Opinion

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  As Cyber Warfare Turns 10, The West Risks Falling Behind

  When Estonia became the first nation on the receiving end of an overwhelming cyber attack 10 years ago last week, government and other critical websites and systems such as banking collapsed in one of the most internet-connected countries of the time. Widely blamed on Russia, the assault prompted Western nations – including the United States…

  By Peter Apps (Reuters)

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Trump Setting Up The Next Anti-Semitism Envoy For Failure?

  Responding to American Jewish anxieties, the Trump administration has indicated it will be filling the post of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism (SEAS). Before popping Champagne corks, we should understand the severe limitations of such a role amid a retrenchment of U.S. diplomacy and serious challenges to civil rights by our own government….

  By Shai Franklin May 5, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Don’t Dismiss The Six Day War’s Lasting Legacy

  For this American Jew, the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War is a time for celebration. As Jane Eisner described in her recent Forward editorial, the small Israeli defense forces in June 1967 were able to defeat the much larger Egyptian air force, then their ground troops, and then defeat the Jordanian, Iraqi and…

  By Ralph Shapiro May 5, 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 doctor in the midst of the Boulder attack: ‘This did not come out of vacuum’

  

• Nora Berman For new parents, the aid crisis in Gaza is hitting hard

  

• Dan Perry Don’t be grateful two hostages’ bodies were recovered. Be furious.

  

• Emily Tamkin The two things I fear most after the horrifying attack on Jews in Boulder

  

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  Opinion

  Does Trump’s ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order Do Anything?

  Before President Trump signed the “religious liberty” executive order on May 4, rumors about the contents of the rule spurred many rumors, as well as the requisite dire warnings from many in the media. Headlines in recent days declared such things as “Trump’s ‘religious liberty’ executive order is meant to legalize anti-LGBT discrimination” (Salon) and…

  By Michael A. Helfand May 5, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Game Of Same-Name Jewish Geography

  In the late 19th century, my grandfather Jacob and his brothers left their Russian shtetl to seek a new life in South Africa. The rigors of pioneer life were not to Jacob’s liking; he returned to Russia, married my grandmother and immigrated to America. His brothers remained in South Africa, where they prospered and multiplied…

  By Fredricka R. Maister May 4, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Trump’s ‘Religious Liberty’ Executive Order Should Scare The Bejesus Out Of Jews

  Be careful what you wish for. For years, the Christian Right, abetted by some Orthodox Jewish allies, has claimed that there’s a war on religion in America. Sometimes it’s the “War on Christmas,” sometimes it’s alleged persecution of Christians for practicing their faith, and sometimes it’s hard to articulate at all. Well, today, the president…

  By Jay Michaelson May 4, 2017 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Marine Le Pen: Sure Loser? Or A Mortal Threat To France?

  France will soon decide whether to elect Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, or Marine Le Pen, the far right leader of the National Front, as president. Win or lose, Le Pen has had an impact on France – though just how much remains a matter of debate. Lauren Collins, The New Yorker: “The Future Of Europe…

  By Steven Davidson May 4, 2017 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  The Gory Bloodsport That Brought Father And Son Together

  A few months before I began rabbinical school in Jerusalem, my father proposed that we take a trip to Nepal. I was 22 and in the middle of writing the Great American Novel, but I didn’t mind the interruption. I welcomed the prospect of trekking together through the rugged and remote mountain kingdom, a father…

  By Niles Goldstein May 4, 2017 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why We Should Celebrate The 50th Anniversary Of The Six Day War

  Jane Eisner’s article,”Inner Conflict: The Six Day War’s 50th Anniversary Merit Celebration Or Despair?”, is excellent. I learned the war broke out on Monday, June 5, 1967, when I was sipping an early morning vanilla malted in a newsstand/soda shop across from Columbia University. I tore through the New York Times reading the account (since…

  By Joel Solkoff May 4, 2017 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  This Week In Anti-Semitism: Venezuelan Jews Flee, Hillel Stands Up To Hate

  The Forward regularly monitors the surge of anti-Semitism across the country and around the world. The mission of this column is not to unduly alarm, but rather to raise awareness of a disturbing trend that, from some vantage points, can prove difficult to spot. Amidst a failed economy, food shortages, and anti-Semitic harassment, increasing numbers…

  By Steven Davidson May 4, 2017 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Trump’s Meeting With Abbas: Should We Laugh Or Cry?

  “Mr. President, with you, we have hope.” So said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during his joint press conference at the White House on Wednesday. As with so much in the Donald Trump era, it’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry. Hope? Trump’s Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, believes West Bank Palestinians —…

  By Peter Beinart May 4, 2017 | 4 min read