Opinion

• Opinion

  On Labor Day, Let’s Consider a New ‘Woman of Valor’

  “Eishet Chayil.” The woman of valor. We never sang it in my home — it wasn’t part of our Shabbat tradition — but I’ve sat many times throughout my life at tables where the song was sung, the old dirge melody, ostensibly in honor of the woman of the house. Singing the song, I was always told,…

  By Lana Adler

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  How BDS Is Pushing Jewish Students Out of Social Justice Activism

  A Barnard College sophomore recently articulated the sad choice many progressive Jewish students face on campuses around the country. In a Columbia Spectator op-ed, she called on Barnard’s student government to not support a sexual assault prevention group — a group she herself had once helped lead. She took this stand because the group had…

  By Seffi Kogen Sep 4, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Should I Give Up On Changing Israel from Within — and Take a Stand by Leaving?

  A debate has been raging in the Israeli left over the past few weeks — primarily in the opinion pages of Haaretz and on my Facebook feed — about Israelis who are choosing to move away from Israel as a political statement. Although these leftists make up only a tiny percentage of Israelis, their departure…

  By Mairav Zonszein Sep 3, 2016 | 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 A new humanitarian outrage is unfolding in the Middle East. It’s not in Gaza

  

• Nora Berman The left is turning on AOC over Israel — and imperiling its own agenda

  

• 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

  America and Israel Share a Weird Political Pathology. It’s Called Denial.

  America and Israel have a lot in common. First of all, a strong political right tied to a fundamentalist religious establishment. Second, a highly polarized atmosphere in which each side sees the other as a deadly enemy. Third, a culture in which individuals increasingly side with their social-political-religious tribe rather than thinking independently — and…

  By J.J. Goldberg Sep 2, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Jews Should Support Colin Kaepernick’s Brave National Anthem Protest

  San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick made waves this week by declining to stand during the national anthem at a pre-season game. Kaepernick, who has sat out the national anthem during at least one previous pre-season game, has faced backlash from those who see the refusal to stand as unpatriotic, disrespectful, and worse — specifically, that…

  By Lana Adler Aug 31, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel’s ‘Bikini Ban’ Is Just as Bad as France’s Burkini Ban

  Hot on the heels of France’s burkini ban mania, Israel seems to be coming up with its own version. An Israeli singer claims that her set at a Culture Ministry festival on Friday was cut short when she was asked to cover up. Hanna Goor, who was wearing shorts and a bikini top, says she…

  By Alona Ferber Aug 30, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin and What It Means To Be ‘The Good Wife’

  I ’m a Jewish feminist, blessed with a long and happy marriage, but I know enough to know that an outsider can never really know what happens between two people in an intimate relationship, so I try very hard not to judge. Yet sometimes I can’t help myself. It happens to many of us. For…

  By Jane Eisner Aug 30, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  I Give My Readers Cold Hard Evidence About Palestinians. They Refuse To Believe It.

  It’s becoming more and more obvious that there are some folks out there who simply can’t abide good news. Not just because they’re pessimists and get thrown when things are going well. No, we’re talking about the sort of people who find good news offensive. It outrages them. Their ranks are growing, and so is…

  By J.J. Goldberg Aug 29, 2016 | 9 min read
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  Opinion

  ‘The West Wing’ Is Still the Jewiest Show for Our Post-Jewish Times

  On a recent episode of “The West Wing Weekly” — a podcast that discusses Aaron Sorkin’s celebrated TV series “The West Wing” — Joshua Malina reported that a certain Facebook commenter, “Jim,” had complained that the podcast discussed Jewish topics too often. You can certainly disagree with Jim’s judgment, but he’s right that Jewishness has…

  By Evan Goldstein Aug 29, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Quit Your Liberal Condescension Toward Jews Who Love Trump

  As a Jewish immigrant from the Former Soviet Union whose family came to the United States in 1980, I’ve been dismayed to see so many liberals looking down their noses at Russian Jews who support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Writing in the Forward, Margarita Gokun Silver recently asked, “How Can Russian Jews Be So…

  By Dmitry Gringauz Aug 29, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  My Mayor Thinks He Can Show ‘Who Owns Jerusalem’ — With a Cable Car

  Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat declared recently that new transportation arrangements for the city have been designed to “cause the wider world to understand who really owns the city.” Barkat was describing his proposed project to create a new tourist entrance into the Old City by building a cable car up from David’s City through the…

  By Eetta Prince-Gibson Aug 28, 2016 | 3 min read