Opinion

• Opinion

  Yes, the Media Misjudged Trump’s Chances — But We Had a Reason

  To the long list of reasons why the media and pundits misjudged the political tidal wave that swept Donald Trump into the presidency, let me add this: Good character no longer counts. Yes, we — and here I include the Forward — did not appreciate deeply enough how the forces of globalization and economic dislocation…

  By Jane Eisner

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  On Election Eve, I Called Out Anti-Semitism Among Trump Supporters. Their Response? More Anti-Semitism.

  During the days leading up to the election, and certainly during the day itself, there was a lot to be nervous about as a Jewish journalist. Trump’s supporters, especially those on the so-called “alt-right”, have taken it upon themselves to ramp up hateful, odious anti-semitism against Jewish journalists to a degree unprecedented in recent memory….

  By Lana Adler Nov 11, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  After Donald Trump’s Win, the European Dominoes May Fall — and It Won’t Be Pretty

  The election of a Putinist fellow traveller to the White House is not just bad news for America but Europe too. Spare a thought for the people of Ukraine, Bosnia, and Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, who now face unbridled Russian interference in their internal affairs and the possible dismemberment of their homelands, knowing that…

  By Liam Hoare Nov 11, 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

  Prepare To Have Your Peace Disturbed

  To watch “Disturbing the Peace” is to be challenged. Does the new documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian group Combatants for Peace, present a false moral equivalency between Israelis and Palestinians? Or is the apparent symmetry better understood as a tool to enable the film to speak to a wide audience in order to provoke fundamental change?…

  By Mira Sucharov Nov 11, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Donald Trump, Anti-Semitism and the New Socialism of Fools

  Here’s a little history for those just joining us: What’s long distinguished anti-Semitism from most other forms of oppression is that this form of bigotry presents itself as an anti-oppression ideology. The anti-Semite doesn’t (in his or her view) hate Jews because ugh, Jews. Rather, the anti-Semite believes Jews to be an all-powerful force, a…

  By Phoebe Maltz Bovy Nov 9, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  How Did Donald Trump Happen?

  How could this happen? What do I tell my kids? Fair questions. It’s fair to feel anything right now, especially fear. But, if it helps, consider that the Trump victory isn’t entirely surprising. America has changed very quickly in the last 20 years or so. We’ve become much more multicultural — and have officially said…

  By Jay Michaelson Nov 9, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  After Kristallnacht, My Grandmother Hoped We’d Shatter a Different Glass on Election Day

  November 9th, 1938 On this day, my grandmother, living in Leipzig, Germany woke up to shattered glass. It was the morning after Kristallnacht, the night where Nazi sympathizers burnt synagogues, smashed windows, and let the Jewish people know once and for all they were not welcome in Germany. My grandmother’s love for Germany and German…

  By Ari Hart Nov 9, 2016 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  I Was in Denial — But My Fellow Russian Jews Knew Donald Trump Would Win

  If there’s a mea culpa for me to issue this election season, it’s mostly to my own community. The Russian Jewish community has long voted Republican, so it wasn’t completely strange that they lined up behind Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton. What was surprising to me, and frankly upsetting, was how much they liked Trump…

  By Karol Markowicz Nov 9, 2016 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Will President Donald Trump Unleash a Civil War Among Democrats — and Can They Recover?

  Waking up in America on November 9 felt a bit like stumbling into the middle of a science fiction movie. Everything was askew, out of place, upside down. All the familiar signposts of normality were wrong. Every conventional indicator said Hillary Clinton was about to win a historic victory. Democrats would begin gearing up for…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 9, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  I Bought a Gun Because of Donald Trump’s Anti-Semites — But I See Reason for Hope

  This has been the most surreal election of my lifetime. The feeling of confidence slowly replaced by dread and despair as we watched Donald Trump slog toward the Republican nomination on primary nights repeated itself on election night, but on a much greater scale. Now the rest of the country understands the error in underestimating…

  By Bethany Mandel Nov 9, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  4 Unknowns for Jews in Bitterly Divided America Under President Trump

  (JTA) — Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton and Republicans kept control of the Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives will remain Republican. What are the takeaways for the Jewish community? Chief among them: Trump, and the class he represents — anxious, resentful and ready to make radical changes — was once largely invisible to Jews….

  By Ron Kampeas Nov 9, 2016 | 4 min read