Opinion

• 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

  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

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

  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
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  Opinion

  Gay Jewish Trailblazers Set Forward 50 Mark

  For the first time ever, the Forward 50 was launched with a profile celebrating a gay Jewish woman — and the kvelling was just starting for gay Jewish achievers. Edie Windsor made the Top 5 for her role in the fight for marriage equality: on June 26, she won her suit at the Supreme Court,…

  By Anne Cohen Nov 12, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why We Picked the Pope — and Angelina Jolie

  The New York Times’ Laurie Goodstein had a fascinating story on Sunday about how Conservative Catholics have felt left out of their new pope’s embrace. Pope Francis may have soaring approval ratings because of his humble demeanor and inclusive language, but American Catholics in the church’s conservative wing are feeling abandoned and deeply unsettled, Goodstein…

  By Jane Eisner Nov 12, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  After Newtown, Why No Progress on Guns?

  Noah Pozner would have turned 7 years old this month. The youngest victim of the December 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and the only Jew among them, his life was cut short because a deranged man was able to access weapons in a nation that cares more about its guns…

  Nov 12, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Jews Should Not Accept Jesus — Whatever George W. Bush Thinks

  The dispiriting news that President George W. Bush plans to speak at a fundraiser to a group of ‘Messianic Jews’ led me to reframe and slightly revise an article I wrote several years ago. It not only explains in a short compass why Jews do not accept Jesus as a Messiah or son of God,…

  By David Wolpe Nov 11, 2013 | 9 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Robinson’s Arch Part of Western Wall — Or Not?

  (JTA) — The key dispute in the recent feud between Women of the Wall and some of the group’s founders is whether Robinson’s Arch — an area adjacent to the Kotel plaza meant for egalitarian prayer — counts as the Western Wall. Anat Hoffman and most of the group’s board has said they’re willing, in…

  By Ben Sales Nov 11, 2013 | 2 min read