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
-
Opinion
Israel Security Establishment Breaks With Bibi on Iran Deal
There’s a deep crack emerging in the veneer of wall-to-wall support offered by Israel’s political leadership to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his war against the Iran nuclear agreement. The crack has a name you might recognize: the Israeli security establishment. You know — the folks whose job it is to identify and address threats…
-
Opinion Mourning the Headlines on Tisha B’Av
No deodorant in July? That’s asking a lot. But Tisha B’Av demands it. The 25-hour fast to mark the destruction of the two Temples (along with the other catastrophes included in this day of mourning) demands that we abstain from food, sex, leather shoes, studying Torah, greeting people, idle chatter, leisure activities, or “anointing” ourselves….
-
Opinion The Whole Orthodox World Is Complicit in Faigy Mayer’s Death
Another beautiful soul died this past weekend, prematurely and unnecessarily. Thirty-year-old Faigy Mayer was after having plummeted from a 20-story building in Manhattan. Officials described her death as a possible suicide. While Faigy may have taken her life, the will to live was taken away from her by a community that is sadly complacent and…
Columnists View All
The Latest
-
Opinion Why U. of California Should Dump ‘Three D’ Definition of Anti-Semitism
Pity the University of California. The UC system is the latest (and perhaps largest) organization being pulled in different directions by competing supporters of Israeli and/or Palestinian causes. At issue? Whether the UC system — which in the past few years has seen outrageous instances of anti-Semitism and (separately) contentious anti-Israel activities and resolutions —…
-
Opinion On My Last Day as ADL Director, I’m Worried About Iran
Today is the last day of my long tenure as national director of the Anti-Defamation League. It has been a highly satisfactory and meaningful 28 years as director and 50 years as a professional at this prestigious organization. So why am I choosing to write an article on my last day? It is the same…
-
Opinion Should We Transform Tisha B’Av from Fast to Feast?
Tisha B’Av is one of Judaism’s two major fast days, but it’s mostly unfamiliar to American Jews. I saw this clearly when, in 2013, I served as Team Rabbi for the U.S. delegation to the World Maccabiah Games. Before the games, we took teams on a trip around Israel, and Tisha B’Av fell near the…
-
Opinion I’m Young. I’m Liberal. And Yes, I’m Zionist.
A few months ago, as I was chatting with a new friend, I found myself divulging my political ideological makeup. Inevitably, Arab-Israeli standpoints entered into the fray, and she asked me what my position was on the current climate in Israel. “I’m a Zionist,” I told her without hesitation, and was met with what I’ve…
-
Opinion Yes, Orthodoxy Changes. No, That’s Not ‘Rewriting History.’
Pssst! I’ve got a secret to share. It’s from deep inside the Orthodox Jewish world. Come closer… Okay, here it is: Orthodoxy changes! It’s not much of a secret, actually. At least in these here parts. But it seems to be an unfamiliar concept for Marc Shapiro, a University of Scranton professor and author of…
-
Opinion The Iran Letter I’d Write If I Were Still a Federation CEO
As a lifelong Zionist and a former 19-year Jewish federation chief executive, I was dismayed by to encourage members to urge their congressional representatives to vote against the Iran nuclear deal. While I can imagine that federation boards and executives are under no small amount of pressure to weigh in on this important issue, I…
-
Opinion An Eloquent Message About Race That Jews Need to Read
The publication of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s stirring and pained “Between the World and Me” might just provide the kind of watershed moment for redefining the Black-Jewish relationship in the United States. Jewish leaders should seize it by encouraging their communities to read the book and talk about its implications for us both as Americans and Jews….
-
Opinion The Pathology Plaguing American Jews
My daughter is confused. She has asked me a number of times in the last few weeks what it means to be a Jew. She’s 5. So confusion about identity is not an unusual state for her — she’s also been wondering aloud lately about why she can’t fly. But her questions about Jewishness are…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Expelled Oberlin Chabad rabbi says he ‘made a mistake’ with explicit social media chats
- 2
Culture Louis Theroux’s Netflix documentary on the manosphere takes a detour into antisemitism
- 3
Fast Forward Illinois primary pits Jewish candidate with deep Israel ties against AIPAC spending
- 4
News Joe Kent, Trump official with white supremacist ties, resigns over Iran war and blames Israel
In Case You Missed It
-
Theater Roald Dahl’s monstrous views have a seat at the table today
-
Letters ‘Verbal sparring’ at a conference for religious Jews breaking from Israel orthodoxy? That’s not what I experienced
-
News Catholic Church urges clergy to address ‘misleading statements’ about Jews by far-right influencers
-
Opinion Is this Netanyahu’s Winston Churchill moment?
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
