Opinion

• Opinion

  Should Justice Ginsburg Retire to Save Her Legacy?

  Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and the man who could replace them / Getty Images With midterm elections 11 months away and control of the Senate a toss-up, pressure is mounting on the two oldest liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 80, and Stephen Breyer, 75, to retire and let President Obama name their successors. You…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  5 min read
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  Opinion

  Does the Iran Deal Force Americans Jews To Choose Between Dual Loyalties?

  Does anyone else find it strange that synagogues have American and Israeli flags on the bimah? I’m not referring, here, to the question of whether political symbols belong in a sanctuary — although that is certainly debatable. I mean: Doesn’t it look a bit like dual loyalty? As if we pledge allegiance to two flags,…

  By Jay Michaelson Dec 4, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish Star on Russian Gay Bashing Victim

  The latest video from the Russian Neo-Nazi group “Occupy Pedophilia” has hit the Russian social media site, VK.com. The video follows the same format of the gay-bashing torture videos that the group is (in-)famous for: a bully taunts, assaults and humiliates a gay man lured by a fake personal ad. Only this time, the victim…

  By Jay Michaelson Dec 3, 2013 | < 1 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 A new humanitarian outrage is unfolding in the Middle East. It’s not in Gaza

  

• Nora Berman The left is turning on AOC over Israel — and imperiling its own agenda

  

• Dan Perry Actually, Trump made things between Israel and Iran way worse

  

• Emily Tamkin Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

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  Opinion

  Protesting the Kippah Ban with a Quebec Flag

  A proposed law that would ban all religious attire from the public sector has Jews in Quebec on edge. One rabbi has found a clever way to fight the dreaded kippah ban: he stamped his head covering with the blue-and-white Fleur-de-lys — the province’s flag. “I think protests are great,” Rabbi Yisroel Bernath said in…

  By Anne Cohen Dec 3, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  A Nuclear Deal Inspires More Questions Than Answers

  The interim, “first step,” agreement between the international community and Iran stands as an example of the power and efficacy of American leadership in the international diplomatic arena. It could have a huge impact on the future of the strategic landscape in the Middle East, including the prospect for reaching a negotiated solution to the…

  By Ghaith Al-Omari Dec 3, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  ‘Happy Holidays,’ You Liberal So-and-So!

  With Thanksgiving now over, it’s time for the annual battle over the “war on Christmas.” This year, it is playing out on Republican T-shirts. The National Republican Congressional Committee is offering its supporters a holiday red T-shirt, fit just for the season. On the front a sneering punch line reads: “’Happy Holidays’ is what liberals…

  By Nathan Guttman Dec 2, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  How Kindertransports Saved My Family

  When her parents escorted 16-year-old Alice, my aunt, to the Vienna train station, her father was crying. Her mother on the other hand, remained strong and optimistic. “She said, ‘We’re going to see each other again,’” Alice, nicknamed Lizzie, remembered. ”And I was like, I’m going to England, and I’ll be able to improve my…

  By Anna Goldenberg Dec 2, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  News Quiz: Kanye West, the Coen Brothers and Chabad

  When you’ve got Kanye and the Coen Brothers, can the Klezmatics be far behind? Not in this week’s news quiz, they can’t. And neither can Jewish children’s books about chickens. For real. It’s a trend.

  By Lenore Skenazy Dec 2, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  What Should Be on the 2014 Jewish Agenda?

  The Thanksgiving leftovers are gone by now. The countdown of Hanukkah candles is nearing its triumphant finish. It’s time to start thinking about the new year. For our first issue of 2014, the Forward will be looking forward, to the people, stories, issues and debates that will and ought to frame the Jewish experience in…

  By Forward Editors Dec 2, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Bar Mitzvah Boy Talks Gay Marriage

  At my bar mitzvah, many moons ago, I took the daring step to talk about… I can’t remember. Like most Bar and Bat Mitzvah kids, my remarks were pretty perfunctory. But not those of Duncan McAlpine Sennett. In a talk now trending on YouTube, Duncan starts out in straightforward fashion, talking about his Torah portion….

  By Jay Michaelson Dec 2, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  A Conspicuous Silence in Congress

  If there is one so-far unexplained mystery about the agreement with the mullahs in Iran, it is this: Why are Senate Democrats so silent? This is, after all, President Obama’s biggest diplomatic overture ever. Right or wrong, nothing else he does overseas will be remembered or noted with as much attention. Normally, a party’s leadership…

  By Noam Neusner Dec 2, 2013 | 3 min read