Opinion

• Opinion

  Is Yair Lapid’s Honeymoon Over?

  The Israeli election in January was widely lauded as a testament to the revival of Israel centrism. Coming out of nowhere the brand new Yesh Atid party won 19 seats — almost a sixth of the Knesset’s mandates. Is this revival now over? A poll just conducted for the Globes financial newspaper found that if…

  By Nathan Jeffay

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Yair Lapid’s Great American Tour

  Israel’s political golden boy Yair Lapid has been making the rounds in Washington this week, filling up some necessary gaps in his resume. The telegenic Lapid, who until recently was a newspaper columnist and TV host, had hardly had a chance to establish ties with the American political elite before pulling a huge surprise in…

  By Nathan Guttman Oct 11, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  When Will Y.U. Learn?

  When will Yeshiva University ever learn? When will modern American Orthodoxy’s flagship institution learn to own up to its mistakes, genuinely reform its procedures, live out its values and, above all, provide a safe and honest environment for its students? The latest revelation, that Y.U. hired a new faculty member who had been convicted of…

  Oct 10, 2013 | 3 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

  Rachel Maddow on the ‘Hanukkah Shutdown’

  Rachel Maddow commenting Wednesday night on MSNBC on the new Gallup Poll that showed the Republican Party’s approval rating plummeting to 28%, the lowest for either party since pollsters first began asking the question: “That apparently is the reward that you get if you can stretch your government shutdown to be longer than Hanukkah. It…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 10, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Asher Lopatin Set as Modern Orthodox ‘Bridge’

  When I was a kid, my mom told me, “Dress British, think Yiddish.” The credo for Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT) now is “Learn ‘Litv-ish,’ daven ‘Hasid-ish,’ act ‘normal-ish.’”, according to Rabbi Daniel Landes, who on Sunday formally installed Rabbi Asher Lopatin as the second president of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The installation ceremony, held at the…

  By Jerome Chanes Oct 9, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Dude, Don’t ‘Boycott Israel’

  There’s a new weapon in the anti-BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) arsenal. It’s a viral video by Cleveland-based Orthodox hip-hop artist Ari Lesser, and, based on the more than 18,000 hits it’s gotten since Monday, it’s proving to be pretty powerful. Lesser raps “Boycott Israel,” a catchy reggae number pointing out the hypocrisy of boycotting Israel…

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Oct 9, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Janet Yellen Brings Jewish Side to Fed — Again

  President Obama’s nomination of Janet Yellen to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve will, if confirmed by the Senate, make her the first woman to lead the bank since its creation nearly a century ago. But she’ll be far from the first Jew. Yellen, whose nomination to head America’s central bank was reported…

  By Nathan Guttman Oct 9, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  We Are the 94%!

  Ever since Pew published its new study of American Jews last week, we’ve been hearing a lot about what Jews aren’t. Jews aren’t as religious as they used to be. They don’t go to synagogue as often. Jews aren’t marrying other Jews or raising their kids Jewish or affiliating with the Conservative movement. Here at…

  By Forward Staff Oct 9, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Rav Ovadia Yosef Was Provocative Bigot

  News of the death of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a towering religious and political figure in Israel, plunged millions into mourning. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Yosef “was imbued with love for Torah and his people.” President Shimon Peres cut short a meeting with Czech Prime Minister upon hearing of Rav Ovadia’s death. Ordinary people fainted…

  By Aaron Magid Oct 8, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  No Need for Directions to Rav Ovadia’s Funeral

  (JTA) — I didn’t need to ask directions. Stepping out of the Central Bus Station, I saw them, men in hats and coats walking together slowly, a steady stream moving east along one of Jerusalem’s central thoroughfares to the funeral of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. At 5 p.m., an hour before the funeral, the streets were already…

  By Ben Sales Oct 8, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Alan Grayson Blames the GOP ‘Jesus Freaks’

  Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson has never been known for holding his tongue in political debates and so his remarks about the government shutdown shouldn’t come as a great surprise. Still, the Jewish lawmaker who won back his central Florida seat in 2012 and who’s considered to be one of the main speakers of the…

  By Nathan Guttman Oct 7, 2013 | < 1 min read