Opinion

• Opinion

  Why Ivanka Trump Is Sure To Be a Jewish ‘Stranger’ in Liberal Washington

  Jewish D.C. has been abuzz in the past weeks since the election about a possible new family in their midst: the Trump/Kushner family. How will residents of their chosen community accept the couple and their three children? Reports have been mixed. Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, married to Jared Kushner, is the ultimate ger in…

  By Bethany Mandel

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  What Ambassador David Friedman Means for American Jews

  Given the political uproar surrounding Donald Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel, you could be forgiven for overlooking the event’s larger significance as a disruptive moment in American Jewish history. Most of the hubbub has been focused on the hawkish Greater Israel opinions of the nominee, Long Island bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman. Those opinions would…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 22, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  7 Reasons Why I Mildly Resent Christmas

  I’ll tell you a secret, I’m pleased about Christmas. That the whole world is willing to celebrate the late September birth of a nice Jewish boy on December 25, I’m kvelling. I mean, it’s not really a Christian holiday (hence the dislocated date), it’s just a thin veneer of paint on the Roman holiday —…

  By Dan Friedman Dec 22, 2016 | 3 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 Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

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

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Herzl Against His Christmas Tree

  With his iconic black beard, stately tuxedo, imposing physique and stern visage, there was no mistaking him for anyone else, and I was delighted when he motioned me to come over and join him for a coffee and sachertorte. “Again they are sullying my reputation,” he protested. “One recollection scribbled more than a century ago…

  By David Breakstone Dec 21, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Peter Beinart Joins the Forward as Senior Columnist

  NEW YORK – Peter Beinart, whose keen intellect and sharp opinions have made him an influential voice in political journalism, is joining the Forward as senior columnist and ccontributing editor, Forward editor-in-chief Jane Eisner announced today. The Forward has been America’s leading Jewish news source since 1897. Launched as a Yiddish broadsheet for immigrants, the…

  By Forward Staff Dec 21, 2016 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  We’re the Source For Jewish News You Can Trust

  Dear Forward Reader: Are “fake news” hoaxes worrying you as much as they are me? Real journalism matters – now more than ever. That’s why I’m writing about your support for the Forward. By donating today, you can raise your voice for values we’ve championed since 1897 – a passion for truth and a commitment…

  By Sam Norich Dec 21, 2016 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  The Banality of American Evil

  The philosopher Hannah Arendt was one of many—-mostly Jewish—intellectuals, including Albert Einstein—with enough perspective to escape from Germany as Hitler rose to power. Her reflections, years later, on the moral psychology of her countless fellow countrymen who came to embrace fascism are timelessly revealing. And although Hitler was never actually elected, he nonetheless managed to…

  By Julian Friedland Dec 20, 2016 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  How My Parents Learned To Stop Worrying and Embraced a Little Chrismukkah

  December used to fill my parents with dread. My parents avoided taking us to malls in December, nervous that the amount of Christmas spirit would create confusion and discomfort for us as Jewish children with a (since converted) Christian mother. In her words, “The Christmas season is hard enough when your family is unambiguously Jewish;…

  By Gabriel Lehrman Dec 20, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Ivanka Trump Gives the Israeli Rabbinate a Taste of Its Own Medicine

  Being a convert to Orthodox Judaism in America is much like riding a roller coaster. The initial high many experience after completing a conversion in the mikveh is followed by an inevitable low. After uprooting and completely altering one’s life, converts reach the high of being told they will be loved and accepted by the…

  By Bethany Mandel Dec 20, 2016 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Dramatic Orthodox Growth Is Transforming the American Jewish Community

  The overall American Jewish population size is stable and growing, but its character is shifting dramatically. The Orthodox population (Haredi, centrist, and modern) is exploding. The non-Orthodox are in sharp decline. We can chart the rapid growth of the Orthodox by looking at their numbers in the Pew Research Center data over three generations, each…

  By Steven M. Cohen Dec 19, 2016 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  The Seismic Shift in the Progressive Jewish Paradigm

  Steven M. Cohen’s attempt to quantify the shifting nature of the Jewish community succeeds in its portrayal of a rapidly growing Orthodox community but signally fails to capture an equally seismic shift of paradigm in the progressive, non-Orthodox, younger millennial demographic. For this generation, the oft-cited 2013 Pew Research Center’s study on American Jewry indicates…

  By J.E. Reich Dec 19, 2016 | 2 min read