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
The Hypocrisy Of Ritual Slaughter Bans
A widely supported bill in the Belgian region will ban versions of traditional Jewish and Muslim ritual slaughter. These attacks on Halal and Kosher meat are unfortunately not isolated and are occurring with more frequency around the world. Denmark, New Zealand, Switzerland and other European countries and jurisdictions prohibit traditional slaughter with laws requiring that…
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Opinion Stage Rightist: Why Is Sebastian Gorka Speaking At A Major Jewish Conference?
Since 2011, The Jerusalem Post has produced a popular conference in New York City featuring a bevy of Israeli politicians and military officials, along with American Jewish rabbis, communal leaders and thinkers. The conference, like the newspaper’s politics, leans right (and very male), but on occasion, genuine debate over policy toward Israel has taken the…
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Opinion Why Democrats Must Ditch The Word ‘Resistance’
Check the calendar: Is this World War II? You might think so if you read the political press. “Democratic Donors Plot Trump Resistance,” USA Today shouted on Barack Obama’s last day as president. “We plan to fight back with everything we have,” right-winger-turned-Clintonista David Brock promised à la Winston Churchill. The R-word is everywhere you…
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Opinion Need To Know Basis: An Analysis Of Holocaust Remembrance Day
Here is a brief look at some of the topics prominent writers and thought leaders are discussing related to Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked on April 24. Elon Idan, Haaretz: “Is It Okay To Watch A Sports Game On Holocaust Remembrance Day?” “Coercion and bans may compel “the masses” to imbibe what the state…
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Opinion Sheryl Sandberg’s New Book ‘Option B’ Earns Praise
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has published her latest book, “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy.” Structured as part memoir and part how-to, Sandberg describes her and her family’s efforts to overcome her husband Dave Goldberg’s unexpected death last year and how people can cope with loss and help bereaved friends. In a…
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Opinion The Global Climate Forecast: Apocalyptic
This past weekend we stared down the Apocalypse. It’s not yet clear which side came out ahead, but we’re still breathing, which is pretty good. In France, the first round of the two-part presidential election ended with first place going to the only plausible candidate in the 11-person field. The first-place winner, banker Emmanuel Macron,…
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Opinion What Macron’s Victory Says About French Jews
The vast majority of French Jews are celebrating Emmanuel Macron’s first-round victory in the presidential runoff. He is a globalist with a social conscience, a convinced European who will not lock France into a populist straightjacket. French Jews, like most of their compatriots. feared the possible presence of two other candidates in the second round:…
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Opinion 5 Perplexing Things About ‘Secular Orthodoxy’
The arrival of Passover brings about the need to outline the guiding principles of what was – and may still be – the largest Jewish denomination in Israel: orthodox secularism. This comes in spite of the fact that over the years this denomination hasn’t bothered others (and for the most part not even its own)…
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Opinion Friendly Fire: Why Do Some Fellow Jews Scorn The Ultra-Orthodox?
Among the responses to my critique of CNN’s Reza Aslan’s portrayal of Israeli haredim as a threat to the country, two stand out. One was public, civil and reasoned; the other private and, well, otherwise. The latter, from E. S. (he signed his full name), a self-described Conservative-turned-Reform Jew, characterized haredim as “an abominable blight…
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Letters The Kushner Theory of Relativity
My last name – Kushner – wasn’t a big deal until the election of President Trump. Now everyone wants to know if I’m related to Jared Kushner. Aviya Kushner of the Forward apparently gets this question, too. Her response: “The short answer: no.” That’s what she wrote in her recent article “Why It’s So Hard…
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Opinion This Week In Anti-Semitism: Troll Attacks And Hitler’s Birthday
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. 1. French-Jewish philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy was inundated with anti-Semitic attacks online….
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Opinion The one crucial domain in which Iran outwitted Israel
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