Opinion

• Opinion

  Why I Support the Academic Boycott of Israel

  On Sunday, the American Studies Association, of which I am a member, voted to support the academic boycott of Israel called for by Palestinian civil society. Included in their announcement of the vote are the statements of 13 scholars in support of the vote, among which I am included. Here is my statement: I am…

  By Eric Cheyfitz

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Calling Out the Overpaid

  When the Madoff scandal slammed the Jewish communal world like a ferocious storm just five years ago, there was a lot of talk about the need to strengthen governance of those not-for-profits who lost millions of dollars because of lax oversight of their investments. This past summer, when once-esteemed charity executives were charged with thefts…

  Dec 17, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Exodus at the 92 Street Y

  Well, I certainly never had that happen before. In years of moderating sometimes heated public conversations, never has a panelist just walked off the stage. But that’s what Commentary editor John Podhoretz did Monday night. And I’m still trying to figure out why. Of course, I expected a feisty evening when the venerable 92nd Street…

  By Jane Eisner Dec 17, 2013 | 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

  How Long Is the Road From Jerusalem to Damascus?

  Have you ever tried Google Mapping the directions from Jerusalem to Damascus? I have, and the site’s recommendations came as a bit of a shock. I decided to look up the travel route after reading Mairav Zonszein’s blog post about how the recent snowstorm in Israel reminded her of that country’s geographical connectedness to the…

  By Michael Kaplan Dec 16, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  News Quiz: Lady Gaga, Alan Dershowitz and Bibi

  Lady Gaga, Alan Dershowitz and Bibi? Yes, it’s time for the Jewish News quiz again. This week also featuring a brand new pastry!

  By Lenore Skenazy Dec 16, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Is the Israel of Today Becoming 1980s South Africa?

  Today’s college students were not yet born when Nelson Mandela, F.W. De Klerk, Yasser Arafat, and Yitzhak Rabin shared Time’s “Man of the Year” award in 1990. As the world mourns Mandela and celebrates his legacy, it is worth looking back at that moment — and looking toward the future that it might signify. There…

  By Jay Michaelson Dec 16, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Never Too Late For Justice in Y.U. Abuse Case

  It’s one year since the Forward published its first story about abuse allegations at Yeshiva University’s High School for Boys in Manhattan. Little did we know then that the recollections of four former students would prompt dozens of men to come forward with their own claims of abuse. Nor could we have foreseen that it…

  By Paul Berger Dec 16, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why We Need Yeshiva University

  The Jewish community needs Yeshiva University. For many years, this claim would have been considered uncontroversial within the Orthodox Jewish community. Orthodox Jewish students needed a place where they could pursue their religious education comfortably while earning undergraduate degrees — and the structure of the Y.U. curriculum undeniably afforded students this opportunity. But Y.U.’s rash…

  By Michael A. Helfand Dec 16, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Blanket of Snow Changes Jerusalem — Even Just for Shabbat

  Getty Images They say that the sun shines on the righteous. Maybe not, but you did have a better chance of weathering this weekend’s Middle East storm if you’re Haredi. At the height of the Alexa storm, which brought unusually cold temperatures and severe snow, some 60,000 Israel households were without power. However in some…

  By Nathan Jeffay Dec 16, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Avraham Verdiger, 92, Was Haredi Labor’s Last Leader

  Ultra-Orthodox Holocaust survivors at Zeilsheim DP camp in Germany, preparing to settle at Hafetz Haim, the first Haredi kibbutz, circa 1947 (Yad Vashem) On the eve of Hanukkah, while the eyes of the world were fixed on the impending demise of one human rights champion, Nelson Mandela, and the sudden, unexpected emergence of another, Pope…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 16, 2013 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Harvard Hillel Falsely Accuses the Forward

  Credit: Flickr/timsackton Harvard being Harvard, and Hillel being Hillel, it catches an editor’s attention when the executive director of Hillel at Harvard sends out an email blast publicly accusing the Forward of printing an untruth; especially when he does so without the courtesy of telling us or others what that untruth might be — despite…

  By Larry Cohler-Esses Dec 15, 2013 | 3 min read