Opinion

• Opinion

  Words Are Battleground in Holy Land

  I recently interviewed Yehudah Glick for the Forward. He’s, an Israeli Jewish activist who went on a hunger strike after being banned from the Temple Mount. While writing the introduction for the Q&A, I tried to dot all my i’s and cross my t’s, making sure to mention that the Haram al-Sharif (as the Temple…

  By Renee Ghert-Zand

  4 min read
• 
  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
• 
  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

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz Class assignment: Get to know your murdered Jewish neighbors

  

• Rob Eshman Liberal Zionists are under attack. A new book proves their work has never been more important

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s most dangerous war is with itself

  

• Emily Tamkin American Jews have a Hasan Piker problem. Solving it is going to hurt

  

• Jay Michaelson Epstein and Iran are an antisemitism mega-crisis. Here’s what Jewish organizations should do about it. 

  

The Latest

• 
  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
• 
  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
• 
  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
• 
  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
• 
  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
• 
  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
• 
  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
• 
  Opinion

  What Should Be on the 2014 Jewish Agenda?

  The Thanksgiving leftovers are gone by now. The countdown of Hanukkah candles is nearing its triumphant finish. It’s time to start thinking about the new year. For our first issue of 2014, the Forward will be looking forward, to the people, stories, issues and debates that will and ought to frame the Jewish experience in…

  By Forward Editors Dec 2, 2013 | < 1 min read