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
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…
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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….
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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Opinion Is Israel Fighting a ‘Just War’ in Gaza — and What About Hamas?
Israel’s current war with Hamas has claimed yet another casualty: As the violence between the Israeli army and Hamas militants has increased, the quality of discourse surrounding the conflict has suffered precipitously. While the conflict has generated unprecedented media attention both in print and online, commentary ranges from largely the vitriolic to the confused and…
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Opinion Gaza War Diary: Everyone Is Proud of the Resistance
The only power plant supplying electricity to Gaza was hit by Israeli shelling / Getty Images Editor’s Note: Walid Abuzaid’s diary is running in two parts. You can read the first part here. This is the second installment. Thursday, July 17 It’s 10 p.m. when the power finally returns. The electricity has been down since…
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Opinion 5 Reasons Why American Jews Are Standing With Israel
Demonstrators show support for Israel outside the United Nations in New York / Martyna Starosta American Jews stand with Israel. At times of war and crisis, that’s the way it has always been, and this time is no different. Despite gruesome pictures of civilian casualties in Gaza, media coverage that is frequently critical of the…
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