In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
The Profoundly Jewish Lesson of the Supreme Court’s Gay Marriage Ruling
One of the key points in today’s Supreme Court decision overturning state bans on same-sex marriage is that religious and civil marriage, like church and state, are separate. And yet, the court’s opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, is itself prophetic in its tone. For the 80% of American Jews who support same-sex marriage, it…
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Opinion Why Climate Change Is a Jewish Issue — and the Pope Is Right
It’s been strangely reassuring to watch Republican presidential candidates jump all over Pope Francis for his new encyclical letter on the environment. I’m comforted by the fact that he’s getting hit with pretty much the same criticisms I get when I write about climate in the Forward: What does this have to do with your…
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Opinion Why Did Canada Nix Jewish Heritage Month?
It was a slap in the face to Canadian Jews by “anti-Semitic” legislators. Or maybe it was a procedural snafu in a ready-to-bolt-for-vacation Parliament. In any case, the motion to designate November as Jewish Heritage Month in Canada is dead in the water after fellow lawmakers [declined to support Liberal MP Irwin Cotler](http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Irwin-Cotler(1785 “declined to…
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Opinion What Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ Teaches Me About Charleston
I finished reading Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler two days ago. As a Jew, I had wanted to understand why someone would want to destroy all that European Jews had worked so hard to build. But as I read, I could not help thinking instead about Dylann Roof, the white 21-year-old who killed nine black…
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Opinion How Michael Oren Got Blasted by Inside-the-Beltway Noise Machine
More than two years after moving back from Israel, I still feel like a newbie in weird Washington. Feel the air: so hot and humid that when it rains, it feels more like an ancient marsh rising up from the earth. Thirsty? There’s the innovative use of alcohol, at all times of day, as a…
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Opinion A Book, a Joke, a Graduation Gift: One Week in Israeli Xenophobia
We’ve all been talking about Michael Oren’s audacious new book “Ally” and his . But Michael Oren is hardly the only Israeli citizen making enemies out of the President of the United States. Take Judy Nir Moses, the wife of Israeli Minister of Interior Silvan Shalom. She’s a media personality, part of a weekly talk…
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Opinion Michael Oren, You Hardly Know Us at All
The new memoir by Michael Oren, recounting his four years as the Israeli ambassador to Washington and his “journey across the American-Israeli divide,” ignited debate before the 400-page book was even published yesterday. Much of that was due to Oren himself, who in a few strategically-placed opinion pieces, siphoned off the most provocative parts of…
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Opinion No, New York Times, Massacres Aren’t Funny
Wow. That’s pretty much the only word that came to mind upon seeing in their spare time. The shock was quickly replaced with a sudden skin-crawly feeling. The New York Times is famous for its reputation as the paper of record. Its tone is balanced and measured, its headlines filled with appeasing clauses. Nothing sensational…
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Opinion Think U.N. Gaza ‘War Crimes’ Report Is Biased? Read It First.
When the shouting dies down and folks take the time to read the actual content of the United Nations report on last summer’s Gaza war — all 183 pages plus side documents — you might see some very red faces in the world of pro-Israel activism. Well, maybe you won’t. The leaders and friends of…
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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…
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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…
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Opinion When my children decorate for Hanukkah, I don’t just see pride. I see pluralism in action.
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