Opinion

• Opinion

  Are Jews Who Support Republicans Duped — Or Deliberately Blind?

  Recent polls have indicated a slow trickle of American Jews joining the Republican Party. How extreme, insane and ignorant does the party have to become before these people wake up? Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that FiveThirtyEight and other “big data” sites are correct, and that neither Ben Carson nor Donald Trump will…

  By Jay Michaelson

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  How Can We Call Ourselves Jews and Bar Syrian Refugees?

  When the Islamic State group attacked Paris on November 13, the photos stunned us with their horror. We mourned the loss of life. We stood with the French in their shock and sadness. And then we heard speculations that one of the terrorists had arrived on European shores, hidden among the wave-drenched Syrian refugees. Soon,…

  By Anne Roiphe Nov 19, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  How Being the ‘Emotional’ Jewish Woman Actually Makes You Smarter — and More Successful

  Remember Sophie Portnoy, Philip Roth’s portrait of a smothering Jewish mother? Or how about Fran Fine, the star character of “The Nanny,” who speaks almost exclusively in the whiny and needy upper nasal register? Or Cher Horowitz in “Clueless,” who is guided nearly exclusively by instinct rather than reason (well, until she is reformed by…

  By Elissa Strauss Nov 17, 2015 | 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 I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel

  

• Nora Berman ‘Eddington’ is full of conspiracy theories but it’s not about Jews. Or is it?

  

• Dan Perry Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Paris Attack Is a Game Changer — and Proves Just How Wrong We Were About ISIS

  The most important thing to realize about the Paris terror attacks is that they’re a game-changer, in the most literal sense, in what we call the war on terror. They show us in a blinding flash of clarity that the campaign we’ve been pursuing has suddenly become something else. They force us to rethink each…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 17, 2015 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Believe It or Not, What Happened in Paris Was Not About the Jews

  Like so many others, I was glued to the Internet during the first hours of Friday night’s terrorist attacks. Like so many others, I was trying to contact friends in Paris. Like so many others, I was scrambling to follow the attacks as they unfolded, jabbing at the keyboard when my networks could not keep…

  By Robert Zaretsky Nov 17, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  No, Israel, You Are Not Paris

  On Saturday night in Jerusalem, out of solidarity with the French Republic, the walls of the Old City near the Jaffa gate were illuminated in blue, white and red. In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis flocked to Rabin Square to stand in support of the French people. The response of the global community, Israel included,…

  By Michael Greenberger Nov 16, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Peaceful Paris Shabbat — Then, Terror at My Doorstep

  Shabbat at my grandparents’ place, last Friday. They live in a house near Paris, in this troubled area known as la banlieue (the suburbs) where I grew up as a child, as a Frenchman, as a Jew. This is home, my happy childhood’s landscape. We are just a few miles away from Le Stade in…

  By Laurent-David Samama Nov 16, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Numbers Don’t Lie in My Take On Palestinian Public Opinion

  In I examine the views of West Bank and Gaza Arabs regarding Israel, Jewish and Palestinian claims to the land, and the use of violence against Israelis, as reflected in 350 polls since 1993. While I was pleased the Forward devoted space to examining my findings, all three claims in Dahlia Scheindlin’s critique are demonstrably…

  By Daniel Polisar Nov 16, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  A Jewish Cartoonist Goes Viral After Paris Attacks — With an Important Message

  Like many artists, Joann Sfar’s way of interacting with the world and processing his reality is drawing. The Jewish artist is incredibly prolific. Those who have met Sfar in passing have told me that it’s hard to find him not drawing. Which is why, when the attacks in Paris happened this past Friday, his response…

  By Lior Zaltzman Nov 16, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Best Way To Stop Islamic Terrorism? Reach Out to Muslims.

  When the editor of this paper asked me whether I wanted to share my thoughts about the tremendous tragedy in Paris, I responded by saying, “What is there to say except, Oy lanu, woe is unto us.” In the hours since then I have decided to modestly add my thoughts. I say modestly because so…

  By Deborah E. Lipstadt Nov 15, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Rubber Band Experiment Taught Me How Wrong Gay Conversion Therapy Is

  “And Thou Shalt Love” disturbed me. It’s about Ohad (Uri Lachmi), an Israeli Yeshiva student who struggles with his homosexuality. Released in 2008, the film uses few words and many strong images. A young man immerses himself in the mikveh, the ritual bath; He says psalms, hoping for a cure, while hiding it from his…

  By Eli Reiter Nov 15, 2015 | 4 min read