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
When Prayer Becomes Leisure
It is no surprise that many American Jews are proponents of what they call greater spirituality. This is characteristic of what Ronald Inglehart has termed the “postmaterialist” generation. In his study “Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society,” based on survey data from 25 industrial societies, Mr. Inglehart argues that economic, technological and sociopolitical changes have…
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Opinion What The Long-Lost Diaries Of The First U.S. Ambassador To Israel Teach Us Today
What lies ahead for the US relationship with Israel, under President Trump, his son-in-law confidant, Jared Kushner, and his ambassador to the Jewish state, David Friedman? All are surely eager to overturn recent Israeli diplomatic setbacks, such as the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2234 condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Much has…
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Opinion Despite The National Front’s ‘Rebranding,’ The Fight Against The Far Right Marches On
France’s election of Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen represents a huge victory for republican values against a party of hatred. Today, as we commemorate Victory on Europe Day, marking the end of WW2, France can be proud to have demonstrated its desire to maintain its rank amongst the free nations by continuing to embrace…
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Opinion I’m A Zionist And A Feminist. I Stand With Linda Sarsour.
On February 21, the cemetery in St. Louis where several members of my family are buried was desecrated by cowardly, anti-Semitic vandals. Minutes after I posted about it on social media, I got a text from Linda Sarsour expressing sympathy and offering to help. One day later, she had organized thousands of Muslims across the…
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Opinion How Marine Le Pen Lost French Election, But Still Won
Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate in France’s presidential race, called Sunday’s election a “choice of civilization.” Almost two-thirds of voters heeded those words and cast their ballot for the only civilized option: her 39-year-old rival, centrist Emmanuel Macron. The result comes as a relief to liberals on both sides of the Atlantic, who badly…
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Books Is There Still A Chance For Peace In The Middle East?
Not long ago, I strolled along the spotless streets of Rawabi, a new Palestinian city being built near Ramallah, with Jack Nassar, the project’s development manager. He is an educated young man, smartly dressed and well compensated. We walked past the impressive amphitheater, strolled through expansive parks, saw the church and the mosque, and viewed…
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Opinion 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…
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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….
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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…
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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…
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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…
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