Opinion

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  The ‘Stranger’ at Your Passover Seder? That’s Me.

  Illustration by Lior Zaltzman A week before my first Passover Seder, a friend took me to her local Chabad, where the rabbi outlined the ritual for us, from washing our hands to reading the Haggadah to eating the little sandwich. “You’ll do fine,” the rabbi said to me as I was leaving, which confused me…

  By Kelsey Osgood

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  John Boehner’s Double Standard on Bibi — and Obama

  In case you missed it: The No. 1 best comedy line of the weekend came from one of our best deadpan straight men, House Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio. It came during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” They were talking about the Israeli prime minister’s flip-flop on…

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 30, 2015 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  1 Thing Moroccans Want All Jews To Know

  Moroccan Berbers, seeking to build better ties with Jews, celebrate a traditional wedding / Getty Images One of the most intellectually stimulating weeks of my life was the one I recently spent in Morocco. More than the architecture or the food, the thing that stimulated me most — and that made me think of Ashkenormativity…

  By Jonathan Katz Mar 29, 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 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 What exactly is going on between Israel and Syria — and is the prospect of peace dead?

  

• Emily Tamkin Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Can You Vote in France While Wearing a Kippah?

  Can you vote in France while wearing a kippah? That was the debate that erupted among officials at the polling station on Sunday when Rabbi Avraham Weill, the Chief Rabbi of Toulouse, a city in southern France, went to vote in the municipal elections. He was initially turned away on account of his offensive attire…

  By Jesse Lempel Mar 29, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Who’s Making the Matzo Balls?

  **** is a new multi-media project that will look at who does what to make Jewish holidays at home happen. On one hand, households are more egalitarian than ever. On the other hand, women still do more housework than men. By some measures, it’s double. Over the course of the year we will be running…

  By Elissa Strauss Mar 29, 2015 | 7 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Ted Cruz Leading in ‘Sheldon Adelson Primary’?

  Getty Images Shmuley Boteach may have just dropped a major clue in one of the biggest mysteries of the 2016 Republican primary: Who does Sheldon Adelson like? In an email yesterday, Boteach’s charity, This World Values Network, announced that Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz would be a guest of honor at its…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Mar 27, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Next Time Your Jewish Parents Nag You, Try This!

  A still from The Brother Mike tapes You’ve been there. We all have. Your Jewish parents bust into your room and start their nagging routine: the command (“Clean up this junk!”); the bafflement (“How can anybody live like this?!”); the fake concern (“I’m only saying this because I love you!”); the guilt (“Don’t you know…

  By Sigal Samuel Mar 26, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  When We Include Rabbis With Disabilities, Everyone Wins

  Eytan Yammer, William Tepper, Carnie Shalom Rose We expect a lot of our rabbis and most of them do their best to deliver. They head our congregations and often become public faces of the community. They are dedicated to the physical and spiritual wellbeing of their members and can be exemplars of service. But some…

  By Jay Ruderman Mar 26, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Dilemma

  Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprising and decisive victory in the Israeli elections has created a wrenching dilemma for many American Jews: How to continue to love Israel while a government that violates many of our community’s values is in place? This is likely not an issue for those who unequivocally support Netanyahu’s aggressive, nationalistic stance and cheer…

  Mar 26, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Bibi Our Moses or Pharaoh? Neither.

  Illustration by Lior Zaltzman In his speech to Congress a few weeks ago, Bibi concluded with a quote from none other than Moses, the great leader of the Jews and hero of Passover. Indeed, many of his supporters might see him as a modern-day Moses, boldly rebuking the arrogant Pharaoh (whether Obama or the Ayatollah)…

  By Jesse Lempel Mar 25, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Watch: Obama on Bibi, Palestinians, Reevaluation

  President Obama used his March 24 press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as an opportunity for a lengthy discussion of his plans to reevaluate America’s approach to Israeli-Palestinian relations. It runs 10 minutes, from 34:10 to 44:54. He starts off by inviting a question from Associated Press White House reporter Josh Lederman. Below the…

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 25, 2015 | 4 min read