In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Opinion
-
Opinion
No, the Keith Ellison Tape Isn’t Anti-Israel — and Shouldn’t Torpedo His Democratic Run
It looks as though opposition is mounting, perhaps approaching a critical mass, against the bid by Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison to become chair of the Democratic National Committee. A small flood of messages and articles is circulating through the Jewish community and precincts of the Republican right, supposedly documenting his hostility to Israel and support…
-
Opinion It’s Not Just Israel — These 6 Other Countries Offer Birthright Trips, Too
Birthright isn’t just for Jews anymore. Following the same model, a number of cultural organizations and governments have created programs to connect diasporic communities in North America with their ancestral cultures. 1) Heritage Greece Founded by the National Hellenic Society, Heritage Greece offers Greek-American undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 26 a two-week…
-
Opinion What I Learned About Being Jewish and Chinese on My Birthright Trip to Israel — and to Taiwan
If you saw me on the street, you probably wouldn’t peg me as Jewish. With my small eyes, thick black hair and high cheekbones, I’m a Jew with some very Chinese characteristics. Growing up, I learned from my father that being Jewish — or at least, New York Jewish — mostly involved cultural quirks, like…
Columnists View All
The Latest
-
Letters More Shortsightedness From Orthodox Groups on Betsy DeVos
Rabbi Nathan Diament’s response to my column about Betsy DeVos perfectly reflects the short-sightedness of the Orthodox Union’s approach to this issue. The column in question was roughly 1,200 words long. Only 64 of those words addressed Orthodox organizations. Yet from Rabbi Diament’s response, you’d think the whole piece was an attack on them. In…
-
Opinion Why Do I Suddenly Like Ben Shapiro, Even Though I Hate His Politics?
The other day I happened to catch an interview with a very conservative pundit, Ben Shapiro, formerly of Breitbart News. He resigned after a Breitbart reporter was aggressively grabbed at a Donald Trump rally and the Breitbart organization, instead of defending its reporter, attacked the reporter for creating an incident that supposedly never happened. The…
-
Opinion President Obama Shouldn’t Go It Alone on Middle East Peace
As his administration draws to a close, many have wondered whether the president will seek to lay down a permanent marker on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before President-Elect Donald Trump assumes control in January. In fact, two days ago in the The New York Times, former President Jimmy Carter urged Obama to recognize the state of…
-
Letters Orthodox Organizations Have a Right to Support Betsy DeVos
Jay Michaelson, in his column dated Nov. 28th, slanders Orthodox Jewish organizations for their support of President Elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education — Betsy DeVos — because we dare to support policies promoting “school choice.” We at OU Advocacy have consistently supported funding for quality public schools; we just think fairness dictates that some…
-
Opinion Don’t Just Fear the ‘Alt-Right.’ Stop It.
The “alt-right” has become thinking America’s bogeyman. I’m not the only one who is scared. Scared of the swift way that this grab bag collection of white nationalists has morphed from a fringe movement largely confined to the internet to a group whose latest annual conference drew significant news coverage. Scared of its encroachment into…
-
Opinion Actually, Jews Should Be Happy To See Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education
Forward contributing editor Jay Michaelson is acutely exercised over President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos to serve as the nation’s next Secretary of Education. Writing in these pages, he echoes teachers’ unions by sounding the alarm that DeVos, a school choice advocate, aims to destroy American public schools. Michaelson also asserts that “the agenda…
-
Opinion Think You Can Escape the ‘Alt-Right’ by Running to Canada? They Beat You There.
On the night of Donald Trump’s election, Canada’s immigration website crashed from an overload of traffic. Data from Google Trends also suggests that searches for “move to Canada” spiked significantly during the night as Trump victories unfolded. On Twitter, Canadians shared an image of Bugs Bunny sawing the U.S. off the continent, and speculated about…
-
Opinion Keith Ellison Vows To Give Democrats Their Groove Back — Will Louis Farrakhan Haunt Him?
Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota is a politician in a hurry. A decade ago he became the first Muslim ever elected to Congress. Now he’s running for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. That would make him the first Muslim to win a position in America’s national political leadership. Ellison, 53, says he’d prefer…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News When observant Jews gathered to challenge Israel orthodoxy, verbal sparring and walkouts ensued
- 2
Opinion Trump has forced an impossible choice on American synagogues amid antisemitic attacks
- 3
Opinion Antisemitism is exploding on the right but the Jewish establishment is focused on the left
- 4
Opinion The one crucial domain in which Iran outwitted Israel
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Israelis and Americans deserve to know why they are still at war
-
News A government takeover could save a struggling Brooklyn hospital — while unsettling the Orthodox Jewish community it serves
-
News Joe Kent, Trump official with white supremacist ties, resigns over Iran war and blames Israel
-
Fast Forward Dueling letters from Jewish groups dispute prevalence of antisemitism at UCLA
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
