Opinion

• Opinion

  Family Amulet Captures Jewish Life in India

  When my grandmother was pregnant with my dad, she got a terrible — and somewhat mysterious — mouth infection. It kept her from eating and talking. It was so painful that it landed her flat on her back; for days, all she could do was lie in bed. Then her bedroom door creaked open to…

  By Sigal Samuel

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Does Israel Advocacy Belong on British Campuses?

  Young British Jews stake out a liberal stance on Israel. / YouTube American and British Jewish communal institutions alike are presently grappling with the question of what to do with the “evil son” — he who, in the words of the Passover Haggadah, “by divorcing himself from the community…denies our very essence.” In the United…

  By Liam Hoare Apr 20, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  How Uganda Helped Me Mark Passover

  Getty Images Freedom is always a primary theme on Passover, but this year, after travelling in Uganda for ten days as part of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Global Justice Fellowship, the idea is heavy with real-world implications. The Haggadah instructs: “In every generation, everyone must think of him or herself as having personally…

  By Sonia Daccarett Apr 20, 2014 | 4 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

  

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  Opinion

  Virtues of the Marathon Rabbi

  Even before my first day on the job, 44 years ago, as I was stocking up at a supermarket for my new residence, a soon-to-be congregant approached me in the parking lot. “You won’t last one year in Congregation Neve Shalom,” the congregant said. Your predecessor was too beloved, and you’ll never fill his shoes.”…

  By Gerald Zelizer Apr 20, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Will Chelsea Clinton Be a Jewish (Child’s) Mother?

  (JTA) — Chelsea Clinton’s announcement Thursday afternoon that she and Jewish hubby Marc Mezvinsky are expecting their first child has set off a fairly predictable wave of reactions Jewish-wise, not unlike the interest their 2010 wedding generated. Interfaithfamily.com quickly seized the pregnancy as an “opportunity to share with ALL expecting parents” its various resources for…

  By Julie Wiener Apr 18, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  I Believe in God — Kind Of

  This is how I feel about God. I have no reason to believe in God. I can’t defend the existence of a supernatural being on any ground, and most certainly not on any rational or scientific ones. I have no convincing anecdotal evidence to rely on either, no visions or other visceral experiences upon which…

  By Elissa Strauss Apr 18, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  When Jesus Died at Auschwitz

  YouTube The most tasteless YouTube video ever has just been released – by our friends at Jews for Jesus. Entitled “That Jew Died for You,” it is – I am not making any of this up – a three-minute video showing Jesus Christ among a group of Jews arriving at Auschwitz. And you thought the…

  By Jay Michaelson Apr 17, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  We Got Bupkis From White House Seder

  White House Photo What would you do if you’d have to choose between spending the second night of Passover with your family (and with your twins celebrating their birthday on that same day) and laboring in someone else’s kitchen for hours? For acclaimed chef/beloved wife Vered Guttman, there wasn’t much of a dilemma. She gladly…

  By Nathan Guttman Apr 17, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  A Giant Initiative To Save the Jewish People

  It is almost a cliché to say that Passover is the family holiday for Jews (our Thanksgiving, if you will). It’s when we get to sit at the same table with our loved ones, who also happen to be the ones that can be oh-so exasperating. It is a fascinating tradition where we tell a…

  By Misha Galperin Apr 17, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  A Teachable Moment of Violent Hate

  The shooting attack on April 13 that took the lives of three people at Jewish institutions in Kansas City was one of those moments — which have punctuated the last few years — that remind us that it’s still legitimate for Jews to feel vulnerable in this country. Though the details are just emerging and…

  Apr 16, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Passover Concert Part 2: Exile, Redemption & Math

  I was hoping to post Part 2 of the Passover concert before the first Seder and then log off for yomtov, but cleaning the oven took longer than I expected (don’t ask). So here it is. We’ve got some Psalms, some spirituals, some memories of Jerusalem and some visions of the Messianic Era. This time…

  By J.J. Goldberg Apr 15, 2014 | 5 min read