In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Make No Mistake: Trump’s Afghanistan Speech Was About Charlottesville
The majesty of the American presidency dictates that when a president addresses the nation, particularly on a matter as consequential as war, his words receive serious, respectful attention. Donald Trump received that and more when he delivered his prime-time August 21 speech on Afghanistan. It’s a tribute to the strength of our democratic institutions that…
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Opinion 4 Reasons Republican Jews Are Still In Denial About Trump
In a milquetoast statement released on August 16, the Republican Jewish Coalition at last revealed itself to be living in complete delusion. The statement was released after Donald Trump first blamed “many sides” for the violence in Charlottesville, and then issued an aide-written statement condemning racism, only to double down on his original position, stating…
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Opinion Why This Druze Israeli Identifies As A Zionist
Identifying himself as a “white Zionist,” alt-right figure Richard Spencer recently told Israeli television, “I want us to have a secure homeland for us and ourselves, just like you want a secure homeland in Israel.” Spencer’s statement ignited debate over the nature of Israel and whether its framework as a Jewish state parallels the goals…
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Opinion Jews Should Use Charlottesville To Overcome Bigotry — And Black People Can, Too
There is comfort to be taken in some of what emerged from the ugliness of Charlottesville. Despite the horrific events, there is surely solace to be had in the widespread revulsion, for example, that was evoked in so very many Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, by the marching and chanting white supremacists. And the utter…
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Opinion Why Anti-Semitism On The Left Is More Dangerous Than Anti-Semitism On The Right
Much ink has been spilled over the past week about president Donald Trump’s failure to adequately condemn white nationalists in Charlottesville, VA, and rightfully so. As Stephen Colbert so eloquently put it, how could the president “shank a softball like that so hard?” The car ramming attack in Charlottesville was no less a terror attack…
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Opinion Is It Wrong To Want Ultra-Orthodox Jews To Stay Out Of Your Town?
Recently, residents of Mahwah, New Jersey, noticed utility trucks driving around town, attaching strange-looking PVC piping to telephone poles. Soon they learned their purpose: the establishment of an eruv, a mysterious boundary that makes it possible for Torah-observant Jews to carry objects on the Sabbath. It’s a crucial step in making a neighborhood inviting to…
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Opinion Jews Must Stop Viewing Racial Justice Organizers As A Threat
The aftermath of the deadly white supremacist violence at the “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville over the weekend has left marginalized communities across the country traumatized. It has also resurfaced long simmering debates on racial justice brought to a head in the Trump era. The stated reason for the rally, a protest of the…
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Opinion Zionism Cannot Be Compared To Nazism — Even If Richard Spencer And JVP Say So
It was offensive enough when, in the aftermath of the deadly events in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend, the white supremacist leader Richard Spencer called himself a “white Zionist,” comparing his form of Nazism to the belief in a homeland for the Jews. It was even more distressing to read on these pages a supportive rendering…
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Opinion Stop Smearing Sebastian Gorka
White House counterterrorism advisor Sebastian Gorka has been the subject of severe criticism. With the departure of Steve Bannon from the administration, many are calling for Gorka to be fired next. A recent piece in Rolling Stone, questioned the validity of Gorka’s Ph.D. and labeled him something of a neophyte and an extremist. The Forward…
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Letters Zionism Is Nothing Like White Supremacy, No Matter What Richard Spencer Says
Days after the horrific showcase of American far-right extremism in Charlottesville, America’s leading extremist, white supremacist leader Richard Spencer, appeared on an Israeli television newscast and compared his hate-filled ideology to Jewish nationalism, declaring it “white Zionism.” Riding the waves of extremism and hate, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) staffer Naomi Dann asserted in The…
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Opinion 5 Reasons Richard Spencer Is Wrong About Israel
A few days ago, one of the white supremacist leaders of the Charlottesville, Virginia “Unite the Right” rally, Richard Spencer, was invited onto Israeli TV. He compared his own nationalist platform to Israel. “As an Israeli citizen, someone who understands your identity, who has a sense of nationhood and peoplehood and history and experience of…
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Opinion I discovered anti-Zionism at the University of Michigan. I’m glad it lives on there
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Opinion An alarming new battleground in campus fights over Israel
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Looking Forward My artist grandmother nearly made aliyah. I don’t know what she’d think of Israel today
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Holy Ground A Jewish farmer broke ground on a synagogue in an Illinois cornfield. His neighbors showed up to help.