Opinion

• Opinion

  The Laws That Killed Eric Garner

  My hands are quaking with rage right now, but I will choose to write rationally. I can’t believe this has happened again, and happened here, in my own backyard. “This” being a grand jury failing even to indict a white police officer for killing an unarmed black man. Not even a trial. Not even a…

  By Jay Michaelson

  5 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I’m (Reluctantly) Voting Against BDS at Berkeley

  Pro-Palestinian demonstrator argues with pro-Israeli demonstrator at UC Berkeley / Getty Images On Thursday, my union as a graduate student at Berkeley, UAW 2865, is going to vote on a BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) resolution against Israel. I’m going to vote “no,” although I oppose the occupation and support selective, non-BDS branded boycotts targeting the…

  By Raphael Magarik Dec 3, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  AP vs. Matti Friedman — Fight Gets Ugly

  Journalists and Palestinian protesters take cover from Israeli fire at a demonstration / Getty Images (JTA) — Whatever the circumstances surrounding Matti Friedman’s departure from The Associated Press in 2011, it’s safe to say he’s not returning anytime soon. The former reporter and editor with the international wire service’s Jerusalem bureau made waves in August with…

  By Raffi Wineburg Dec 3, 2014 | 2 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 Americans keep getting killed in the West Bank. Here’s how the US could fight that awful trend

  

• Nora Berman First Camp Auschwitz, now Alligator Alcatraz — why the right is obsessed with commodifying brutality

  

• 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

  News Quiz: What is the Hottest New Show on TV?

  Chicken Fat Fondue? Mothers Against Drunk Davening? Hamas-achusetts? What the heck is going on? Take the quiz and find out!

  By Lenore Skenazy Dec 3, 2014 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Not Afraid To Be a Girlie Girl

  A few weeks ago I saw Amy Schumer, stand-up comedian and star of the sketch show “Inside Amy Schumer,” at Carnegie Hall. She was as hilarious as I had hoped, but the truth is, I didn’t really go to see her for the jokes. I went to feel part of a moment. I wanted to…

  By Elissa Strauss Dec 3, 2014 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Israel’s New Push To Keep Africans Behind Bars

  Asylum-seekers Detained in Israel’s Desert from Jewish Daily Forward on Vimeo. Israel’s Parliament has passed a new law aimed at keeping African immigrants behind bars — and a controversial jail to house them open — beyond a deadline set by the country’s highest court. The Knesset by a 43-20 vote approved an initial legislative step…

  By Yael Even Or Dec 2, 2014 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  UPDATE: Bibi Fires Lapid, Livni — Elections Coming

  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday fired the heads of the two center-left parties in his coalition, finance minister Yair Lapid and justice minister Tzipi Livni. He’s expected to address the media at 10:10 p.m. Israel time (3:10 Eastern) to discuss the political situation. The dramatic event came less than a day after Netanyahu…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 1, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  In Berlin, Jews and Muslims Fight for Each Other

  Salaam-Schalom organizes a Jewish-Muslim human chain event in Neukollen / Ömer Sefa Baysal This past summer, Armin Langer, a 24-year-old rabbinical student in Berlin, came to speak at the Sehitlik mosque in Neukoelln, a district of the German capital with a large Muslim population. Langer is the co-founder of the Salaam-Schalom Initiative, a Neukoelln-based intercultural…

  By Yermi Brenner Dec 1, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  A Failure To See Why Jerusalem Matters to the Other

  Muslims and Jews around the world are today facing a fearsome specter, that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is increasingly turning into a war between our two religions. To prevent a global conflagration that would be a disaster for both faiths and the entire world, we must urgently create forums for Muslims and Jews to connect with…

  By Marc Schneier Dec 1, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I’m Boycotting the ‘Exodus’ Movie — It’s Racist

  Christian Bale plays Moses in “Exodus.” What’s wrong with this picture? On November 25 — one day after the Ferguson grand jury decision sparked a national outcry over race relations in this country — “Variety” ran an interview with Ridley Scott, justifying the director’s decision to cast white actors in the key roles of his new movie,…

  By Sigal Samuel Dec 1, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Insecurity That Lies Beneath Israel’s ‘Jewish Nation’ Bill

  I Once you clear away the hype and bombast, the arguments being bandied about over Israel’s proposed Jewish Nation-State law — across the board, pro and con alike — are largely beside the point. There’s a problem with the bill, but it’s not the one everyone’s worried about. The first thing to understand is that…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 1, 2014 | 4 min read