Opinion

• Opinion

  When Watching ‘Dunkirk,’ Don’t Forget Evacuations Of Jews That U.K. Stopped

  The success of Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” in theaters this summer is a welcome sign, amidst the usual summer cinematic fare, that history still interests us. Britain’s mettle in evacuating some 340,000 British and allied troops from French shores amidst the German attempt to destroy them remains one of history’s great inspirations, particularly when one considers…

  By Norman J.W. Goda

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  We Stand With Amichai Lau-Lavie, Rabbi Who Resigned Over Intermarriage Stance

  Earlier this week, our colleague Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie resigned from the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly over his decision to perform intermarriages, as part of a larger initiative to embrace the non-Jews within his community. He is in good company. For years, many American rabbis – including some in our network – have been officiating interfaith…

  By Rabbis of the Jewish Emergent Network Jul 28, 2017 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Actually, Israel Is Right Not to Let In Supporters of BDS. Here’s Why

  Michael Savage – a far-right radio host, along with Erich Gleibe – of the ‘National Alliance’, and Mike Guzovsky – a follower of Meir Kahane — have all been banned from entering Great Britain, a paragon of democracy, on the grounds that they “[engage] in unacceptable behavior by justifying terrorist violence… and fostering racial hatred.”…

  By Dani Dayan Jul 27, 2017 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson Being Jewish in America today feels like walking multiple tightropes at once

  

• Rob Eshman A precise, Chekhovian logic guided Israel’s strike on Iran — but chaos could come next

  

• Nora Berman Greta Thunberg’s Gaza flotilla was never going to help Palestinians

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s strike on Iran was necessary. But for real change, the US must join the fray

  

• Emily Tamkin Trump’s latest move makes Mahmoud Khalil a Joseph for our times

  

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  Opinion

  Why Jews Need To Fight Trump On Voting Rights — 53 Years After ‘Mississippi Burning’ Murders

  (JTA) Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner are about the closest American Jews have to secular saints. The two Jewish civil rights workers traveled south for the Freedom Summer campaign of 1964, joining the African-American activist James Chaney in canvassing black churches. All three were kidnapped and murdered by a lynch mob. Forty-three years ago next Friday, Aug. 4,…

  By Andrew Silow-Carroll Jul 27, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  On Intermarriage, The Conservative Movement Is At Odds With Its Members

  The current crisis in Conservative Judaism can be traced to a potentially fatal flaw that has been present in the movement since its inception: It has never been one movement. It is really two movements: The movement of its rabbis and philosophical leaders, and the movement of its constituents, the laity. For generations, this tension…

  By Seymour Rosenbloom Jul 27, 2017 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  When You Protest An Eruv, You Protest Women’s Rights

  For the young Orthodox woman living in a community without an eruv boundary, motherhood comes with a high cost. The moment that newborn arrives, it’s goodbye to Sabbath mornings in synagogue, goodbye to afternoon social outings, and goodbye to nice dresses. Instead, say hello to living in a robe in a claustrophobic apartment for a…

  By Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt Jul 27, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Chuck Schumer’s Better Deal Is Better For White Men – And No One Else

  Every pundit from Boston to Seattle will tell you the state of the Democratic Party these days: It’s bad. The party got its clock cleaned in the 2016 general election and, even in the full-blown midst of the “Resistance” movement against President Donald Trump, it’s now lost four straight special elections around the country. After…

  By Charlie Townsend Jul 27, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Al Aqsa Protests Prove That Palestinian Nonviolence Has Arrived

  My dream has always been to see my people in a mass movement of nonviolent resistance. I have spent most of my adult life making this appeal to my fellow Palestinians and building the relationships we need with the international bodies who can help us. And for one of the first times in my life,…

  By Issa Amro Jul 27, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Beware The Jewish Republicans Who Embrace Far-Right Bigotry

  If you want to understand American Jewish politics in the Donald Trump era, pay close attention to the skirmish last week between the Anti-Defamation League and Ohio Republican State Treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel. It’s a foretaste of things to come. On July 18, the ADL issued a report titled “From Alt Right…

  By Peter Beinart Jul 27, 2017 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  When Did Saving Lives Become an Irrational Goal? Welcome to the 2017 Healthcare Debate

  Most of the time I don’t put much stock in commenting on what other columnists have to say. (For that matter, most of the time I don’t write in first person either.) Every now and then, though, somebody puts something in print that perfectly sums up the situation we’re in, in a way that deserves…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jul 26, 2017 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  I’m The First Jew Banned From Israel For Supporting BDS

  Long before I was barred from boarding a flight to Israel due to my political beliefs, I felt conflicted about my decision to show up at the Dulles International Airport this past Sunday. I was bound for Israel and Palestine as part of an interfaith delegation co-sponsored by my organization, Jewish Voice for Peace, along…

  By Alissa Wise Jul 26, 2017 | 3 min read