Opinion

• Opinion

  How To Fix Conservative Judaism’s Brand Problem

  When Alan R. Mulally was first introduced as CEO of the Ford Motor Company in 2006, during a time of turmoil in the auto industry, he was asked by an employee what kind of car he drove. His answer, “A Lexus. It’s the finest car in the world.” Lexus is made by Toyota. This story…

  By Joshua Rabin

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  On Women Rabbis, We All Talk Past Each Other. Here’s Why.

  Since the Rabbinical Council of America voted to pass a resolution opposing any sort of ordination for women in the Orthodox world, Jews of all denominations have been talking past each other. For some, the granting of ordination to women and their hiring as clergy are developments not only long overdue, but also sensible, fair…

  By Alan Krinsky Nov 9, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Do Endless Denominational Turf Wars Even Matter Anymore?

  A few small corners of the Jewish world are outraged at the October 30 resolution by the Rabbinical Council of America that its Orthodox members and institutions may not ordain women as rabbis, or hire women to serve as rabbis — and by the subsequent November 2 edict by the ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel that “Open…

  By Jay Michaelson Nov 9, 2015 | 5 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson Being Jewish in America today feels like walking multiple tightropes at once

  

• Rob Eshman A precise, Chekhovian logic guided Israel’s strike on Iran — but chaos could come next

  

• Nora Berman Greta Thunberg’s Gaza flotilla was never going to help Palestinians

  

• Dan Perry Celebrating my daughter’s birthday in a bomb shelter, as missiles struck Tel Aviv

  

• Emily Tamkin Trump’s latest move makes Mahmoud Khalil a Joseph for our times

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  What’s Killing America’s Middle-Aged White Working Class?

  Ever since New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman published his best-selling 2005 treatise on globalization, “The World Is Flat,” I’ve been troubled by a nagging question: If globalization and technology have opened limitless opportunities for anyone with the skills and resources to reinvent themselves, what happens to folks who aren’t clever or connected? What if…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 9, 2015 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Disrupting Israeli Law Professor’s Speech Was So Wrong

  Why did the disruption of Moshe Halbertal’s recent lecture at the University of Minnesota Law School garner such widespread attention? Halbertal, a noted Israeli philosopher and professor, was invited to the law school to deliver the John Dewey Lecture in the Philosophy of Law. But the lecture was delayed 40 minutes by shouts and chants…

  By Alexander Davis Nov 6, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Benjamin Netanyahu Ignores Roots of Palestinian Violence — and Betrays His Party’s Founders

  At a November 1 top-secret Israeli Cabinet meeting, the tension between Likud lawmakers and the country’s intelligence chiefs finally exploded. The chief of Military Intelligence, Major General Herzl Halevi, had come to deliver the Israel Defense Forces’ analysis of the terror wave plaguing Israel for the past month. The main causes, he reported, are tension…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 6, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Israel Borrowing from Vladimir Putin’s Playbook?

  If you’re concerned about Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked’s introduction of a bill and to self-identify documents they submit to legislators, read on. If you’ve heard about Vladimir Putin’s decade-long campaign against NGOs in Russia with foreign funding, which led to eventually kicking almost all of them out and to undermining any vestige of democracy…

  By Gerson S. Sher Nov 6, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I Don’t Want Bernie Sanders To ‘Talk Jewish’

  (JTA) — At a campaign event in Virginia last week, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders invoked his Judaism in response to a question about Islamophobia in the media. The exchange drew widespread attention, in part because Sanders has mostly avoided discussion of how his religion informs his politics. The contrast between his approach and that…

  By Hal Lewis Nov 5, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Orthodox Women Should Thank Feminists Who Came Before — But They Won’t

  I’ll begin by saying this. I’m really excited at the idea that Modern Orthodox women leaders, some of them friends of mine, are getting support pouring in from all corners of the Jewish world. Well, maybe not all, but many. This includes the CCAR, the umbrella organization for Reform rabbis. It is truly inspiring. So…

  By Leah Bieler Nov 5, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why All Jews Should Speak Out About Orthodox Ban on Women Rabbis

  (UPDATED) When mainstream Orthodox rabbis repeated their absolute opposition to ordaining women, in a statement issued late on the afternoon of Friday, October 30, I found that my predictable feminist outrage was tempered by an unpredictable shrug. Really, why should I care about what the Rabbinical Council of America says, anyway? I am not an…

  By Jane Eisner Nov 5, 2015 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  How I Would Reaffirm Unbreakable Bond With Israel — and Benjamin Netanyahu

  We have recently marked the 20th anniversary of the assassination of then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, a good friend, a courageous warrior and a great statesman. This somber anniversary, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington on November 9, is an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bonds of friendship and unity between the…

  By Hillary Clinton Nov 5, 2015 | 3 min read