Opinion

• Opinion

  What an iPhone Feud Says About the Ancient Fight for Jerusalem

  In the story of Cain and Abel, it says: “And Cain said to Abel his brother…” (Genesis 4:8) But what did Cain say? There is nothing in the text about what he said to his brother. The ancient rabbis imagined an entire conversation between the brothers. And what was the conversation about? One ancient sage…

  By Jeffrey K. Salkin

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Reviving Rabin in the Diaspora

  In the years immediately following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the anniversary of his passing became an important event for British Jewry, only to see it weaken as the years passed, the peace process fell apart, and the image of Rabin faded like an old photograph. This year, however, offered some hope for a burnishing…

  By Liam Hoare Oct 21, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  There Is Another Way To Get a ‘Get’

  In early October, the FBI arrested 10 men accused of running a torture-for-hire service for more than two decades, having uncovered evidence of more than two dozen victims during multiple raids in New York and New Jersey. But what has turned the story into a national headline is the identity of the alleged ringleaders. According…

  By Michael A. Helfand Oct 21, 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

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Chicago’s Forgotten But Still Beautiful Agudas Achim

  Chicago’s uptown neighborhood is better known for Vietnamese restaurants and crime than the home of one what was once one of the city’s most stunning synagogues. Agudas Achim North Shore Congregation, which sits closed on a residential street opened its doors this weekend as part of Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House Chicago festival. Designed by…

  By Menachem Wecker Oct 20, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Dear Pew: I Was Right. Here’s Why.

  Well, I promised myself I wouldn’t do it again, but here I am, caught in another round of mud-wrestling over the minutiae of Jewish population statistics. You’re in for a treat. If you’re just joining our broadcast, here’s a quick recap: Pew Research Center published a demographic “Portrait of Jewish Americans” on October 1 that…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 20, 2013 | 9 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Exactly Are We So Exceptional?

  Several weeks ago, in a New York Times op-ed piece, Vladimir Putin wrote, “It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation.” It did not take long for President Obama to assert the contrary, in his address to the UN General Assembly: “Some may disagree, but I believe America…

  By Leonard Fein Oct 19, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Behind the 42 Year Old Library Book

  Last week 63-year-old Shimon Pepper returned the book “While Six Million Died,” to the Fall River, Mass. library — a remarkable 42 years late. But for Pepper, his trip to his hometown was about more than an old book. He came to rescue Torah scrolls and pay homage to a dying Jewish community. Three years…

  By Anna Goldenberg Oct 18, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Meet the 94%: The Unseen Faces of American Jews

  Amid the troubling statistics about the state of American Jewry in the recent Pew Research Center Survey there was one staggering, positive number that stood out to us: 94% of respondents to the survey said they were “proud” to identify as Jewish. So who makes up the 94%? We asked readers, to submit stories, anecdotes,…

  By Maya Shwayder Oct 18, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Editor’s Choice: The Real-Life ‘Argo’; Berkeley’s Center for Jewish Studies

  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. From the Jewish Journal. Tony Mendez…

  By Forward Staff Oct 18, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  A Victim of the Oy Vey Brigade

  Some years back I wrote about my Uncle Morty, who left Long Island for Manhattan one day in 1959 and never returned. They found his Chevy alongside Grand Central Parkway, but no Morty. The loss was devastating. I was recalling the incident, I wrote, not for sympathy but to note that Uncle Morty was the…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 18, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Is Israel Preparing To Cede Temple Mount?

  Israel is working on a secret plan to cede the Temple Mount to the Palestinians, a lawmaker from the ruling Likud party has claimed. “The issue here is that the prime minister wants to be rid of the Temple Mount,” Moshe Feiglin, a powerful figure on the right flank of the ruling Likud party, wrote…

  By Nathan Jeffay Oct 17, 2013 | 2 min read