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
Best Way To Stop Islamic Terrorism? Reach Out to Muslims.
When the editor of this paper asked me whether I wanted to share my thoughts about the tremendous tragedy in Paris, I responded by saying, “What is there to say except, Oy lanu, woe is unto us.” In the hours since then I have decided to modestly add my thoughts. I say modestly because so…
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Opinion Rubber Band Experiment Taught Me How Wrong Gay Conversion Therapy Is
“And Thou Shalt Love” disturbed me. It’s about Ohad (Uri Lachmi), an Israeli Yeshiva student who struggles with his homosexuality. Released in 2008, the film uses few words and many strong images. A young man immerses himself in the mikveh, the ritual bath; He says psalms, hoping for a cure, while hiding it from his…
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Opinion In Aftermath of Paris Attacks, a Lesson from the Holocaust
As media attention focuses on the question of whether any of the Paris attackers entered Europe as refugees, I offer a few thoughts. First, it is important to recognize there is a risk that a small number of extremists might infiltrate refugee flows. Advocates for generous asylum policies — of which I am one —…
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Opinion If Temple Mount Provocation Is Bad, What About Women of the Wall?
With the worst (one hopes) of the recent spate of stabbings in Israel in the rearview mirror, it’s time to reap the benefits of hindsight. One benefit, as disturbing as it is undeniable, is the realization that violence lies just beneath the surface of at least a portion of Palestinian society. All that’s needed for…
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Opinion Hope and Foreboding for Jews on Streets of Paris
I have visited Europe many times, but last week I looked at it through a new lens in my first trip as CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. I undertook the trip after an invitation to address the annual meeting of the CRIF, the representative body for the French Jewish community and a valued ADL partner….
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Opinion Getting Past Iran Feud Is Least of Federations’ Problems
It was hard to escape the feeling that things were a little backward when the Jewish Federations of North America, the national network of local Jewish federated charities, convened in Washington on November 8 for its annual General Assembly. The organization was emerging from a painful, months-long crisis after being caught in the crossfire of…
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Opinion After Charm Offensive, Time for Benjamin Netanyahu To Act for Israel’s Sake
(UPDATED) President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have made up, and American Jews can breathe a sigh of relief. Such is the conventional wisdom, anyway, the first reaction of those among us who become anxious, angry or alienated every time leaders of the U.S. and Israel are at odds, as if we are…
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Opinion Is a New Edition of ‘Mein Kampf’ Really Such a Bad Idea?
Last year, Ben Carson, the leading candidate for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, urged Americans to read “Mein Kampf.” Hitler’s classic, Carson explained, reveals the true nature of President Obama’s agenda. He neglected, however, to illustrate his point with the GOP’s favorite bogeyman, France. This is a country, after all, where only old or dubious…
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Letters Why Hillary Clinton’s Opinion Piece Was Disappointing
Dear Editor, Hillary Clinton’s (Nov. 4, 2015) was a real disappointment. Her promise to “combat growing efforts to isolate Israel internationally and to undermine its future as a Jewish state” is illusory. Israel has a viable future only as a modern pluralistic civil society where all residents, Jewish or not, are equal citizens under the…
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Opinion Misusing Hard Data To Paint Palestinians As Irrational Animals
In a lengthy essay titled and published in Mosaic, Daniel Polisar provides a detailed analysis of Palestinian public opinion of the kind that a professional pollster can appreciate: he draws on multiple sources, representing some of the trustworthiest Palestinian pollsters, and examines trends over time from numerous angles. Unfortunately, Polisar’s conclusions bear all the markings…
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Opinion How College Can Put the Jewish in Children of Intermarriage
The late great baseball player and philosopher Yogi Berra once quipped, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Our new study, “Millennial Children of Intermarriage: Touchpoints and Trajectories of Jewish Engagement,” attests to Berra’s wisdom. Despite decades of worry that American “children of intermarriage” would be lost to the community, a large-scale study of young adult…
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Culture I come from a long line of Jewish Bundists. Now, Molly Crabapple is part of our family.
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Opinion American Jews have a Hasan Piker problem. Solving it is going to hurt
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Fast Forward 200+ Bnei Menashe immigrate to Israel from India, the first to make the journey in years
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Yiddish װאָס קען מען זיך אָפּלערנען פֿון מאָלי קראַבעפּלס בוך װעגן „בונד“?What can we learn from Molly Crabapple’s book about the Bund?
דאָס בוך איז גרונטיק געפֿאָרשט, לעבעדיק אָנגעשריבן — אָבער אידעאָלאָגיש באַפֿאַרבט