Opinion

• Opinion

  How I Built My Jewish Charity Database

  Last summer, I hit upon a way to measure Jewish institutional power: Using data from the IRS, I would gather financial information on every single Jewish organization that files a tax return. My first story based on that project is printed in this issue of the Forward. This addendum, which is only for readers with…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Baghdad Ranked ‘Worst City in World’ to Live In

  Boy aims toy gun at wreckage of a Baghdad car bombing, one of 9 across Iraq that killed 14 on March 5. And that wasn’t Iraq’s worst day in March. / Getty Images Mission Accomplished: Just in time for the 11th anniversary of America’s war to liberate Iraq, a leading global business consulting firm comes…

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 24, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why a Sicilian Nun’s Song Moved Me as a Jew

  I’m not usually the type of person who goes in for reality TV shows. Especially not when they revolve around singing competitions, and especially not when one of their singers’ performances becomes an overnight Internet sensation, to be endlessly posted and reposted on social media. So why did I feel compelled to watch a Sicilian…

  By Sigal Samuel Mar 23, 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

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  Opinion

  Harvard Group Was Right To Visit Arafat’s Grave

  Harvard students pose at Yasser Arafat’s grave. / Twitter Last Monday, the Harvard College Israel Trek went to the Muqata’a, the offices of the Palestinian government, in Ramallah. While they were there, the group took a picture with Yasser Arafat’s grave, which was inevitably Tweeted by the group’s tour guide. The photo was picked up…

  By Elisheva Goldberg Mar 23, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Embracing ‘Otherhood’

  ‘Would you date a non-Jewish guy?” Sarah asked over dinner a few weeks ago. She’d started dating non-Jewish men in her late 30s. “No,” I said. “I want to marry a Jewish man.” “I understand,” Sarah said. “I always thought I would, too. But I’m 41 and I just want to give it everything I’ve…

  By Melanie Notkin Mar 23, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Spiritual Advisor Students Need (Hint: It’s Not Campus Rabbi Anymore)

  The Jewish world is still aflutter with the recent results of the Pew Research Center’s study of American Jews, which speaks of declining Jewish identification among young people. While much of the institutional world is fretting about how to reach Jews who don’t identify with being Jewish, Hampshire College, a secular institution in Amherst, Mass.,…

  By Ellen Bernstein Mar 22, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Making Ritual for Ourselves

  Take the ritual of sitting shiva, for example. It is a cluster of touching and cryptic customs. Try parsing those customs and you will find yourself at a loss for words — or, if you’ve bothered to read the “explanatory” literature, inundated by a surfeit of words, this interpretation being run over by that, one…

  By Leonard Fein Mar 22, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  How a Flight Was Lost in the ‘Twilight Zone’

  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has now been missing for two weeks, and there’s still no sign of the aircraft and no real clue to the mystery of its disappearance. This clip might not dispel the fog of unknown, but it’s worth a look if only to widen the lens of possibility. It’s a classic “Twilight…

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 22, 2014 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Recognizing Israel as ‘Jewish State’ Is Key to Peace

  It often happens in sensitive negotiations between longtime adversaries. At a certain point they start talking in code. Silent looks, secret words, raised eyebrows — messages only they understand. The baffled mediator stops everything and says, “Hey, what’s going on between you two?” That’s how you know the most serious issues are finally on the…

  By David Hazony Mar 21, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Could ‘Framework’ Offer Elusive Breakthrough as Peace Talks Sputter?

  Nobody, it’s fair to say, ever went broke betting against the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. You could put even money on a sudden meltdown, a theatrical explosion or a quiet fade-out. Just don’t bet on success. Nobody wins. Right now the heavy betting is on how soon the Kerry initiative will collapse and who’ll be blamed….

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 20, 2014 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Anne Heyman Supporters Redouble Rwanda Effort

  Anne Heyman walks with Rwanda President Paul Kagame at a graduation ceremony at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. / Courtesy of Agahozo-Shalom More than a month after the untimely death of Anne Heyman, friends and supporters say they are dedicated to ensuring the success of her unique Rwanda youth village. “We’re all tremendously saddened but there is…

  By Michael Kaplan Mar 20, 2014 | 2 min read