Opinion

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  My Childhood Synagogue Made a Mistake Inviting Pro-BDS Speakers

  I read the recent op-ed regarding BDS and my own childhood synagogue with sadness. While seemingly well intentioned, this wonderful shul made a serious mistake in inviting and promoting pro-BDS speakers. The op-ed makes two central, misguided arguments. First, as Jews we have some obligation based on “an inherent rabbinic tradition of debate” to give…

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Vladimir Putin Embraces Jews — But Not Gays

  (JTA) — For the Kremlin, the interfaith roundtable last Thursday at Kazan’s Hall of Culture provided the perfect propaganda moment. Before the meeting, dozens of journalists snapped pictures of Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar posing alongside the mufti and archpriest of Tatarstan — a predominately Muslim state with its capital, Kazan, 800 miles east of…

  By Cnaan Liphshiz Sep 10, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  True Test of the Iran Deal Starts Now

  Now that President Obama has secured more than enough votes to prevent Congress from overturning the Iran nuclear deal, it’s time to question whether continued opposition makes any sense at all. We’ll go further. Since a summer recess filled with intensive, expensive lobbying and frightening attack advertisements failed to make a dent in the support…

  By Jane Eisner Sep 10, 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

  How Jewish Skepticism on Refugees Boils Down to Double Standards

  Deborah Lipstadt, a prominent and respected Holocaust Studies professor who often provides commentary for leading radio and television magazine programs, that she believes we should think carefully before we indulge a rash and emotional response toward migrants and refugees. She says she has four questions about the current migration crisis that require nuanced responses. But…

  By Lisa Goldman Sep 10, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Building Alliance With Israel Is Good Business Too

  Relations between the United States and Israel embody significant history and shared values. And, as we all know, sometimes those relations consist of disagreements and obstacles. Especially now, when we see neighboring countries collapsing and thousands of people risking their lives in search of a better future, we should remind ourselves that the ability to…

  By Ofra Strauss Sep 10, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  My Year of Living Jewishly

  “Did it change you?” That’s what people ask me, those who have followed this year of holiday reporting — my first foray into the complete Jewish calendar. The answer is yes. And no. Yes, because I now understand the substructures of every holiday — ancient and modern, mournful and exultant. No, because I’m not rushing…

  By Abigail Pogrebin Sep 9, 2015 | 9 min read
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  Opinion

  4 Reasons We Should Think Before Acting Rashly on Migrant Crisis

  I have watched the unfolding refugee crisis with horror. Who could not be moved by the sight of families risking their children’s lives in rickety boats and on rafts designed for leisure and not for escape routes on rough waters? The picture of little Aylan Kurdi in blue shorts and red shirt dead on the…

  By Deborah E. Lipstadt Sep 9, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  My Jewish Responsibility To Help Refugees

  (JTA) — As our car rolled slowly toward Budapest, we saw a huge group heading in the opposite direction on the highway just outside the city: Hundreds of people quietly walking in the breakdown lane, marching toward freedom and peace. I couldn’t tell if the other drivers were lifting their heads or not, but I couldn’t…

  By Julia Kaldori Sep 8, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  What the ‘Auschwitz Showers’ Fiasco Teaches Us About Holocaust Tourism

  (JTA) — Pawel Sawicki gets to his desk every morning by 7, but he works no regular office job. Sawicki is an information officer at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Memorial and Museum, the sprawling complex in southern Poland that encompasses the largest and most notorious Nazi death camp. More than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered…

  By Ruth Ellen Gruber Sep 8, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Sandy Koufax’s Sitting Out on Yom Kippur Still Matters

  (JTA) — Jesse Agler was pretty talented as a catcher and pitcher in Little League, yet his parents benched him regularly. That’s because the Aglers had a no-baseball-on-Shabbat rule, one cloaked in sports royalty. “It was a source of frustration as a kid, but I appreciated later what they tried to do,” said Agler, a 33-year-old…

  By Hillel Kuttler Sep 8, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Haunted by Holocaust, Israel Ponders Whether to Crack Door Open to Refugees

  The world has been affected by the images of desperate refugees fleeing Syria, but for Israelis, the crisis cuts close to home, not only because the conflict they are fleeing is right across the border, but because pictures of the crowds at the Keleti train station and the marches across Europe are playing on the…

  By Allison Kaplan Sommer (Haaretz) Sep 7, 2015 | 4 min read