In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Opinion
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Opinion
When Orthodox and Evangelicals Align — and What It Means for Everyone Else
Sixty years ago, a Jewish intellectual named Will Herberg published a book that jolted the way Americans thought about their religious landscape. The title of his book, if not his musty thesis, could describe a new American religious alignment that presents serious challenges for progressive Jews and Judaism today. “Protestant-Catholic-Jew: An Essay in American Religious…
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Opinion Progressive Judaism Won’t Win in My Lifetime. And That’s OK.
In 70 C.E., according to the Talmud, Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai had himself smuggled out of Jerusalem, and petitioned the Roman authorities to establish a center of learning in Yavneh, a small rural village by the coast. At the time, it must have seemed a defeatist move. Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed, though it…
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Opinion How Iran Is Winning the Media War
In 1999, I joined CBS 60 Minutes II to help create a segment about a leading political prisoner in Iran. It had been a difficult piece to report, and in it I had invested months of legwork and personal contacts. Now, the late beloved Bob Simon was to tell the tale of the Iranian Andre…
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Opinion Jewish Leaders, Don’t Be Afraid To Fight Iran Deal
My 30 years as a hedge fund manager have taught me to spot someone attempting to hedge his bet. As I look around the American Jewish landscape, I see much of our leadership doing just that — crafting cleverly noncommittal “statements of concern” about the Iran deal, expressing neither approval nor disapproval. Many openly despair…
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Opinion Ashkenormativity Is Twice as Common — and Harmful — in LGBTQ Jewish Spaces
After Kiddush on Shabbat, someone comes up to me to critique my recitation. Either the person asks why I pronounced the last word as “hagefen” rather than “hagafen,” or I am less-than-politely informed of the “correct” pronunciation. When I respond that my Sephardic custom is to say “hagefen,” the reply is always the same: “I…
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Opinion Why We Need To Subsidize Teen Travel to Israel
Another summer season has passed and parents of high-school-age teens who wanted to give their children an experience of Israel had to dig deep into their pockets and pay the full cost. Programs for teens that range from three to six weeks can cost up to 10,000 dollars for teens coming from the West Coast…
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Opinion Can Dominique Strauss-Kahn Reinvent Himself — as France’s Next President?
While there are no second acts in American lives, as F. Scott Fitzgerald famously claimed, there seems to be a French exception. Over the past several weeks, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Jewish former French finance minister, former head of the International Monetary Fund, former front-runner for the French presidency, and former perp at Riker’s Island, has…
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Opinion Why Federations Shouldn’t Take Sides on Iran
As the debate about the joint agreement on Iran’s nuclear future reaches into its second month, defying the August doldrums and energizing Washington lobbyists, some American Jews are still making up their minds. Polls are split on the matter, indicating a slight majority for or against the deal, depending on who is asking and how…
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Opinion Rabbi Freundel Victimized My Wife — But I Don’t Want Him in Solitary Confinement
October 14, 2014 is a day my wife and I will never forget. On that day, my wife, Emma, discovered that she was a victim of voyeurism by the now-infamous Rabbi Barry Freundel. A respected rabbi whom we had relied on proved that he was not worthy of trust. The world felt less safe. Then,…
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Opinion Jared Fogle Facing Prison Rape? That’s Not Jewish Justice.
Jared Fogle, Subway pitchman turned child sex offender, will now be heading to jail for five to twelve years. It’s conventional wisdom that he, like other sex offenders, will be sexually assaulted while he’s there – and many people are happy to think so. A New York Post’s front page headline, for example, taunted him…
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Opinion How Matisyahu Ban Backfired on BDS Backers
It looked like a big coup for a small-time player when a pro-Palestinian group in Spain’s third-largest city, BDS Pais Valencia, managed to convince an international reggae festival to cancel a closing-night performance by the American ex-Hasidic star Matisyahu. Instead, it blew up in its face. Spanish and international politicians, musicians and newspapers protested what…
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