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.
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.
For most liberal American Jews, it has been an article of faith that things are gradually, in fits and starts, getting better. “Progress” is not irreversible, and there are inevitably backlashes to every advance. But in general, the combination of American optimism and secularized Jewish messianism has long held sway in our community. What, then,…
Now that Senator Elizabeth Warren is on Hillary Clinton’s VP short list, it’s time to evaluate whether or not she’s fulfilled her Senate campaign promises vis-à-vis Israel. By evaluating her voting record, public statements, and institutional ties since assuming office, I’ve broken her positions down into three key issues, evaluated on a scale of 1…
In early June my son Coby was finishing up a pre-college work-study year in China. I was headed to Tel Aviv for a conference. We decided to spend a few weeks together in Israel, visiting family and catching up with friends. Coby found a cheap flight that landed him in Amman, Jordan, where I met…
Democrats have been buzzing with rumors that Hillary Clinton may ask Elizabeth Warren to be her running mate. For a time, it was unclear whether Warren, who is known for her progressive stances and policies, would even endorse Clinton, but once her endorsement was secured, public displays of allegiance and support from Warren to Clinton…
Weeks after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, anti-abortion activists began to strategize about challenging the decision. One tactic was a “whittle away” plan. If they could make abortion too costly for women to access and too burdensome for providers to offer, they would be able to erode Roe. On June 27, the Supreme Court…
After Donald Trump spewed racism about Mexicans and Muslims, and Trump supporters increasingly spewed online anti-Semitism at Jewish journalists like me, my editor here at the Forward, Jane Eisner, responded to this hatred by imposing a one-day moratorium on covering the Republican front-runner. The so-called “Trumpatorium” wasn’t received kindly by the Trump campaign. Sad! Trump’s…
A-Wa, the groundbreaking band made up of three Israeli Yemenite sisters who famously sing in Arabic, has just released its first album “Habib Galbi” in the U.S. The band was listed by Rolling Stone last week as one of the 10 New Artists You Need To Know. The group’s first music video, “Habib Galbi,” has…
Shimon Dotan’s recent documentary, “The Settlers,” currently attracting a lot of attention in Israel, is painfully beautiful. Dotan’s shots capture both the beauty of the West Bank and the complexity of the geopolitics that are tragically tearing it apart. Along with the fantastic production, Dotan’s skills as an interviewer present the settlers, an often-misunderstood segment…
It’s all over and the results are clear. British voters chose to leave the European Union. Even before the deal is finalized, we can see the winners and losers. Xenophobic UKIP and the right flank of the Tories won, and the losers are outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, the British…
Come November, we may find out that the presidential sweepstakes will become known as the Year of the Woman. At the Forward, that’s already happened. For the first time in the nearly 120 years of this legendary Jewish publication, there are women overseeing all publishing and editorial functions. It’s far more than a cosmetic change….
Despite promises to myself that I wouldn’t check Facebook after 9 pm, there I was at midnight opening it up once again on my phone. The top photo on my newsfeed was of a friend protesting outside the Capitol for Congress to do something about gun violence in our country. I texted her to see…
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