Opinion

• Opinion

  Why Should Women Pray to a Male God?

  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: There is some inherent dissonance to being a God-believing woman. I am a God-believing woman. Even if one doesn’t believe that…

  By Elissa Strauss and Scott Perlo

  5 min read
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  Opinion

  Anti-Sheldon Adelson Vote Signals Bibi’s Mounting Woes

  Israeli lawmakers have voted for a bill intended to prevent the free distribution of Sheldon Adelson’s Israel Hayom newspaper — a media outlet that is considered to be a virtual mouthpiece of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Adelson, the controversial founder and owner of the newspaper, made headlines last week when he said: “Israel isn’t going…

  By Yael Even Or Nov 14, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Who’s to Blame for Temple Mount Violence?

  Once again Israel faces a deadly spiral of Palestinian violence, as the low-level rioting that began in East Jerusalem in July, following the murder of teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir by a trio of Jewish hoodlums, gave way in late October to a series of lethal attacks with knives, guns and motor vehicles. And once again,…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 14, 2014 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz What I learned at a Holocaust survivors’ Purim party

  

• Rob Eshman Gavin Newsom isn’t waffling on Israel — he’s voicing sensible ideas in an era of outrage

  

• Dan Perry The moral degradation of Israel’s far-right is even worse than you think

  

• Emily Tamkin We must rewrite the rulebook for fighting antisemitism — or conspiracists like Joe Kent will win the narrative wars

  

• Jay Michaelson Antisemitism is exploding on the right but the Jewish establishment is focused on the left

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Judge Posner Overstepped Bounds in Chabad Drinking Case

  Judge Richard Posner inappropriately opined on Jewish law in a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling last week, which held that Northwestern University was justified in disaffiliating with Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, a Chabad campus rabbi accused by the University of serving alcohol to minors. The rabbi maintains that Northwestern violated his constitutional rights, denied…

  By Eliyahu Federman Nov 13, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  ‘Pallywood’ Killing Was Exactly What It Looked Like

  Still from CCTV footage of the West Bank killing / Youtube The fatal shooting of two Palestinian teens in the West Bank this summer? Not faked. Not “Pallywood.” Not even close. It was exactly what it appeared to be. On May 15, four Palestinians, three of them children, were shot in the town of Bitunya…

  By Jordan Kutzik Nov 13, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Do We Keep Dissing Chabad’s Spirituality?

  It’s been a year since the Pew Research Center released its “Portrait of Jewish Americans.” I haven’t counted how many words have been written about the report since that time, from the Forward’s e-book to endless handwringing by the OJC (Organized Jewish Community). But somewhere along the line, Pew definitely turned into Phew. As in,…

  By Jay Michaelson Nov 13, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The New ‘War on Christmas’ (Or Is It Islam)?

  (JTA) — Looks like there’s another so-called War on Christmas, and this time it’s the Muslims, not the Jews, who are being blamed. The decision by a suburban Washington school district to continue closing for Jewish and Christian holidays — but not label them as such on the school calendar — has ignited a firestorm…

  By Julie Wiener Nov 13, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel’s Next Threat — A ‘Car Intifada’?

  A #Drive4alAqsa meme, part of the “car intifada” campaign / Twitter The past few weeks have seen widespread incitement to violence among both Palestinians and Jewish Israelis. There have been stabbings, harassments, shootings, stone-throwings, hit-and-runs. And now, there’s the “car intifada.” This campaign, which is drawing significant media attention, calls on Palestinians to run over…

  By Yael Even Or Nov 12, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  17 Ways Israel’s Anime Propaganda Video Creeped Me Out

  Well, here’s something you don’t see every day. The Israeli Embassy in Tokyo has launched an anime web series to encourage Japanese tourists to visit the Holy Land — and it’s kind of amazing. “Israel, Like!” is an unusual blend of hasbara and manga — I hereby dub it “hasbaranga” — featuring two Japanese sisters,…

  By Sigal Samuel Nov 12, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why We Chose Rabbi Barry Freundel for the Forward 50

  So why is Rabbi Barry Freundel, who made national headlines when he was arrested on charges of secretly taping naked women in his synagogue’s ritual bath, included in this year’s Forward 50? Friends wanted to know. Readers commented on Facebook. Some were simply curious; others posed the question as a challenge. Does he really belong?…

  By Jane Eisner Nov 11, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Rabbis on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

  Those of us who knew, or thought we knew, Rabbi Barry Freundel — recently arrested for spying on women in the mikveh, with a mountain of evidence suggesting his guilt — are still in shock. As much as I disagreed with many of his halachic positions, I always thought he was one of the good…

  By Jay Michaelson Nov 11, 2014 | 4 min read