Opinion

• Opinion

  Why Donald Trump’s ‘Schlonged’ Doesn’t Matter — and Why That Fact Matters

  For a time in the early 1980s I was unemployed in Los Angeles and watched a lot of daytime TV. One day I was watching a rerun of “The Newlywed Game,” a quiz show that asked contestants about their spouses’ habits to see how well they knew each other. In this segment, the question was:…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Well-Dressed AIPAC Youth and the American Way

  It is always a strange and wonderful pleasure to attend an AIPAC Young Leadership event. Specially designed to undermine my stereotypical expectations of the organisation, these events are normally full of nuanced discussion, really bright young people, and sharp focused energy. I’m always surprised at how comfortable I feel in freely expressing my less-that-right wing…

  By Robbie Gringras Dec 24, 2015 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Does a Catholic Mom With a Rabbi Daughter Get a Christmas Tree?

  We all know that the Christmas tree can become one of the biggest points of contention in intermarried families. It can cause hard feelings, arguments and problems with the kids. In my family, we have navigated this fairly well — until this year, when I have taken it upon myself to ponder whether a fragrant…

  By Cindy Skrzycki Dec 23, 2015 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson What can really be done to prevent antisemitic attacks like Bondi Beach?

  

• Rob Eshman Australia shooting terrifies Jews worldwide — and strengthens the case for Israel

  

• Nora Berman Did crypto-Jews invent the modern tarot deck?

  

• Dan Perry The 3 responses to the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack that could make Jews safer

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

• 
  Opinion

  Poverty and Plenty — Two Israels

  “By the time they hit seven years old, most Jewish children perceive Israel as a place of poverty and of danger.” So laments super-researcher/educator Sivan Zakai, of the University of Judaism. It makes me sad. I know that there are dangers in Israel, of course there are. But what of the danger on the streets…

  By Robbie Gringras Dec 23, 2015 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  The 2 Options Left for Conservative Judaism

  (JTA) — The Conservative movement was once the very embodiment of what it meant to be an “American Jew.” As the 130th anniversary of the founding of its flagship Jewish Theological Seminary approaches in 2016, the centrist movement that historically straddled the polarities of Reform and Orthodox is struggling to maintain its identity and attract…

  By Roberta Rosenthal Kwall Dec 22, 2015 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  How Do We Memorialize Lord Janner, Jewish Leader Accused of Child Abuse?

  Lord Greville Janner of Braunstone, the British Labour Member of Parliament and peer in the House of Lords who passed away on December 19 at the age of 87, dedicated a good deal of his political life to championing Jewish causes. Yet despite being a diligent parliamentarian and prominent Jewish community leader, his legacy will…

  By Liam Hoare Dec 22, 2015 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Is America Getting Ready To Elect Bernie Sanders as President?

  When Barry Goldwater, whose father was Jewish, won the GOP presidential nomination in 1964, the irrepressible Southern humorist Harry Golden wrote in his weekly Carolina Israelite: “I always knew the first Jewish president would be an Episcopalian.” Not me. Maybe it’s just my family background, but I always figured a Jewish president wouldn’t be elected…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 22, 2015 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Worrying About What’s ‘Good for the Jews’ Is Actually Bad for the Jews

  (JTA) — Ever wonder if Bernie Sanders is good for the Jews? How about Andy Warhol? The pope? 9/11? The Diaspora? Alexander the Great? Drake? The year 5775? These questions and many more have all been asked and answered. Apparently a lot of people still see this as a useful metric. “Is it good for the…

  By Mik Moore Dec 21, 2015 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Donald Trump’s Hidden Opportunity for Jews

  Religious discrimination is wrong — a simple statement; and yet despite its simplicity, discrimination against Muslims in the United States is becoming increasingly acceptable. Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” The statement itself has, thankfully, elicited condemnations from individuals and organizations across the…

  By Michael A. Helfand Dec 21, 2015 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  How Timid Israel Education Is Failing Our Kids

  As an educator in New York, I believe that Jewish education in this country teaches kids to engage with the world and its complexities, just not with Israeli politics. It teaches them to speak up about racism, but not Israeli racism. It teaches them to fight for equality, but that in Israel that fight has…

  By Misha Shulman Dec 20, 2015 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Anti-Semitism Is Alive and Well on TV — ‘Quantico’ Proves It

  Earlier this year, the only show to catch my eye amid the lackluster Fall 2015 television season was ABC’s “Quantico.” Marketed as Grey’s Anatomy-meets-the-FBI, the hour-long soapy delight captured my attention largely because it features a non-white female lead (Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra) with an ensemble cast that sports a hodgepodge of gender and racial…

  By J.E. Reich Dec 20, 2015 | 4 min read