Opinion

• Opinion

  Help Us Find The Best New Voices in Jewish Music

  I came of age with a guitar in hand. As anyone who has heard me play knows, I have scarcely progressed beyond the fundamental G-C-F notes that I taught myself in high school, as my friends and I happily wasted many hours pretending to be Carole King and Joni Mitchell, when in fact we sounded…

  By Jane Eisner

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish Response to Dylann Roof? Dump Delusion of ‘Moderate’ GOP

  What can be done to prevent another horrific massacre like the one that took place in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17. Actually, there is a lot that can be done — but the Republican Party is on the wrong side of every issue that matters. Thus, while it’s all well and good to “come…

  By Jay Michaelson Jun 23, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How Dare Michael Oren Psychoanalyze Barack Obama?

  Michael Oren has a new book to sell — a memoir called “Ally” about his years as Israel’s ambassador to Washington. To maximize sales, the former diplomat is apparently willing not only to blow up what remains of the very fragile Obama-Netanyahu relationship, but also to further divide the American Jewish community over its relationship…

  By Lisa Goldman Jun 22, 2015 | 3 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

  We’re Not Screaming — It’s Just Yiddish!

  After coming over to my house, a new friend once asked me about the “argument” he’d just witnessed between my mother and me. “What argument?” I asked, perplexed. “You know,” he reminded me, “the one you had five minutes ago — about the curtains in your room.” “Oh, that? That wasn’t an argument, we were…

  By Madison Margolin Jun 22, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Michael Oren Played Don Quixote — and 18 Other Quirky Things About Him

  Even before its publication date this week, the memoir of current Israeli MK and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael B. Oren has created a firestorm of controversy. But beyond Oren’s claims about the Obama administration, his memoir promises to be a window into his fascinating metamorphosis from childhood victim of bullying to elite…

  By Aaron Steinberg-Madow Jun 22, 2015 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Don’t Whitewash Charleston’s Jewish History of Racism

  A prominent Jewish Charlestonian’s inspiring response to the racist massacre at the Emanuel AME church has circulated widely over the last days. Robert Rosen writes that “Charlestonians do not believe in hate, lawlessness, racism or violence.” The city “has from its birth in 1670 had the greatest respect for all religions and all places of…

  By Adam D. Mendelsohn Jun 22, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Deep in Kurdish Heartland, Finding an Enduring Bond With Israel

  As a journalist and tourist, one feels like an invader of this quiet sanctuary. Had these young women seen the evils of ISIS? Did they know people who were still in captivity or had been murdered? Luqman Mahmood, a local Yazidi journalist and economics teacher, had volunteered to give us a tour. “They have suffered…

  By Seth J. Frantzman Jun 22, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Could Israeli Startup Have Prevented Charleston Massacre?

  As Wednesday’s massacre in Charleston demonstrated, houses of worship face a particularly difficult security challenge. Unlike schools, churches such as the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal, where nine people were gunned down by a lone shooter on Wednesday, need to stay open and accessible to carry out their mission of community and religious outreach. That’s why…

  By Cnaan Liphshiz/ JTA Jun 21, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Your Father’s a Peach Compared to These 5 Godawful Biblical Dads

  Father’s Day wasn’t celebrated in ancient Canaan. If it had been, it would have been awkward. Very awkward. The fathers depicted in the Hebrew Bible are an imperfect bunch: some are womanizers, many play favorites with their children, and a select few try to kill their children altogether. In Jewish tradition, every day is supposed…

  By Hody Nemes Jun 21, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  This Is Not My Charleston

  JTA) — The unspeakable murder of nine accomplished, beloved and respected African-American Charlestonians of faith in their own church on Wednesday has hit our city like an earthquake. These murders occurred in my neighborhood, across the street from Buist Academy, the public magnet school my daughter and son attended with their white, black and Hispanic classmates….

  By Robert N. Rosen Jun 19, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  After Charleston, Let’s All Look in Mirror

  The grim-faced look of President Obama as he addressed the nation after the attack on a Charleston church seemed not only to reflect his personal pain. It encapsulated the resignation of a man who thought he would not have to minister again on these occasions, would not have to continually remind us that the toxic…

  By Jane Eisner Jun 19, 2015 | 3 min read