Opinion

• Opinion

  News Quiz: Bill de Blasio, Elvis and HBO

  Bill de Blasio meets Elvis meets HBO in this week’s Jewish News Quiz – which also includes some Jews. We promise.

  By Lenore Skenazy

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Israeli Teacher May Lose Job Over ‘Leftist’ Views

  A schoolgirl listens to language class on November 4, 2002 in Jerusalem. / Getty Images An Israeli high school teacher faces dismissal after a student complained that he expressed radical “leftist” views in the classroom. In a letter to Education Minister Shay Piron, 12th-grade student Sapir Sabah accused Adam Verete — who teaches philosophy in…

  By Mairav Zonszein Jan 28, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Corporations Aren’t People — Especially When It Comes to Birth Control

  Corporations are people, Mitt Romney famously said at the Iowa State Fair in 2011, and it’s easy now to dismiss the phrase as the awkward, revealing statement of a man so out of tune with the public that he lost an election he was supposed to win. But in March, the U.S. Supreme Court will…

  Jan 28, 2014 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson What can really be done to prevent antisemitic attacks like Bondi Beach?

  

• Rob Eshman Australia shooting terrifies Jews worldwide — and strengthens the case for Israel

  

• Nora Berman Did crypto-Jews invent the modern tarot deck?

  

• Dan Perry The 3 responses to the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack that could make Jews safer

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  The Year Pete Seeger Didn’t Sing in Hebrew

  Pete Seeger, California, 1950s / Public Domain In the spring of 1998, Pete Seeger headlined a free concert in Central Park celebrating Israel’s 50th birthday, sponsored by the Cantors’ Assembly. The event prompted a critical press release from the Zionist Organization of America, protesting the Cantors’ Assembly’s giving a platform to a harsh critic of…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 28, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  An African Asylum Seeker’s Hellish Journey to Israel

  I was born and raised in Eritrea, where I was fortunate to be well educated. I studied business administration in college, and after graduation I taught high school math. At that time, I began helping opponents of the Eritrean regime flee the country. My life was at risk, and it became too dangerous for me…

  By Anonymous Jan 28, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Abbas Tells Israeli Parley: Peace, Recognition. Watch

  This is a news flash for anyone who’s waiting to hear the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas declare publicly in Arabic that he’s ready to recognize and make peace with Israel. He said it. You can watch it here. The background: Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, in a taped interview to be screened this week at…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 27, 2014 | 3 min read
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  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 Jan 27, 2014 | < 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
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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