Opinion

• Opinion

  I Don’t Want Birthright Telling Me What To Think About Iran

  “Help the State of Israel by contacting your congressman and senator and requesting that they reject this deal and override President Obama’s veto of their decision.” That was a plea sent out on Tuesday to New York-area Birthright alumni by “The Alumni Community.” Is it right for this group to impose the political viewpoint of…

  By Madison Margolin

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel May Huff and Puff Over Nuclear Deal — But It Won’t Attack Iran

  (Reuters) – The day after a nuclear deal with Iran was announced, the sun rose high above Jerusalem’s shimmering hills just as it does every July, as if the ancient land shrugged off two decades of apocalyptic warnings from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and decided to go about its usual routine. Israeli officials across…

  By Noga Tarnopolsky Jul 16, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Apprenticeship of Noah Richler

  In Canada, the Richler name looms large. ’s work as a writer continues to captivate his country nearly 15 years after his death. So when Noah Richler, the writer’s second-oldest child, announced he’s running for Parliament last week in Toronto, his brand-name advantage built buzz. But Richler’s making it clear that he’s his own man….

  By Michael Kaminer Jul 15, 2015 | 3 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 My brother-in-law’s kibbutz weathered Oct. 7. Then came the Iranian missile strikes

  

• Nora Berman Zohran Mamdani is right about what ‘intifada’ means — well, kind of

  

• Dan Perry Might Iran become Trump’s Iraq? Americans are wary — but shouldn’t be

  

• Emily Tamkin Israeli leaders are using Holocaust comparisons to justify attacks on Iran. Is that kosher?

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  How Should American Jews React on Iran?

  As Americans, as Jews, we face a pivotal choice in how we react to the historic accord announced yesterday between Iran, the United States and five other Western powers to reduce Tehran’s nuclear capability in return for lifting oil and financial sanctions. We can be productive, or antagonistic. We can be reasoned, or hysterical. We…

  By Jane Eisner Jul 15, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Benjamin Netanyahu Should Claim Credit for Better-Than-Expected Deal With Iran

  As Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu girds for battle against the newly concluded Iran nuclear agreement, he faces a steeper uphill climb than anyone expected. To be blunt, the deal concluded in Vienna isn’t half as bad as he predicted. Now he’s got to explain to his dwindling coterie of allies just what all the…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jul 14, 2015 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Can an Ex-Hasid Fit In Without Ever Hearing Nirvana or Watching Cartoons?

  Here’s one of the things rarely admitted to, or even talked about, by those of us who’ve left the Haredi world. We are often plagued with what might seem to some a trifling concern: “fitting in.” After the decision to leave has been made, the first pair of jeans purchased, the new social circle formed,…

  By Shulem Deen Jul 14, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Conversion Committee Helps Steer Path for Orthodoxy

  I have a confession: I am a convert regarding conversions. That’s the stark realization I reached as chairman of the Rabbinical Council of America’s recent conversion review committee. The committee was established last fall to review the RCA’s Geirus Policies and Standards system, the network of regional Orthodox conversion courts operating under the aegis of…

  By Shmuel Goldin Jul 13, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I Can’t Go to Your Non-Zionist Synagogue

  , I realized that much of its congregation is probably young and liberal like myself. And yet, I also realized that I would never be able to join their congregation. Here’s why. When you drive down Road 2, on HaSira Junction in central Israel, you see a big water tower with a statue of Theodor…

  By Lior Zaltzman Jul 13, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  These Are the Faces of Israel’s New Death Penalty Push

  Remember the name Bezalel Smotrich. Yes, the same far-right activist who was once reportedly held by the Shin Bet on suspicion of endangering human life, malicious damage, membership in a banned organization and sedition. The same Smotrich who once organized the “march of beasts,” parading donkeys through Jerusalem streets to protest Gay Pride parades, and…

  By Bradley Burston (Haaretz) Jul 13, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Israel Pivoting Away From West To Woo the East?

  While significant, the vote by European countries in favor of adopting the latest United Nations report accusing Israel of possible war crimes in the 2014 Gaza war is neither unique nor particularly surprising. More noteworthy were the abstentions by India and four other developing countries that have historically sided against Israel at the U.N. In…

  By Cnaan Liphshiz/ JTA Jul 13, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Can a Non-Zionist Synagogue Succeed — and Spread?

  The Jewish blogosphere was alive with commentary after Rabbi Brant Rosen, the co-chair of Jewish Voice for Peace’s Rabbinical Council, on July 5 the foundation of Tzedek Chicago. This new congregation takes a radical approach to Judaism: it welcomes Jews and non-Jews, rejects any form of nationalism, and openly declares that the creation of a…

  By Jonathan Paul Katz Jul 13, 2015 | 3 min read