Opinion

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  How Israel Refuses To Learn Lessons From Ground Invasions Past

  It’s surely no coincidence that the flurry of cease-fire talk between Washington, Jerusalem and Cairo over the weekend of July 25 was followed immediately by a deadly wave of Hamas tunnel attacks. From the look of things, it appears as though Hamas was afraid Israel might be preparing, under American pressure, to declare victory and…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Shabbat Shalom, Comic Con!

  Jewverine displays ‘adamantium’ menorah hands at Comic Con What’s it like to host Shabbat dinner at Comic Con? This year, my wife Chana and I decided to find out. We attended S. Diego Comic Con International, the annual nerd mecca that ran this past weekend and attracts comic book fans and pop culture geeks from…

  By Mordechai Lightstone Jul 31, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Open Letter to Penelope Cruz From Her Jewish Doppelganger

  Inna Vernikov, left; Penelope Cruz, right / Courtesy of the author; Instagram Dear Penelope, You are a remarkable actress and a strikingly beautiful model. I have been following your successful career for years. Your performance in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” was an inspiring work of art. In fact, I am often complimented on just how much…

  By Inna Vernikov Jul 31, 2014 | 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 I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel

  

• Nora Berman ‘Eddington’ is full of conspiracy theories but it’s not about Jews. Or is it?

  

• Dan Perry Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

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  Opinion

  Actually, George Orwell Would Support Israel

  Illustration by Yoni Weiss In these pages, Daniel May’s “What Would George Orwell Say About the Gaza War?” used totalitarianism’s great enemy to criticize democratic Israel’s justified struggle against totalitarian Hamas. May’s argument, misreading Israel’s self-defense justification, and echoing Hamas’s propaganda points, peppered with clever quotations from George Orwell, was itself Orwellian. Deciding how dead…

  By Gil Troy Jul 31, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Convergence of Hate

  Last Shabbat, as my husband and I were walking home from a long, lovely lunch with friends, I noticed scribbling on the sidewalk. Since the letters were written in white chalk and were upside down from where I stood, it took a moment to decipher their meaning, and another moment to get over the shock….

  By Jane Eisner Jul 31, 2014 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Bibi Snubs Right Wing, Aims for Gaza Ceasefire

  Israeli news media are reporting a growing tension between the country’s political and military leaders over how far to pursue the campaign in Gaza. On Tuesday morning a “senior military officer” held an off-the-record briefing for a group of reporters (reports in Ynet, Walla) and lodged what the reporters termed “veiled criticism” of the political…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jul 31, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  What Would George Orwell Say About Gaza War?

  Throughout the violence of the last three weeks in Israel and Gaza, one phrase has become ubiquitous among politicians and pundits. President Obama affirms his “strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself.” Secretary John Kerry states “Israel has every right in the world to defend itself.” Britain’s prime minister and foreign minister have both…

  By Daniel May Jul 30, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Seeking to Outflank J Street on the Left

  Activists, including former J Street staffers, protested the Gaza war on July 28 under the name #ifnotnow. Jewish Voice for Peace is also looking to attract J Street supporters./Martyna Starosta Photo As J Street and other liberal Zionist groups continue to support Israel’s war in Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace is seizing an opportunity for…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Jul 30, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Is It ‘Undignified’ To Negotiate With Hamas?

  Khaled Meshal, head of the political wing of Hamas / Getty Images “Apart from fringe elements such as the Jewish Voice for Peace, which abandoned the last shred of its dignity when its rabbinic co-chair presented Hamas as a force for reason, American Jews of all persuasions back Israel’s position.” So says Rabbi Eric Yoffie,…

  By Mira Sucharov Jul 30, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  9 Years Later, Here We Go Again in Gaza

  A woman cries as Israeli soldiers evict Jewish settlers from Gaza in 2005 / Getty Images Even as war continues to rage, August will mark the ninth anniversary of Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Dubbed a “disengagement” by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the retreat was greeted enthusiastically by the institutional Jewish community. A…

  By Emily L. Hauser Jul 30, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Michelle Nunn Memo Shows How To Woo Jews

  (JTA) — Georgia’s U.S. Senate race has just experienced a shakeup with the leaking of an eight-month old draft strategy memo — first reported by National Review — written for the campaign of Democratic candidate Michelle Nunn. The memo provides an unvarnished look at how a modern Senate campaign is actually run, and among those…

  By Anthony Weiss Jul 30, 2014 | 3 min read