Opinion

• Opinion

  The Bare Minimum (Wage)

  As Congress stalls yet again on measures to raise the unconscionably low federal minimum wage, states are instead leading the charge. In New Jersey, even as voters overwhelmingly gave Governor Chris Christie a second term, they disregarded his position on the issue and approved an increase to $8.25 an hour. This year alone, four other…

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Scholastic Erases Israel in ‘Stilton’ Book

  Comedian Benji Lovitt made light of recent news that Scholastic had published a children’s book with a map omitting the State of Israel with a satirical blog post in The Times of Israel. He joked that Iran was behind the illustration that showed the Jewish State (as well as the West Bank and Gaza) as…

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Nov 14, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Don’t Pull ‘Jewish’ From Montreal Hospital Name

  As many of you have heard, Tania Longpre, the [Parti Quebecois] candidate in the riding of Viau, stated that the word “Jewish” should be removed from the “Jewish General Hospital” and that circumcision should be outlawed. In a hastily typed response, here is a letter that I sent directly to Mme. Longpre. I think the…

  By Evan Kovac Nov 14, 2013 | 2 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 Americans keep getting killed in the West Bank. Here’s how the US could fight that awful trend

  

• Nora Berman First Camp Auschwitz, now Alligator Alcatraz — why the right is obsessed with commodifying brutality

  

• Dan Perry What exactly is going on between Israel and Syria — and is the prospect of peace dead?

  

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

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Editor’s Choice: Lou Adler; Baltimore’s Anti-Semitic Schools

  The Forward is partnering with other Jewish newspapers to offer our readers a peek at some of the best stories from around the country, as selected by the editors at those papers. We will offer a selection of unedited links with brief introductions from the editors of the papers. Lou Adler: The Midas Touch By…

  By Forward Staff Nov 14, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Pew Confesses: The News Wasn’t as Bad as It Looked

  The good people at Pew Research have come up with a brief, fascinating addendum to their recent survey of Jewish Americans, aiming to clear up some of the furor the survey touched off over the closely related questions of intermarriage, religious identity and overall Jewish population numbers. Some quick background, in case you just got…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 14, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Pulling Back Curtain on Story of Anti-Semitism in Upstate New York Pine Bush Schools

  Chalk it up to being a journalist myself, but it’s usually easy for me to discern the moment in a story when a reporter knows he or she has hit pay dirt — when they can already visualize their byline on the front page. For Benjamin Weiser, a New York Times reporter investigating allegations of…

  By Gal Beckerman Nov 14, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Hear Sam Kellner — In His Own Words

  For this week’s story about the cases of accused molester Baruch Lebovits and accused extortionist Sam Kellner, the Forward was provided with a trove of secretly-recorded conversations. Among the recordings is a conversation Sam Kellner had with the family of a man who had already pled guilty to abuse charges. Over the course of 80…

  By Paul Berger Nov 14, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Reclaiming the Swastika, One Tattoo at a Time

  (JTA) — As the sun began to set over Copenhagen, Peter Madsen realized he would not be able to serve the dozens of people still waiting in his shop for a free swastika tattoo. “We had to stop taking in people after the 54th client,” Madsen, artistic designer at the Meatshop tattoo parlor, said on Tuesday…

  By Cnaan Liphshiz Nov 13, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Marijuana Goes Local in Israel

  (JTA) — Taking a puff is going local in the Jewish state. According to a Bloomberg report, Israel’s tightened border security — aimed at curbing the influx of African migrants, as well as securing the country against potential threats from Lebanon and Syria — has also had the effect of hampering the country’s supply of…

  By Talia Lavin Nov 13, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Let’s Celebrate the Convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah

  American Jews shouldn’t fret too much at this year’s awkward overlap of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. Sure, it may require some culinary dexterity at Thanksgiving dinner. But thematically, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving are an even more perfect fit than Hanukkah and Christmas. This year’s confluence is a once-in-about-2,000-lifetimes experience. Hanukkah and Thanksgiving on the same day last…

  By Gerald L. Zelizer Nov 13, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  The Girl Who Broke Your Heart — A Year Later

  Ayelet Galena’s death at the age of 2 from a rare bone marrow disease launched a wave of grief around the world. For months, thousands followed the little girl’s fight for her life with the Eye on Ayelet blog, set up by her parents, Hindy Poupko and Seth Galena. But more than a year and…

  By Anne Cohen Nov 12, 2013 | 3 min read