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
Why the Forward Sent a Brave Reporter to Gaza
When the Forward sent Naomi Zeveloff to Israel last August to be our first full-time reporter there, the title she went with — Middle East correspondent — was chosen consciously and deliberately. Israel’s policies and actions in the region have simply grown too intertwined with those of its neighbors for her to cover only Israel,…
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Opinion What’s Behind the ‘Embarassing’ Heckling of Jack Lew at Jerusalem Post Conference
The most surprising thing about the heckling of Treasury Secretary Jack Lew at the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York on Sunday was how much surprise it evoked. Catcalls and Bronx cheers, mostly directed against the Obama administration but also at Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, have been a distinguishing feature of the annual event since its…
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Opinion 5 Most Bizarre Moments at the Jerusalem Post Conference
In no particular order, here they are. 1) Jack Lew Gets Booed First to mind, of course, is the hostile reception meted out to Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew. All he said before the first wave of boos started was: “We recognize that the threats to the state of Israel’s existence today are real. They…
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Books Israel Doesn’t Have a Monopoly on Great Hebrew Literature
The Sapir Prize for Hebrew Literature is one of Israel’s most important literary awards, and the most significant financially. Recently, the managing board of the prize decided to change its guidelines and enable only candidates who are residents of Israel to submit their work. This new rule caused an interesting and important debate, both in…
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Opinion 7 Reasons Nicky Is the Most Badass Jew on ‘Orange Is the New Black’
With the new season of “Orange Is the New Black” almost upon us (is it Friday yet?), there are seven glorious reasons why my inner Jewess is getting desperately excited — and all of them are Nicky. Yes, yes, I know — when you think “OITNB” and “Jewish,” you think “Larry.” But Larry is far…
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Opinion Why Caitlyn Jenner Is an American Triumph — and Challenge to Observant Jews
In ultra-Orthodox circles, Western culture, and the non-Orthodox Jews who embrace it, are often referred to as “Greek.” Though seemingly frozen in time, this epithet is actually quite apt. It points to the deeper meaning of debates surrounding religion in American life – and why progressives are winning them. Where Haredim say “Greek,” conservative Christians…
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Opinion Only Writers Living in Israel Deserve To Win Its Biggest Prize
When I heard that an Israeli author living abroad — Ruby Namdar — had received the prestigious Sapir Prize for Hebrew literature this year, my first thought was “How dare we?” Of course, my gut reaction of including myself in this group was preposterous, because I write in English and cannot claim membership in this…
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Opinion The Best Way To Move the Orthodox World
The Orthodox rabbinate will come around to approving same-sex marriage and equal status for women in Halacha, Jewish law. Provided. Provided that the momentum for such equality in the wider society builds to the point where discrimination is so repugnant that the Orthodox rabbinate feels morally compromised. So if you want Orthodoxy to alter its…
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Opinion Godology: Searching for the Divine in the Torah’s Scroll
Godology is a monthly conversation between Forward columnist Elissa Strauss and Rabbi Scott Perlo in which they explore what it means to be “Godish” — to kind of, sort of, believe in God. ELISSA: Scott, we recently celebrated the holiday of Shavuot, when we honor the day God gave the Israelites the Torah at Mount…
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Opinion Rabbis Against Climate Change
Three months ago, authoritative sources at the Vatican started saying that in June, Pope Francis would be issuing one of Catholicism’s most important statements — an Encyclical — on the climate crisis, and that in September, during his trip to the United States, he would speak to the United Nations General Assembly and to the…
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Opinion Inside Israel’s Secret Talks With Hamas
One of the most intriguing news stories out of Jerusalem currently involves the new director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, longtime Netanyahu adviser Dore Gold. Addressing a June 1 media briefing at the think-tank he heads, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Gold let on that Hamas is “not a candidate to become a political partner.”…
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