Opinion

• Opinion

  Scarlett Johansson Stars in ‘SodaStream’

  Hollywood starlet Scarlett Johansson is taking heat for her decision to represent SodaStream, an Israeli home beverage company that operates in the occupied West Bank. Cartoonist Eli Valley offers his own unique graphic take on the controversy.

  By Eli Valley

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Who’s Dumber, Bill De Blasio or AIPAC?

  It is hard to know who was stupider in this case: AIPAC or New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Working together, they managed to take a routine political event intended to promote support for Israel and turn it into a mini-crisis and a major embarrassment for all concerned. This is what happened: On Thursday,…

  By Eric Yoffie Jan 27, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Benefits of a Woman’s Place

  It’s probably because I’m male — and Haredi, or “ultra-Orthodox,” to boot — that, much as I try, I find it hard to relate to Jewish women who feel religiously unfulfilled unless they can lead services, read from the Torah or otherwise take up public roles in synagogue life. But there’s another reason, too: I…

  Jan 27, 2014 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson Being Jewish in America today feels like walking multiple tightropes at once

  

• Rob Eshman A precise, Chekhovian logic guided Israel’s strike on Iran — but chaos could come next

  

• Nora Berman Greta Thunberg’s Gaza flotilla was never going to help Palestinians

  

• Dan Perry Celebrating my daughter’s birthday in a bomb shelter, as missiles struck Tel Aviv

  

• Emily Tamkin Trump’s latest move makes Mahmoud Khalil a Joseph for our times

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Europe Still Needs Holocaust Remembrance Day

  Milan — Today, many European countries — including Germany, Italy and the UK — are observing the annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day. What makes this particular Holocaust Remembrance Day peculiar in Italy is the fact that quite a few public intellectuals, both Jewish and non-Jewish, have called for its abolition. Well, that and the fact…

  By Anna Momigliano Jan 27, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Bill De Blasio Takes Well-Worn Pro-Israel Path

  Bill De Blasio and his family celebrate inauguration as New York mayor. Like predecessors at Gracie Mansion, liberal and conservative alike, Hizzoner is hewing a pro-Israel line. (JTA) — New York City’s new mayor, Bill de Blasio, drew some attention last week with his remarks at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee event. “Part of…

  By Daniel Treiman Jan 27, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Negotiating Our Way Out of Catastrophe

  Sometimes it’s the smaller milestones that teach the bigger lessons. Take this past January 22. It was the 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9417, issued in 1944 by Franklin D. Roosevelt to create the War Refugee Board, tasked with rescuing European Jews from the Nazi death machine. During the remaining 16 months until the European…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 26, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  There’s a Good Reason for ‘Singling Out’ Israel

  In a recent letter to university officials, Hillel President Eric Fingerhut and Israel on Campus Coalition Executive Director Jacob Baime decried “efforts to hold Israel to a different standard than any other nation.” Is that true? Is Israel being held to a different standard than other nations? Here, I will argue first that the different…

  By Jay Michaelson Jan 25, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Israel Safe Without Troops on Jordan River?

  While Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies insist that Israel must maintain military control over the Jordan River in order to make sure that hostile forces don’t cross over and turn a Palestinian state into a forward base for attacks on Israel, Israel’s main security professionals continue to argue that Israel can accept…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 24, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Caleb Jacoby’s Disappearance Is Our Business

  Two weeks ago was a strange time in the Boston Jewish community. Caleb Jacoby, the 16-year-old son of prominent conservative Jewish columnist Jeff Jacoby went missing. There was a huge and unexpected outpouring of support from the Jewish community on social media; much has already been written about this. Yes, it was wonderful, and yes,…

  By Adena Cohen-Bearak Jan 23, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish Senate Iran Sanctions (Fuzzy) Math

  Want to know who stands where on Iran sanctions? We’ve got the answer — at least for the 10 Jewish senators. Of course, it’s never quite that simple. See below for the fine print. Senators who had signed on as co-sponsors are listed as supporters of the bill. Senators who have spoken out publicly against…

  By Nathan Guttman Jan 23, 2014 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Turning to Day Schools When Synagogues Just Won’t Do

  My name is Ken Gordon, and I don’t belong to a synagogue. When the Pew Research Center reported that two-thirds of American Jews are in the same situation, I didn’t break out into a cold Jewish sweat, as did so many of my colleagues. I thought instead: I’m not alone! My wife and I send…

  By Ken Gordon Jan 23, 2014 | 4 min read