Opinion

• Opinion

  Israeli Neighbors Fundraise for Fureidis After Attack

  A separate but similar price tag attack in Beit Hanina in June 2013. / Haaretz Right-wing Jewish Israelis raided Fureidis, an Arab village located just tens of miles south of Haifa, a few days ago. Under cover of night, they slashed the tires of some 20 cars and spray painted the village’s mosque with a…

  By Michael Kaplan

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Blackballing J Street: Who Voted How

  One of the most interesting and curious aspects of the J Street membership vote in the Conference of Presidents is the fact that it was conducted by secret ballot. Thus an institution that presumes to be one of the most broadly representative bodies in the American Jewish community takes one of its most fraught and…

  By J.J. Goldberg May 4, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Watch: Obama Kills at Correspondents Dinner

  President Obama was in rare form at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday, delivering zingers at House Republican leaders, Fox News, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his own Obamacare troubles. His best line of the evening, the pundits seem to agree, was this one aimed at House Speaker John Boehner: I’m feeling…

  By J.J. Goldberg May 4, 2014 | 2 min read

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The Latest

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  Opinion

  The J Street Vote: Updates and Corrections

  Here are some corrections and updates to my earlier post on who voted how in the Conference of Presidents vote on J Street’s application for membership. 1.) I’ve learned from several sources that Mercaz USA, the Conservative movement’s Zionist arm, in fact voted “No,” breaking with the denomination’s other wings. 2.) On the other hand,…

  By J.J. Goldberg May 4, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  For Orthodox Parents, Time To Talk Sex

  Recent articles in the Forward have raised the issue of Orthodox Judaism’s so-called repression of sexuality. Although I thought the articles were not particularly respectful of Orthodoxy’s moral codes, they do indeed raise a point. Arguably bad mannered, they are undoubtedly on to something. This past summer, an article in The New York Times, presumably…

  By Mendel Horowitz May 3, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Those Who Reject J Street Are Blind

  The decision by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to reject JStreet’s application for membership was perverse. More than that, it was pathetic. There are some 5,000 students, on 60 campuses, who are involved with JStreet U, JStreet’s college organizing vehicle, this at a time when the Jewish community is appropriately agitated…

  By Leonard Fein May 3, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Judge: First Amendment for Christians Only

  Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, known for his defiance of federal church-state separation laws, is under fire for arguing in a speech that the First Amendment only protects religions that worship “the God of the Holy Scriptures,” by which he appeared to mean Christianity. The amendment’s mention of “religion,” Moore said, was meant to denote…

  By J.J. Goldberg May 3, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Hawaii’s Lone(ly) Jewish Republican Sam Slom

  (JTA) — Jewish voters have long tended to skew Democratic. Which is why it’s a little surprising to note that in Hawaii’s State Senate, the Republican caucus is entirely Jewish. In fact, there’s a lot more unanimity than that, as the LA Times noted in its highly entertaining profile of the legislative body’s minority leader,…

  By Anthony Weiss May 2, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Is Sarah Palin’s Dog Named Hadassah?

  (JTA) — Is it good or bad news for Hadassah that the women’s Zionist organization, now shares a name with former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s dog? With its Jerusalem hospital in financial crisis and its membership aging, the venerable Jewish women’s group could use any positive publicity (er PUPlicity?) it can get. On…

  By Julie Wiener May 2, 2014 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  The Danger of Denial for Israel

  We are not, of course, John Kerry. We have not, in the past nine months, met 34 times with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and reportedly twice that many times with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, staking so much personal energy to achieve the two-state solution that these men say they want but are unwilling to…

  May 2, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Jewish Reckoning With Infertility

  This past week was 25th National Infertility Awareness Week, an effort by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association to raise awareness of the condition experienced by one in eight U.S. couples of childbearing age. Since they began this campaign much has changed in the way we discuss fertility, and more men and women now feel free…

  By Elissa Strauss May 2, 2014 | 3 min read