Opinion

• Opinion

  What a Swastika Means to Reform Jews in Today’s America

  One morning in early January, the students and faculty of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion’s Cincinnati campus, the longtime seat of Reform Judaism in America, woke up to find themselves victims of anti-Semitism. A large, white swastika had been scrawled on the seminary’s red entrance sign. You couldn’t miss it. Though traumatic…

  By Jordie Gerson

  2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  What This Rabbi Learned From a Decade of Visiting Jailed Jewish Radical Judith Clark

  On the drive from Manhattan, I leave the hustle and bustle of the city to steer on the winding road of the Saw Mill Parkway and make my way to Bedford Hills. I pass small villages, bike paths and beautiful canopies of trees to exit and park in the visitor’s parking lot, surrounded by high…

  By Felicia Sol Jan 6, 2017 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Donald Trump May Actually Believe What He Says About Russian Hacking

  You might have seen the newscast of Donald Trump talking briefly to reporters on New Year’s Eve as he entered a black-tie party at his Florida mansion. He was discussing computer hacking, intelligence gathering and nuclear weapons. If you haven’t been petrified up until now at the prospect of a Trump presidency, this would be…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 6, 2017 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel

  

• Nora Berman ‘Eddington’ is full of conspiracy theories but it’s not about Jews. Or is it?

  

• Dan Perry A US official just made history in the West Bank — did he imperil prospects for peace?

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

The Latest

• 
  Opinion

  How Benjamin Netanyahu’s Dangerously Twisted Words Hide the Truth

  Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued two public statements. When the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution criticizing settlements, Netanyahu attacked it for not condemning Syria. When Secretary of State John Kerry defended the Obama administration’s decision to let the resolution pass, Netanyahu attacked him for not sufficiently condemning the Palestinians. In both…

  By Peter Beinart Jan 4, 2017 | 5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Congrats on Burying the Two-State Solution, President Trump. Now What?

  This is addressed to President-elect Donald Trump, his pick to be the next ambassador to Israel, the Republican National Committee, many Israeli government leaders and — judging from the recent outcry against the Obama administration — many in the American Jewish chattering class. That is, all of you on the resurgent political right who seem…

  By Jane Eisner Jan 3, 2017 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  About Fault Lines

  Listen in on the Forward’s senior columnist Peter Beinart and Koret Distinguished Fellow Daniel Gordis explaining their new podcast. Listen to “Fault Lines” on Spreaker. Let the world know what you think about Fault Lines – rate our episodes, and share your thoughts in a review on iTunes. Download episodes here. Subscribe to Fault Lines…

  Jan 2, 2017 | < 1 min read
• 
  Opinion

  How and Why Tribes Are Taking Over

  The world is going to hell, and it turns out Jean-Paul Sartre almost got it right. Sartre’s wartime play, “No Exit,” starts like a lame joke: a pacifist, a lesbian and a murderer die and go to hell. But the cruel joke is on them. There are no corporeal flames, only a conscious inferno: the…

  By Uriel Abulof Dec 30, 2016 | 11 min read
• 
  Opinion

  50 Things To Fear From the Trump Administration

  Looking toward 2017 can be overwhelming. The coming Trump administration presents so many potential risks, it’s hard to know which to feel anxious about. When I feel overwhelmed, I find that it helps to make lists. Here, then, in a rough order of danger, but also grouped by category, are 50 things for American Jews…

  By Jay Michaelson Dec 30, 2016 | 7 min read
• 
  Opinion

  ‘Jewish Youth, Learn To Shoot’?

  In the communities I sing and pray with, Hanukkah is all about light, freedom and hope. Not so much about war. That was the choice of the ancient rabbis too. Instead of writing about the Maccabees’ war against the Hellenists, the Talmud chose to tell us only one thing: there was a miracle when oil…

  By David Seidenberg Dec 29, 2016 | 5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Intermarriage Will Shape a New American Judaism

  When Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom, a retired rabbi from Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, performed an intermarriage ceremony for his stepdaughter and her fiancé in 2014 more than a glass got shattered at the end of the wedding ceremony. Rabbi Rosenbloom’s membership in the Rabbinical Assembly wound up in pieces as well. In December 2016, the rabbinical body…

  By Jeffrey K. Salkin Dec 29, 2016 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  The Top 10 Scribe Stories of 2016

  2016 is almost behind us — and what a year it’s been for Scribe, the Forward’s contributor network. Since launching in July, nearly 250 contributors from 6 continents have shared their insightful, inspirational, and impactful stories, providing a 360 degree view of the world around us. Our Scribes not only come from all over the…

  By Laura E. Adkins Dec 29, 2016 | 5 min read