Opinion

• Opinion

  How Will Antonin Scalia’s Death Affect 2 Cases of Jewish Interest?

  When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia — likely one of the most influential justices to ever sit on the Court — was found dead at the age of 79, the news sent shockwaves through the country. His death has significant implications for the cases currently on the Supreme Court’s docket. The remaining eight justices frequently…

  By Michael A. Helfand

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Scalia and Ginsburg’s Powerful Lesson for Jews — Conservative and Liberal Alike

  As the token conservative friend for so many people, I believe we can all take a lesson from Antonin Scalia — and the unlikely friendship he enjoyed with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It’s hard for some to believe that the Notorious RBG, as she’s called by her liberal fan base, would vacation and often ring in…

  By Karol Markowicz Feb 14, 2016 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  I’m a Jew With a Disability — Not Your Mitzvah Project

  (JTA) — I have Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and noises called “tics.” My Tourette’s is relatively mild at this point, but I went through a turbulent adolescence when Tourette’s was the most defining thing about me. Between the constant movements and the loud, uncontrollable noises, it was incredibly disruptive. I now…

  By Pamela Rae Schuller Feb 14, 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 Americans keep getting killed in the West Bank. Here’s how the US could fight that awful trend

  

• Nora Berman First Camp Auschwitz, now Alligator Alcatraz — why the right is obsessed with commodifying brutality

  

• Dan Perry What exactly is going on between Israel and Syria — and is the prospect of peace dead?

  

• Emily Tamkin Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  How Antonin Scalia Brought Chutzpah to the Supreme Court

  (Haaretz) – The late Justice Antonin Scalia, weighing in on one of his final Supreme Court cases, made it quite clear where he stood on the issue of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. When the ruling in Zivotofsky v. Kerry was issued last June, Scalia made the unusual move of reading his dissenting opinion out loud…

  By Allison Kaplan Sommer Feb 14, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Key to Bernie Sanders’s Appeal Isn’t Socialism. It’s Yiddish Socialism.

  At a rally last October, Remaz Abdelgader — a hijab-wearing Muslim, a senior at George Mason University and the daughter of Sudanese immigrants — stood to ask Bernie Sanders a question. She started by referring to the Islamophobic bigotry of many of the Republican candidates. As she continued, calling herself “an American Muslim student who…

  By Daniel Katz Feb 14, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Bernie’s Crazy Hair — and Other Things Hillary Would Never Get Away With

  Andrew Shephard (Michael Douglas) of “The American President.” Josiah Bartlett (Martin Sheen) of “The West Wing.” James Marshall (Harrison Ford) of “Air Force One.” Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) of “24.” Looking back at some of Hollywood’s presidents, I am struck by one thing: They look presidential. Yes, they have the benefit of having hair and…

  By Rebecca Einstein Schorr Feb 14, 2016 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Antonin Scalia Was a Closet Radical — and Would Relish Political Firestorm Over Supreme Court

  The death of Justice Antonin Scalia has deprived the Supreme Court and the nation at large of the most forceful, creative and influential advocate of conservative legal philosophy in recent times. In so doing, it has touched off a political and constitutional battle of historic consequence. Simply put, Scalia’s passing leaves the court evenly divided…

  By J.J. Goldberg Feb 14, 2016 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel Elected Golda Meir in 1969. What’s America’s Excuse on Hillary Clinton?

  “Isn’t it time America elected its first female president? After all, Israel already had one, way back in the 1960s.” That’s a question I used to ask when I first moved to New York as an Israeli student. I usually delivered it with a cheeky smile and a glint of patriotism. I was proud of…

  By Lior Zaltzman Feb 13, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Bludgeoning Bernie Sanders on Israel Won’t Help Hillary Clinton

  Hillary Clinton was dealt a hard blow when Bernie Sanders won by a landslide in New Hampshire, causing some to speculate that the Clinton team might be looking for ways to hit the Vermont socialist and stymie his momentum. Nathan Guttman outlined one potential line of attack for the Clinton camp: assailing Sanders for not…

  By Ali Gharib Feb 11, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Can Bernie Sanders Bring Socialism Back to Life?

  In the recent “Saturday Night Live” skit with Larry David and Bernie Sanders, a ship is sinking. David’s character, rich and arrogant, tries to scurry down to a lifeboat with the rescued women and children because, well, he’s rich and arrogant. On cue, Sanders appears as the voice of the common folk. “I am so…

  By Jane Eisner Feb 11, 2016 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Did Bernie Sanders Just Grab Jewish Crown in New Hampshire?

  (JTA) — Maybe now that Bernie Sanders has become the first Jewish candidate to win a presidential primary he’ll start getting the Joe Lieberman treatment. Back in 2000, Al Gore’s decision to tap Lieberman as his running mate set off what felt like a months-long national bar mitzvah bash. But the party — and all the…

  By Ami Eden Feb 10, 2016 | 3 min read