Opinion

• Opinion

  4 Ways President Donald Trump Would Be Israel’s Worst Nightmare

  Despite grave reservations, many Jews — including, apparently, the billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson — are supporting Donald Trump because of Israel. They should do the opposite. A Trump presidency would constitute an existential threat to the Jewish state, destabilizing the region at precisely the time Israel yearns for stability. Let’s put aside a few…

  By Jay Michaelson

  5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Donald Trump Wants To Make America Hate Again — and at RNC, He’s Succeeding

  It’s been a heck of a ride these past few weeks: Orlando, Dallas, Nice, Baton Rouge. We’re scared and we’re angry, and we don’t know what lies ahead. It’s no wonder the Republicans in Cleveland devoted their opening night to the theme “Make America Safe Again.” That’s been their brand for years. This should be…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jul 21, 2016 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  By Boycotting Gay Pride, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat Is Endorsing Hate

  One day before Jerusalem’s gay pride parade and one year after the murder of 16-year-old Shira Banki by an ultra-Orthodox homophobe, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has announced that he will not attend the parade. His stated reason: not wanting to “be part of something that offends the ultra-Orthodox.” Barkat, give me a break. You must…

  By Lana Adler Jul 20, 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 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 Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

The Latest

• 
  Opinion

  Cue Saul Alinsky, the Jewish Bogeyman the GOP Loves To Hate — Again and Again

  (JTA) — Two days into the coronation of Donald J. Trump, the arrival of Saul Alinsky, in all his dead Jewish radical glory, was not a surprise. Lucifer, on the other hand, was an unexpected guest, brought into the proceedings by Ben Carson, the rival Trump defeated. Alinsky is the community organizer and author whose…

  By Ron Kampeas Jul 20, 2016 | 5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Donald Trump’s Silence on Anti-Semitic RNC Livestream Chat Speaks Louder Than Words

  Unless you’re in the fortunate position of living under a rock, you’ve heard by now about the seemingly endless parade of offensive acts that defined the first days of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. From Congressman Steve King’s blatant white supremacy to Melania Trump’s blatant rip-off of a 2008 Michelle Obama speech to the…

  By Lana Adler Jul 19, 2016 | 3 min read
• 
  Letters

  The Real Reason Rabbi Lookstein Retreated From the RNC

  To the Editor: Kudos to Bethany Mandel for pointing out the travesty that resulted in Rabbi Haskel Lookstein having to forfeit giving the invocation at the RNC (“Rabbi Haskel Lookstein Would Have Schooled Donald Trump at the Republican Convention — If You’d Let Him”, July 17, 2016). I was privileged to study under Rabbi Haskel…

  By Amy Neustein Jul 19, 2016 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Why Jews Need To Band Together With ‘Subgroups’ That Steve King Attacked

  What do you do when your political party gets described as mostly “old white people” on national television? If you’re Rep. Steve King of Iowa, you go full-on, double-barrel white supremacist. Speaking on a MSNBC news panel discussion on Monday, King took issue with the suggestion that soon there won’t be enough white people to…

  By Michael Rothbaum Jul 19, 2016 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  How Rabbi Max Ticktin Changed My Life With ‘Yes But’ Torah Scholarship

  One day in mid-June, I borrowed a car from my dad and drove my daughter, now 18, to the Jewish Reform Movement’s Camp Eisner in the Berkshires where she is spending the summer as a lifeguard/counselor, having spent all but one of the past eight summers there as a camper. Afterward, I continued on towards…

  By Eric Alterman Jul 19, 2016 | 5 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Uncovering the Lost Palestinian Villages Underneath Glitzy Tel Aviv

  Tel Aviv residents are often described as living in a “bubble,” because of their relative distance from the epicenter of conflict and occupation, and because, at least compared to Jerusalem, the zeitgeist of the city tends toward liberalism and open-mindedness. But despite all the talk about Tel Aviv’s insulated status, this “first Hebrew city” is…

  By Mira Sucharov Jul 19, 2016 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Is Jared Kushner the ‘Court Jew’ of Donald Trump’s Realm?

  The Leader has everything: money, land, power. There’s just one thing missing, the support of the Godly. The Leader has never been big on religion. In fact, he’s a little concerned that many of his Christian supporters are openly anti-Semitic. That’s a problem, since the Leader owes the Jews big time. Many of his father’s…

  By Jonathan Levi Jul 19, 2016 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Using My Jewish Privilege To Make a Difference for Palestinians in Hebron

  We were about to eat the food we’d been given when the Palestinian detainee was escorted in, blindfolded and handcuffed. The soldiers who brought in the Palestinian placed him on a chair facing the wall. We were sitting around a table, talking and finally starting to get comfortable in our situation. Our bags were still…

  By Becca Strober Jul 18, 2016 | 4 min read