Opinion

• Opinion

  One Thing 75 Jewish Leaders — From Right to Left — Can All Agree On

  An unusual document was released October 1, reflecting a rare consensus on how to strengthen the Jewish communal future. It was signed by a strikingly diverse assemblage of American Jewish communal figures representing a broad denominational and political spectrum, from right to left and from Orthodox to Reform. Titled “Statement on Jewish Vitality,” the 1,400-word…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Watch This Arab-Israeli News Anchor Slam Palestinian Leaders

  JTA — Arab-Israeli news anchor Lucy Aharish isn’t afraid to take on both sides of her fraught identity. She has spoken out against the racism that Palestinians face in Israeli society as well as against Palestinian violence. Aharish, 34, was interviewed on Tuesday on Israel’s Channel 2 about the wave of Palestinian terrorism that has Israel…

  By Gabe Friedman Oct 18, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  We Need a New Jewish Ritual for the Terminally Ill

  We live in a time when dying increasingly plays out in stages. More and more of those who fall seriously ill have, if not an exact schedule of life’s end, at least a realistic timeline. So it was with a friend of mine who’d been diagnosed with an unusual type of brain tumor in her…

  By Michael L. Millenson Oct 18, 2015 | 4 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

  Who Is To Blame for the Bloodshed and Despair in Israel? Everyone.

  Just when the Israeli-Palestinian political situation seems like it can’t get any worse, it gets worse. And everyone is to blame. First blame lies with the Palestinian murderers who are stabbing innocent people on the streets of Israel. While these actions are the predictable results of Israeli policies, they are also inexcusable, ghastly and horrible….

  By Jay Michaelson Oct 16, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  When ‘Homeland’ Calls Itself Racist — in Arabic

  Homeland, Homeland, Homeland. How many times do I have to tell you? You need to hire an Arabic speaker. Like, yesterday. Otherwise, you might end up in some pretty sticky situations. You might call your own show “racist.” In Arabic. By accident. Oops! In the most recent episode of the hit TV spy drama, a…

  By Sigal Samuel Oct 15, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Ruth Messinger, Jewish Madonna of Human Rights

  Ruth Messinger and I were sitting in synagogue talking, as is our custom (much to the dismay of the rabbi, my husband). She and I get a lot done in between praying on Shabbat mornings, and it isn’t all gossip. This was during the height of the crisis in Darfur. Ruth had brought American Jewish…

  By Joy Levitt Oct 15, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Was Israel Missing From the Democratic Debate?

  They discussed gun control and ground troops; college debt, climate change and capitalism; what to do about Syria and how to counter Vladimir Putin. They treated the nation — those who were watching, anyhow — to a quick course in the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. For two and a half hours on October 13, the…

  By Jane Eisner Oct 14, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The New York Times and the Big Lie About the Temple Mount

  (JTA) — Last week, I opened The New York Times to Rick Gladstone’s article, “Historical Certainty Proves Elusive at Jerusalem’s Holiest Place,” happy that the newspaper of record would explain to its audience the historical context of this embattled piece of real estate. As I read on, I was horrified. “The question, which many books and…

  By Steven Fine Oct 13, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  4 Things the Jewish Community Needs To Be Called Out On

  Last June, a group of Israeli journalists from left to right, from Haaretz to Israel Hayom, asked me, the president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs: “How long can you hold off BDS?” I told them that only Israel could hold off BDS. We would do what we could here in America, but unless…

  By Steve Gutow Oct 13, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How Rabbi-Led LGBT Clergy Are Supporting Black Lives Matter

  Rabbi Debra Kolodny believes that Black Lives Matter is “one of the most critical movements of our day.” And she wants to transfer that belief into action. So Kolodny next weekend will lead a nationwide conference of LGBTQ clergy from all faiths to explore ways to actively support the activist group that exploded onto the…

  By John A. Oswald Oct 12, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  How a Vote for Republicans Harms Israel — and Not How You Might Think

  Today you’re invited to join me in a thought experiment. Assume for a moment that you’re the sort of American voter who puts Israel’s safety and welfare first when deciding how to vote. Let’s go further and assume that you don’t believe the American government should be dictating Israel’s policies, but should project American power…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 12, 2015 | 7 min read