In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Last Week in Anti-Semitism: A Jew-Free Holocaust and White Supremacist Memes
The Forward plans to regularly monitor the surge of anti-Semitism in many parts of the country and the world. The mission of this column is not to unduly alarm, but rather to raise awareness of a disturbing trend that, from some vantage points, can prove difficult to spot. 1.The Trump White House erased Jews from…
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Opinion Report From the Road: Can America’s Squabbling Jews Still Listen to Each Other?
A bitter wind is coursing through the corridors and alleyways of American Jewry. Across the country, wherever they gather, Jews seem anxious and afraid. They’re afraid for America. They’re afraid for Israel. And, to an alarming degree, they’re afraid of each other. That’s the impression I’m left with after visiting Jewish communities in about two…
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Opinion Gorsuch’s Confirmation Will Be Brutal, But at Least His Religion Won’t Matter
The confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, Donald Trump’s nominee to become a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, will undoubtedly prove bitter and contentious. After all, many Democratic Senators consider the seat stolen, because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not meet with President Obama’s pick, Merrick Garland, let alone allow the…
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Letters Letter to the Editor: Jared Kushner Reveals The Fissures In American Judaism
In his recent column in the Forward (“How Could Modern Orthodox Judaism Produce Jared Kushner?” ) Beinart examines Jared’s recent, little-more-than-a-week long record as a member of the Trump administration. He looks at what the administration has thus far produced, and how Jared has stood by and watched it happen. In Beinart’s telling, Jared is…
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Opinion Both the Right and Left Get the Muslim Ban Wrong
Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily barring nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entry to the United States has sparked a new round of furious — and fruitless — debate about Islam, terrorism, and Islamophobia. One side all but dismisses militant Islamism as a phantom menace, touting statistics to show that lawnmowers and armed toddlers…
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Opinion A Leaked Copy of Trump’s Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast
The following is purportedly a leaked transcript of President Trump’s speech from the National Prayer Breakfast. Welcome everyone. It’s prayer time, so we’re going to have our little breakfast — we have some of the best pastries, really the best and pray. I love God — really do. Great guy, God, and a big supporter…
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Opinion Letter to the Editor: The Notion That HIAS ‘Profits’ from Resettling Refugees is Ludicrous
On January 31, the Forward published a letter from the leadership of another Jewish organization that directly challenged the position of Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) on the Refugee and Muslim Ban, signed by President Trump on January 25, 2017, which happened to be International Holocaust Remembrance Day. During the 1930s and 1940s, there were…
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Opinion Judge Gorsuch Will be Good on Religious Liberties — Which Will Be Good for the Jews
When it comes to issues of interest to the Jewish community, Judge Neil Gorsuch’s potential confirmation to the Supreme Court is likely to have significant impact on the landscape of religious liberty. This is an issue the Supreme Court has been making active decisions on over the past five years. In 2012, the Court addressed…
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Opinion Stand Up for Truth
Dear Forward Reader: ‘Oh God, not the Jews again.” That was Ann Coulter, answering a BBC journalist’s question about whether her anti-immigrant stance might have harmed newcomers a century ago. We say: Yes, the Jews again. Our history, our tradition, and our values are deeply relevant to today’s news. At the Forward, we’re not staying…
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Opinion How Could Modern Orthodox Judaism Produce Jared Kushner?
In our annual progression through the Torah, we are now deep into slavery in Egypt. And each year, around this time, as I read the first Torah portions in Exodus, the same thought occurs to me: Why is all this necessary? By the end of Jacob’s life, he’s back in the Land of Israel, the…
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Opinion Letter from Ukraine: Don’t Let Refugee History Repeat Itself
The abandoned 428-year-old synagogue in Sharhorod, Ukraine stands as a powerful reminder of why millions of Jews in the world now call themselves Americans. I traveled there last week from my home in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to better understand where my family comes from. Six of my eight great-grandparents fled villages like Sharhorod – places…
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Opinion The Iran war ended terribly for the US, and even worse for Israel
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News New Jewish-Arab political party debuts in Israel, aiming to topple Netanyahu
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Fast Forward Mamdani calls AIPAC ‘monsters’ in rally ahead of NY primaries
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Fast Forward Jewish groups push back against Trump’s Iran deal — but more quietly so far than in 2015
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News Who is Gadi Eisenkot, the Israeli politician who could dethrone Netanyahu?
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Culture My father was my hero and, when he was dying, I wrote this song for him