Opinion

• Opinion

  Why Ben Carson’s Rant About Gun Control and the Holocaust Is So Dangerous

  Many Jews, when they heard Ben Carson’s recent remark that if Jews had owned guns, the Holocaust wouldn’t have happened, probably said to themselves (to use the vernacular): “WTF?” Those familiar with Carson’s long history of bizarre, ignorant and just plain weird pronouncements were likely less surprised, but have probably chalked it up to just…

  By Jay Michaelson

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  French Jews Need To Stand Up for Muslims Right Now

  France discovered recently that Marine Le Pen, leader of the extreme right-wing Front National, has a kindred spirit. Her name is Nadine Morano. Like Le Pen, Morano is an immigrant-baiting and blunt-talking politician. A leading figure of the conservative Les Républicains, Morano is very close to the party’s leader, the once (and so he hopes)…

  By Robert Zaretsky Oct 9, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  It’s Not Quite a Third Intifada — Yet

  The violence that’s erupted in Jerusalem and the West Bank in the past few weeks hasn’t reached the level of a new intifada, Israeli officials are saying. And they’re right. There are indeed reasons why, with luck, it might not get that bad. But these days, good luck is in short supply in that part…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 9, 2015 | 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 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

  Why Jewish Women Are Extra Tired This Week

  We just tallied up the results from our third installment of the Who Sets the Table? survey series and, once again, found that women are still mostly responsible for making holidays happen at home and getting folks to synagogue. Below is a compilation of your stories along with your answers to our survey questions. Whether…

  By Elissa Strauss Oct 9, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Fighting Intermarriage Is a Lost Cause

  Jane Eisner clearly states her difference of opinion with the recent decision to allow inter-partnered candidates to apply to the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC), where I serve as president. If I understand her point correctly, it is that intermarriage represents a lack of commitment to Judaism by Jews and that we need to hold the…

  By Deborah Waxman Oct 8, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why We Shouldn’t Accept Rabbis Who Marry Non-Jews

  Does it make a difference to the larger Jewish community that the Reconstructionist movement has made the regrettable decision to admit and ordain intermarried rabbis? Its adherents are miniscule: Only about 1% of American Jews identify with the movement. Cross the continent and you’ll find slightly more than a hundred congregations. The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College…

  By Jane Eisner Oct 8, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How Ta-Nehisi Coates Helps Make Sense of the Mideast Conflict

  In November 2014, Yusuf Hassan al-Ramouni was found hanged in the bus he drove. Israel deemed this a suicide. Palestinians said it was murder. The resulting strikes and riots fed rising violence that went on all year, claiming the life of an Israeli man, Alexander Levlovitz, on the eve of this year’s Rosh Hashanah, and…

  By Dahlia Scheindlin Oct 7, 2015 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Won’t Trump Stand Up to His Anti-Semitic Fans?

  “On social media, it seems that while not all Donald Trump supporters are anti-Semites, many of the vocal and vicious anti-Semites seem to be Donald Trump supporters.” That’s what Rick Wilson, a Republican strategist and writer often accused of climbing into the pockets of “The Jews,” told me recently. The widespread anti-Semitism of Trump’s fans…

  By Bethany Mandel Oct 6, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  When You’re Way More Into Judaism Than Your Partner Is

  Over the High Holidays, many of us reflect not just on what kind of people we are, but also on what kind of Jews we can and should be. I suspect this is especially true for the less observant among us, for whom Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur make up a large chunk of yearly…

  By Elissa Strauss Oct 6, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  As Reconstructionists Accept Rabbis With Non-Jewish Partners, Will Reform Jews Follow Suit?

  Moved either by a brave spirit or by the notion that widespread intermarriage in the Jewish faith demands this change, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College recently announced that it is revoking its “Non-Jewish Partner” policy, which denied admission to students married to, or in a committed relationship with, a non-Jew. This decision is likely to have…

  By Cindy Skrzycki Oct 5, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Books

  Why Secular-to-Orthodox Memoirs Matter

  “Writing is a miserable, awful business. Stay with it. It is better than anything in the world.” This quote from Ann Patchett sums up my feelings about writing — and it’s also how I feel about my chosen religious lifestyle. I grew up in a secular Jewish home and, as a young adult, was drawn…

  By Julie Sugar Oct 5, 2015 | 4 min read