Opinion

• Opinion

  Why Aren’t We Honoring 3 Civil Rights Martyrs?

  This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the deaths of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, the three civil rights workers murdered by a lynch mob near Philadelphia, Mississippi, while registering voters during Freedom Summer 1964. Chaney, 21 at the time of his death, was an African American and a Mississippi native. Goodman and…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Michael Douglas in Israel for Son’s Bar Mitzvah

  Getty Images Ynet reports that Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are in Jerusalem with their children as part of the bar mitzvah celebration of their son Dylan. Eyewitnesses reported seeing them check in two days ago to the King David Hotel, where they’re staying in the presidential suite at a reported cost of 19,000 shekels…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 21, 2014 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  What Did the Orthodox Do Now?!

  Did you hear the one about the rabbi who blamed Hurricane Sandy on gay people? Or about the sex-segregated playground for Satmar children? What about the recent story about the ultra-Orthodox belief that shorter wigs lead to fewer tragedies? And did you read those personal stories from former Haredi Jews about being taught that the…

  By Elissa Strauss Jun 20, 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 There’s a shocking new report on civilian deaths in Gaza. If only it were accurate.

  

• Nora Berman Is Netflix’s new show the most Jewish cartoon ever?

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s new gift to the far right could help end the Gaza war

  

• Emily Tamkin Entering motherhood — and an obsession with the works of an Italian Jewish literary hero

  

The Latest

• 
  Opinion

  The Fault in Faulting #BringBackOurBoys

  A #BringBackOurGirls rally in New York included Jordan Soffer (center), Rabbi Avi Weiss (left) Sigal Samuel’s observation that the #BringBackOurBoys campaign is an “insensitive” appropriation of Nigeria’s #BringBackOurGirls does far more harm than good for advocates of both groups of innocent, young captives. Instead of expressing solidarity at a time of distress, it invents, through…

  By Philip Getz Jun 19, 2014 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  How Prayer Can #BringBackOurBoys

  Sad and frightening events can summon exemplary reactions, as we have seen in the recent coming together of diverse parts of the Jewish world to express collective anguish over the three boys who were abducted in Israel, and unified prayer for their return soon to their families, to us all. Less inspiring, though, are the…

  Jun 19, 2014 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Want a Job? Put ‘Jewish’ On Your Resume

  Thinkstock As a college student often working on my resume, I am always given impersonal directions. “Keep the sentences concise and specific — subject-verb-object, then get out,” college advisor wags; “Move that ‘Award’ section where it can be seen,” Mom presses; “Strong verbs are critical. Throw in an ‘Achieved’ or ‘Progressed’ for best results,” career…

  By Yardain Amron Jun 19, 2014 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Would Israelis Be Kidnapped If Not For Settlements?

  Jews gather for a mass prayer for the release of three Israeli teenagers / Getty Images On Monday the New York Times reported that the recent abduction of three Israeli teens in the occupied West Bank has raised a “hushed debate [within Israeli society] over the conduct of Jewish settlers.” While I think it’s fair…

  By Emily L. Hauser Jun 19, 2014 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Praying for Kidnapped Teens — and Israel’s Sanity

  Getty Images (Haaretz) — Like (almost) everyone else, I hope against hope for the safe return of the three kidnapped yeshiva students. One can only imagine their nightmarish ordeal as well as the agony and anguish of the father or mother whose child has disappeared under such bone-chilling circumstances. But it is not only the…

  By Chemi Shalev Jun 19, 2014 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Benjamin Netanyahu Lashes Out at Hamas — But Real Enemy Is Elsewhere

  On Monday afternoon, June 9, the research director of Israel’s military intelligence corps appeared before an international audience of defense experts and policymakers at a conference near Tel Aviv and delivered an hour-long, rapid-fire outline of the strategic threats and opportunities facing the Jewish state in 2014. Speaking in a terse, emotionless Hebrew, Brigadier General…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 19, 2014 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Israeli Public’s Support for Settlers Declines: Poll

  Israeli public support for West Bank settlements has declined significantly in the past year, according to a new survey released June 12. It’s the second consecutive year of sharp decreases in sympathy for settlers and the settlement enterprise. The findings include an 11-point increase, from 48% to 59%, in those saying settlements damage Israel’s relations…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 19, 2014 | 3 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Twisting a Palestinian’s Three-Finger Salute

  Arab Idol winner Mohammed Assaf, left; Palestinian student Mohammad AlQadi, right Since the kidnapping of three Israeli teens last Thursday, the Israeli media has been engaged in a full court press to fill in the blanks and tell a compelling story — whether or not it’s true. Today, I came across a Facebook post from Mohammad…

  By A. Daniel Roth Jun 18, 2014 | 3 min read