Opinion

• Opinion

  Our Free Speech Moment

  The Jewish community, here and in Israel, is having a First Amendment moment, struggling with what is acceptable speech and who are acceptable speakers. It’s not quite as bad as 1656, when the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza was expelled from his community because of his then-radical views. But communal and governmental mechanisms are at work…

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  How David Cameron Plans To Channel Bibi and Win Britain’s Election

  If it emerges that a secretive campaign adviser to Britain’s Conservative Party spent a few weeks in Israel in February and March, no one will be very surprised. Whether or not such a person exists, one thing is very clear on the eve of next week’s U.K. parliamentary election: the successful reelection strategy used a…

  By Anshei Pfeffer (Haaretz) May 1, 2015 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  How Pentagon Plans To Whitewash 50th Anniversary of Vietnam

  Like apparitions from a forgotten past, Vietnam War-era helicopters swooped down from the sky above Newnan, Georgia, 40 miles from Atlanta last month. The vintage choppers landed at the local high school stadium, where pilots told students about the war in Southeast Asia, which took place before many of the teenagers’ parents and teachers were…

  By Bernard L. Stein May 1, 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 A new humanitarian outrage is unfolding in the Middle East. It’s not in Gaza

  

• Nora Berman The left is turning on AOC over Israel — and imperiling its own agenda

  

• Dan Perry Actually, Trump made things between Israel and Iran way worse

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  More Is Better When It Comes to Jewish Numbers

  When it comes to the Jewish community, does size really matter? It’s not a flip question. Many observers greet the high rates of intermarriage, low birthrates and widespread alienation from Jewish engagement among the non-Orthodox with little more than a shrug. These Jewish populations might be numerically challenged, the argument goes, but so what? Quantity…

  By Mijal Bitton and Steven M. Cohen May 1, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Israel’s Alliance With Azerbaijan Is So Shortsighted

  Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, took two steps forward when he met with Israeli Armenian leaders on April 24 but one step back when he failed to characterize the 1915 massacre of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks for what it was — genocide. As many Jewish scholars have pointed out, this…

  By Christopher Atamian May 1, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  If a Holocaust Survivor Can Forgive a 93-Year-Old Nazi, Should I?

  More than half a century after the Holocaust, is it right — or even possible — to forgive? As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and refugees, I find myself asking this question as I read about the recent trial of Oskar Gröning — aka “the accountant of Auschwitz” — a man who cannot easily be…

  By J.E. Reich Apr 30, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  RBG Breaks It Down Like A Boss on Gay Marriage

  The Supreme Court’s dilly-dallying and uncertainty when it comes to gay marriage legalization is disappointing to some and highly disconcerting to others. But in all that darkness there is one bright shinning light. Our favorite Jewish and “Notorious” Supreme Court justice, In the recent supreme court debate on gay marriage, RBG smacked down some logical…

  By Lior Zaltzman Apr 30, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  That Super Cute Maxi Skirt Isn’t Her Problem. French Racism Is.

  When I was 15, I borrowed one of those hideous T-shirts from a friend. Sartorial faux-pas aside, this turned out to be a poor decision that would lead to me being asked to leave a French History exam 20 minutes in. To change. You see, the French lycée that I attended abided by the same…

  By Anne Cohen Apr 30, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  How Not To Be a Jerk in Jewish India

  “Wow, the ladies here wear saris to synagogue! Is that a Hindu influence?” Nathaniel Jhirad, a 23-year-old Indian Jew in Mumbai’s Bene Israel community, hears this question a lot. Every time, he’s tempted to reply: “You wear skirts; that is not an ancient garment from the Mythical Land of Authentic Judaism!” Jhirad’s fantasy riposte, told…

  By Sigal Samuel Apr 30, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Elderly Couples Need Sex Most of All

  Each day, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65. This is a generation that redefined tradition and prided itself on the anthem “sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.” Yet, the ignorance, prejudice and silence about sex and sexuality we fought so hard to upend are still alive and kicking as we age. As soon as you add…

  By Daniel Reingold Apr 30, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Is ‘Strangeness’ of Ed Miliband an Anti-Semitic Code Word?

  When Ed Miliband’s team concluded last year that he had an image problem, they decided the easiest way to give him the common touch was to have him eat a bacon sandwich. After all, what cheaper way to show that the Labour candidate for British prime minister has empathy with the everyman than eating the…

  By Liam Hoare Apr 29, 2015 | 4 min read