisrael?” Here are their responses: Ayelet Cohen, Conservative, The New Israel Fund, NY: We need…
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Opinion Jane Looking Forward: John F. Kelly’s Military Elitism And Trump’s Disastrous Shiva Call
Welcome back to Jane Looking Forward. If you wish to continue reading this weekly newsletter, please subscribe here. And spread the word! Ever since the controversy erupted over President Trump’s remarks to the widow of a slain soldier, I wondered whether anything like that could happen in Israel. As my colleague Nathan Guttman wrote in…
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Opinion Do Jews have a responsibility to speak out against the Rohingya Genocide?
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.
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Letters Rabbi Shafran’s Mansplaining About Female Clergy Misses the Mark
Dear Editor, I’m admittedly less versed than Avi Shafran in Jewish theology and how it dictates religious administration, but I do take issue with his argument that women should be excluded from religious leadership on the grounds that this desire is borne from “external” influence. Are the considerable number of Jewish women who feel a…
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Opinion The Khazarian hypothesis is not the only junk science origin story of Jews
In a recent piece in these pages, I addressed a popular myth: that Ashkenazi Jews are descended from Khazar pagans who converted to Judaism. Though this idea gets a lot of attention, it is fully based on bunk science. Genetics, linguistics and onomastics — the study of names — all disprove the Khazarian hypothesis. But…
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Opinion Why are Mormons obsessed with Jews?
Earlier this month, Stephen Walt marked the 10th anniversary of his and John Mearsheimer’s book, “The Israel Lobby,” with a column in the Forward. In it, he restated his thesis that “unconditional U.S. support for Israel — the so-called ‘special relationship’ — is not explained by U.S. strategic interests or by shared values, as is…
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