Opinion

• Opinion

  Striking Sukkahs

  Happy Sukkot! Starting Wednesday night, we can all look forward to a week of eating (and in some cases, sleeping) outside. Sukkahs come in all shapes and sizes. Some people will cobble something in their backyard, others will use the handy space provided by an outdoor balcony, and still more may see it as a…

  By Anne Cohen

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Tale of Two Beauty Queens

  Let’s begin by acknowledging that there is something profoundly anachronistic about beauty pageants in the 21st century. The idea that strutting around in swimsuits the size of postage stamps and answering inane questions in less time than it takes to apply lipstick are measures by which to judge the beauty and goodness of unmarried women…

  Sep 18, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Poverty Shock: Stats Show Ills Began in 2001, Not ’07

  Just in time for the fall harvest festival of Sukkot, the U.S. Census Bureau has published what we might call a 2013 update of America’s own Harvest of Shame: a comprehensive annual report on the state of income, poverty and health insurance in the United States. To be fair, it’s not all bad news. For…

  By J.J. Goldberg Sep 18, 2013 | 4 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 An Israeli media mainstay is crumbling. Will liberal democracy go with it?

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  Is ‘Beyond the Two-State Solution’ Poised for Prime-Time?

  The crisis in Syria, has overwhelmed discussion of other Middle East issues in the past month, not the least of them being the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. Still, the passage of two decades with little or no progress in the peace process has not passed…

  By Nathan Guttman Sep 17, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Middle East Peace, One Kitchen at a Time

  This is how things could be in the new year. The population of the country, Jews and Arabs, will live in peace and tolerance, work the land together and sit and share meals in the shade of the grapevine and the fig tree. Men and women will fall in love and start families without being…

  By Haaretz/Hedai Offaim Sep 17, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish Family Feud Rocks Las Vegas

  Some feuding families bury the hatchet around the High Holidays, discarding grudges and grievances in the spirit of renewal. But that’s not happening for the Greenspun siblings of Las Vegas. Scions of a storied newspaper clan, the Greenspuns have been torn apart by a dispute over the future of the Las Vegas Sun, founded by…

  By Michael Kaminer Sep 17, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  When Munich Became a Synonym for Appeasement

  “A quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing.” When he pronounced these words, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was referring, of course, to Czechoslovakia. That “quarrel” eventually led to the Munich Agreement: an event which opened the path to WWII and whose 75th anniversary we are now marking. Rarely…

  By Robert Zaretsky Sep 17, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  News Quiz: Ari Emanuel’s Big Buy

  So is “The Real Rebbetzins” real? How about exploding rugelach and a new holiday involving casseroles? And is it true what they say about Ari Emanuel? Take this week’s quiz and find out!

  By Lenore Skenazy Sep 16, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Syria Chemical Attack Underlines Need for Israel Shift on Non-Conventional Weapons

  The list includes North Korea, Syria, Angola — and Israel. Needless to say, a democracy like Israel would rather not be grouped together with a rogue’s gallery of outlaw states and authoritarian regimes. Yet that is exactly where Israel finds itself alongside the handful of nations that have not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)….

  By Aaron Magid Sep 16, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Michael Bloomberg Popular With Jews — But His Policies? Not So Much.

  The Jews of New York like Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As Josh Nathan-Kazis notes in the Forward, 64% of New York City Jewish voters think that the outgoing Bloomberg is doing an “excellent” or “good” job, compared with just 45% of registered voters overall. But their enthusiasm for the mayor did not carry over to votes…

  By Eric Yoffie Sep 16, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Victory for African Immigrants in Israel?

  Will the doors of Israel’s detention centers really open, allowing illegal immigrants to walk free? According to today’s High Court ruling, this is exactly what should happen over the coming weeks. Israel’s High Court has just struck down a controversial law that allows the state to detain illegal immigrants for up to three years. Judges…

  By Nathan Jeffay Sep 16, 2013 | < 1 min read