Opinion

• Opinion

  Israelis and Arabs Are Already Lovers — Kissing Video or No

  Naftali Bennett, Israel’s education minister and the head of the Jewish Home Party, decided to ban Dorit Rabinyan’s book, “Borderlife,” from the literature curriculum in schools. The reason? The book depicts a love affair between a Palestinian and a Jew. This, of course, caused quite a backlash. People protested with angry social media posts, and…

  By Lior Zaltzman

  2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Have Liberal Jews Betrayed Israel?

  Have liberal American Jews betrayed Israel? It’s a searing accusation, aimed like a dagger into the heart of those of us who so often feel caught between our loyalty to a Jewish state of Israel and our liberal, pluralistic, red-white-and-blue DNA. Conservative Jewish thinkers and activists have flung this accusation at their liberal brethren for…

  By Jane Eisner Jan 7, 2016 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  6 Bad Habits the Jewish Left Should Avoid in 2016

  For the Israeli left, 2015 was a terrible year. We lost elections again. Attacks on civil society and on minorities are multiplying. Political violence is escalating, and a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems unimaginable. There is a Hebrew quip among the left that if we fail to replace the leaders, “we need to…

  By Dahlia Scheindlin Jan 6, 2016 | 4 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

  ‘Netanyahu at War’ Takes Operatic View of Premier’s Rise — and Feud With Barack Obama

  “Netanyahu at War,” the Frontline documentary airing on PBS stations Tuesday night, manages to walk a very narrow line with surprising success. Despite the fairly transparent liberal leanings of the filmmakers and most of their on-screen interviewees, the two-hour film presents a reasonably balanced, objective portrayal of the Israeli prime minister and his beliefs. It’s…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 5, 2016 | 7 min read
• 
  Opinion

  VIDEO: Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Everything

  In most countries that have a somewhat successful democratic regime, satirical shows can come and shed light on some of the country’s less democratic aspects. A fabulous new Israeli satire show premiered last week, “Tonight with Guri Alfi.” Hosted by famous Israeli comedian Guri Alfi, it looks like it’s trying to be an Israeli version…

  By Lior Zaltzman Jan 4, 2016 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  What Benjamin Netanyahu Could Have Said After Tel Aviv Terror

  The shattered glass windows had not yet been replaced. The scars of the bullet holes were still visible. Just a day earlier, on Friday afternoon, at that very spot, at the Simta Bar in central Tel Aviv, an Arab citizen of Israel had sprayed his automatic rifle into a crowded pub, killing two innocent young…

  By Eetta Prince-Gibson Jan 4, 2016 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  BDS and the Rising Danger of ‘Intersectionality’

  (JTA) — If you want to understand why the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, or BDS, has gained so much ground in the past two years, look no further than intersectionality, the study of related systems of oppression. Intersectionality holds that various forms of oppression — racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and homophobia — constitute an…

  By David Bernstein Jan 4, 2016 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Why I Believe NGO Laws Protect Israel

  JERUSALEM (JTA) — In 1914, Robert Frost published his poem “Mending Wall,” where he coined the maxim, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Those were the days of World War I, and it was perceived at that time that the best way to safeguard international relations and world peace was to clearly demarcate the physical borders…

  By Ayelet Shaked Jan 4, 2016 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  WATCH: When Israelis From Different Worlds Look Each Other in the Eye

  The reality in Israel is unique. We’ve got colorful, creative, emotional life, and energy that pulses on despite all the difficulties. But the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does take its toll, and it seems that our society is becoming more divided, polarized and steeped in violence with each passing day. When the waves of hatred rise to…

  By Deborah Aroshas Jan 4, 2016 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Jewish Extremists Divide Israel’s Right Wing — Even as Orthodox Take Reins of Security Services

  In a uniquely Israeli bit of irony, the VIP protection unit of Israel’s Shin Bet security service has beefed up protection — for the director of the Shin Bet, Yoram Cohen. The reason, according to Israel’s Channel 10 television news, is growing agitation against the Shin Bet and its director by pro-settler radicals. Intense anger…

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

  Marc Gafni and the Misused Power of Religious Leaders

  With the recent New York Times profile airing the troubling past of Jewish spiritual guru Marc Gafni, issues of sexual impropriety by spiritual leaders in the Jewish community are again being brought to the surface. Past reports include Washinton D.C. Rabbi Barry Freundel’s covert filming of more than 50 women in the mikvah; New York-based…

  By Mira Sucharov Jan 3, 2016 | 4 min read