Opinion

• Opinion

  Israelis and Palestinians Could Make Peace Tomorrow If Not for This Misperception

  If the political will existed, Israelis and Palestinians could reach a peace agreement tomorrow, based on specific terms that majorities on both sides would accept. But it’s not likely to happen, in part because of the nearly bottomless mistrust that each side feels toward the other. What’s more, mistrust has been growing over the past…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Donald Trump’s 7 Meanest Dog Whistles, Ranked From Worst to Not Quite So Bad

  “Dog whistle politics” has been a major part of this year’s election cycle. Like blowing a super high-pitched horn that only bigots can hear, Trump has used hashtags, internet memes, speeches and off-the-cuff rambling to curry favor with a wide range of fringe (and terrifyingly not-so-fringe) groups. He knows that not only do his antics…

  By Ari Feldman Aug 24, 2016 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Burkini Wars Show What’s Wrong With the Religious Right — and Secular Left

  No matter how progressive our society has become, a woman’s appearance is still scrutinized, commented upon, critiqued, evaluated and dismissed far more frequently than anything said about a man. Just ask Carly Fiorina. Or Hillary Clinton. But this double standard isn’t simply being exercised by those who weren’t brought up with any manners, or lost…

  By Jane Eisner Aug 24, 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 Actually, Trump made things between Israel and Iran way worse

  

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

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  If Israel’s Occupation Is Permanent, Why Isn’t It the Same as Apartheid?

  Apartheid. The word is thrown around on the left-wing side of Israel-Palestine politics these days, and often it seems intended to provoke outrage, not reflection. And indeed, that’s exactly what it does on the right. But with the news on August 22 that only 58% of Israelis still support a two-state solution (and that’s counting…

  By Jay Michaelson Aug 24, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Donald Trump Hates Losers. Judaism Can’t Get Enough of Them.

  “Loser.” Donald Trump has called many people this word, and synonyms for it, over the course of his many careers. His adolescent name-calling has degraded our political discourse, and even if he fails at his new chosen vocation (as seems increasingly likely), the damage will be hard to reverse. Ironically, Trump himself is the candidate…

  By Jay Michaelson Aug 22, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How Jewish Persecution Complex Warped Our Reaction to the Rio Olympics

  The Israeli national team at the Rio Olympics made headlines twice for reasons related not to their athletic accomplishments, but rather to politics. The first incident occurred when the Lebanese team prevented the Israeli athletes from boarding the same bus as them for transportation to the opening ceremonies. The second occurred when Egypt’s Islam El…

  By Lisa Goldman Aug 21, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I Want To Speak Out for Criminal Justice Reform as a Jew

  Arraignments court was not quite as I imagined. The ceilings were low, not towering and imperious, and spectators sat in scratched wooden pews behind a swinging-door gate. Defendants were brought into the room in handcuffs, entering through a side door that revealed a room full of people awaiting arraignment. The defendants and most of the…

  By Ariana Siegel Aug 21, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Believe It or Not, the Rio Olympics Were Great for the Jews

  Over the past few decades, international organizations have done their utmost to exclude Israel from the family of nations. One such worldwide association, the Olympics, ostensibly dedicated to fair play, comradeship and the promotion of world peace, has an even longer anti-Semitic pedigree. Back in 1936, it awarded prime time exposure to the Nazi regime…

  By Jeffrey S. Gurock Aug 21, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Israel Trying To Turn American Jews Into Orthodox Right-Wingers?

  The Israeli government has rolled out the first stage of its long-awaited Israel-Diaspora outreach initiative, which promised to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into a broad range of innovative Jewish identity programs. One might say that the program unveiled in an August 12 announcement, a series of grants for outreach programming on college campuses…

  By J.J. Goldberg Aug 19, 2016 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Monica Lewinsky and the Trope of the Jewish Temptress in the Trump Age

  While we as a nation prepare for the presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — the first one is slated to take place at Hofstra University on September 26 — much is being written about each candidate’s debate prep. Trump is battening down the hatches by taking advice from former Fox News chairman and many-time…

  By Lana Adler Aug 19, 2016 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Crown Heights

  I was 7 years old when I first heard of Crown Heights. At the time, growing up in Los Angeles, my entire world felt Jewish. There were Hollywood Jews who worked in the industry like my parents, Russian Jews down the block from our West Hollywood home and Hasidic Jews on Fairfax. Sure, there were…

  By Mordechai Lightstone Aug 19, 2016 | 4 min read