Opinion

• Opinion

  A Newtown Clarification

  Last week, the Connecticut State Attorney issued a long-awaited report on the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The report painted a clearer picture of the events of last December 14, and also provided details of shooter Adam Lanza’s life — his untreated “Asperger’s characteristics,” his love of Dance Dance Revolution and his…

  By Naomi Zeveloff

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Academic Hypocrisy

  The decision by the National Council of the American Studies Association to support a boycott of Israeli academic institutions is hypocritical and short-sighted. We’re not of the belief that college campuses are as rife with anti-Israel sentiment as some activists contend, but this unanimous vote by the leadership of a sizable cohort of scholars is…

  Dec 5, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  DIY Bris

  (JTA) — Natan Zaidenweber thought the mohel was kidding. His wife, Linda Raab, thought it was some kind of religious formality and didn’t give it a second thought. But the mohel, Cantor Philip Sherman, was serious. Though most fathers demur when he invites them to perform the bris on their sons by clipping their foreskin, preferring…

  By Debra Rubin Dec 4, 2013 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz What I learned at a Holocaust survivors’ Purim party

  

• Rob Eshman Gavin Newsom isn’t waffling on Israel — he’s voicing sensible ideas in an era of outrage

  

• Dan Perry An abominable new Israeli law is a death warrant for democracy

  

• Emily Tamkin We must rewrite the rulebook for fighting antisemitism — or conspiracists like Joe Kent will win the narrative wars

  

• Jay Michaelson Passover’s 4 cups of meaning

  

The Latest

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  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 Dec 4, 2013 | 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
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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