Opinion

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  Please Don’t Call Me ‘Super Mom’

  When I was about 4 years old, I had my future career mapped out: I was going to be Wonder Woman. Sadly, my parents did not love me enough to buy me the Wonder Woman Underoos of my dreams. I did, however, have a Wonder Woman bathing suit, which was a distant second best in…

  By Jordana Horn

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I Had To Protest Nelson Mandela

  Since Nelson Mandela’s death on December 5, my protests during his 1990 visit to New York have been characterized by many — including J.J. Goldberg on the Forward’s website — as radical and militant. Let me set the record straight: I consider Mandela to be a universal hero. The suffering he endured in prison for…

  By Avi Weiss Dec 14, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Good, the Bad, and the Indeterminate of 2013

  It’s that waning time of the year again, a time to look back at the events that informed and shaped the last twelve months. Obviously, the overwhelming news of the last year was the victory of the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. But, this being a serious newspaper, we cannot be distracted by…

  By Leonard Fein Dec 14, 2013 | 3 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

  

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  Opinion

  Jewish Exploitation of the Educated Underclass

  Right now Jewish academics in the U.S. are preoccupied with the American Studies Association’s boycott of Israel. But very few Jews in academia — or Jews in any position of moral authority — have spoken up about an academic scandal that has been quietly building for decades: the exploitation of adjunct instructors at American colleges…

  By Gordon Haber Dec 13, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Community of Exes — Hasids, That Is

  Frimet (third from right), holds up her Footsteps certificate with the other fellows. I am a Footsteps member and supporter. I am also an observant Jew. To the critics of Footsteps, a not-for-profit organization that helps those seeking to leave their ultra-religious communities, this statement may seem like an oxymoron. Until about a year ago,…

  By Frimet Goldberger Dec 12, 2013 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel’s Blood Donation Rules Are Becoming a National Problem

  Yesterday, an Ethiopian-born lawmaker was told at a Knesset blood drive that the state doesn’t want her blood because of her origins. I know how she feels. There is widespread outrage following the news that Pnina Tamano-Shata, the first Ethiopian born Knesset member, was told not to donate (or that she could donate but the…

  By Nathan Jeffay Dec 12, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  65 Years Later, Celebrating Nearly Forgotten Human Rights

  Well, another International Human Rights Day has come and gone. The December 10 holiday usually passes without much fanfare, but not this year. This year was pretty special. The holiday commemorates the adoption in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the landmark charter of worldwide freedoms. In…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 12, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  A Trailblazing Cantor

  In many ways, Mark Goldman’s a traditional cantor. He serves a 900-member Reform congregation, in Plantation, Florida. He’s performed around the world, including a historic group gig at the Vatican. And he loves to chant the “haunting, yet familiar” Kol Nidre. But this year, the UK expat became a trailblazer. After nearly two decades as…

  By Michael Kaminer Dec 12, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Mr. Obama, Your Selfie Sent All the Wrong Messages

  Getty Images Thank you, Mr. President. You’ve just made it harder for me and every other parent and educator to convince young people that taking selfies at memorials and on solemn occasions is not okay. Just what were you thinking when you leaned in close to Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister…

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Dec 11, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Opposition in Israel Mounts Around Bedouin Transfer Plan

  Israel is promoting a plan to transfer some 40,000 Arab Bedouin citizens from traditional villages into towns despite opposition by activists and senior government officials that threatens to derail it. Government supporters say the resettlement would encourage development, but that was repeatedly challenged by residents of the villages in Israel’s southern Negev desert. “It’s a…

  By Reuters Dec 11, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Censoring Hillels Goes Against Jewish Traditions

  Hillel President Eric Fingerhut chats with a student. Flickr: Hillel News and Views. Hillel, the ancient sage, was famously impossible to insult. The Talmud portrays intellectuals, rebellious students, passersby and would-be converts as offering jokes, specious arguments, and outrageous claims — all to rattle the unflappable teacher. But in the face of faulty arguments, Hillel…

  By Andy Bachman Dec 11, 2013 | 4 min read