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
How a German Town Duped the Neo-Nazis
Every year, residents of the small German town of Wunsiedel are forced to deal with thousands of neo-Nazi activists marching in their streets. Rudolf Hess, who was Hitler’s deputy, was buried in the Bavarian town in 1988. Since then, it has been a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. Wunsiedel residents tried it all. They protested and…
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Opinion Having ‘The Talk’ With My Jerusalem Kids
A six-year-old Israeli boy kisses his mother on his first day of school / Getty Images My daughter’s pre-K is right opposite Jabel Mukaber, where the terrorists who attacked a Jerusalem synagogue yesterday lived. The children were in class watching a video when I picked up my little girl. The pre-K teacher, so poised and…
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Opinion An Inexcusable Act of Terror in Jerusalem
There can be no equivocation in condemning today’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem and expressing pure sympathy for the victims, their families and their community. There can be no caveats, no excuses. This brazen slaughter of men at prayer serves no legitimate political purpose other than to dangerously escalate tensions between two people who clearly have…
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Opinion Shin Bet Chief: Mahmoud Abbas Isn’t Inciting Terror
The director of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service, speaking in the wake of today’s massacre in a Jerusalem synagogue, told a Knesset committee that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas “is not interested in terrorism and is not leading [his people] to terrorism. Not even under the table.” His remarks directly contradicted a string of statements…
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Opinion Was Synagogue Terrorist Attack Revenge for Abu Khdeir Killing?
Getty Images In the wake of the terrorist attack that claimed four lives in Jerusalem’s formerly peaceful Har Nof neighborhood, some are speculating that the bloodbath may have been meant as revenge for the murder of Palestinian teen Mohammed Abu Khdeir by Jewish extremists in July. The father of Yosef Haim Ben-David, the main suspect…
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Opinion The Hasidic Community Is Not a Cult
At a recent talk I gave on my new book, “The Pious Ones: The World of Hasidim and Their Battles With America,” a friend in the audience came away with some rather sharp comments, agreeing with some of the points I made, but finally dismissing Hasidim with the words “They’re a cult.” Although the book…
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Opinion Yachad Included in British Jewry’s Tent — Barely
A Yachad tour overlooking the South Hebron Hills at the southern tip of the West Bank / Yachad In a historic move on Sunday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD) voted overwhelmingly to admit Yachad into the umbrella organization. Yachad was set up in 2011 to build support within the British Jewish community…
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Opinion Abraham Goes ‘On Trial’ for Attempted Murder
The Binding of Isaac It’s a question that has puzzled believers, scholars and philosophers for millennia: Did Abraham really intend to kill his son Isaac? On November 16, Jewish New Yorkers had a chance to decide the question once and for all, when Abraham was put on trial for child endangerment and attempted second-degree murder….
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Opinion Hillel, Don’t Take Sides On Princeton Divestment
Students walk past a statue of a former Princeton president on the school’s campus / Getty Images A faculty petition recently appeared in The Daily Princetonian calling for the university to divest from companies operating in the West Bank. The Center for Jewish Life, Princeton’s Hillel, quickly responded with a letter stating that the CJL…
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Books Is Exile Good for the Jews?
The political scientist Alan Wolfe published his latest book about the Jewish diaspora, “At Home in Exile,” in late October, just weeks before Sheldon Adelson uttered his most recent outrageous remarks. Too bad. Adelson’s unfortunate rant would have provided another example to prove Wolfe’s point. Adelson, the zillionaire philanthropist and businessman, is not known for…
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Opinion IDF, Shin Bet in TV Brawl: Did Hamas Want a War?
Israelis last week watched their defense establishment undergo its nastiest and arguably most dangerous meltdown in decades as the heads of two main branches, Benny Gantz of the Israel Defense Forces and Yoram Cohen of the Shin Bet security service, publicly traded insults and questioned each other’s integrity and professional competence. The public dispute erupted…
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