Opinion

• Opinion

  Maharats Win Support of Jewish Women

  The first class of maharats may be controversial among the Orthodox. But the graduates enjoy overwhelming support from Jewish women from other denominations, who see the battle for recognition as part and parcel of the struggles they faced — and won. “It’s an affirmation of everything that has led to this moment, as well as…

  By Anne Cohen

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Did Shooter of Abortion Doctor Aim To Kill Jews?

  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a request by anti-abortion militant James Charles Kopp to review his conviction in the 1998 killing of Buffalo obstetrician Barnett Slepian. Kopp is serving a life sentence in federal prison in Pennsylvania on a 2003 New York state conviction for second degree murder, as well a 2007 federal…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 19, 2013 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  News Quiz: Putin Plays and Camp Clears Out

  This week we race from Russia to Japan to D.C., New York and Israel. If this were an actual trip, it would cost you thousands of dollars. But, it’s not. It’s a quiz. Take it after the jump.

  By Lenore Skenazy Jun 19, 2013 | < 1 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman There’s a shocking new report on civilian deaths in Gaza. If only it were accurate.

  

• Nora Berman Is Netflix’s new show the most Jewish cartoon ever?

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s new gift to the far right could help end the Gaza war

  

• Emily Tamkin Entering motherhood — and an obsession with the works of an Italian Jewish literary hero

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  They Said Fetuses Do What?

  Abortion should be banned because fetuses—male ones—are busy pleasuring themselves in the womb, didn’t you know? Yes, that is the logic that seemed to have come out of a legislator’s mouth this week. It appears that two of the Right Wing’s favorite bogeyman—abortion and masturbation—have come together in a perfect storm. These comments are giving…

  By Sarah Seltzer Jun 19, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Babs, Bill, Tony — and Shimon Peres

  Tony Blair set the stage for the schmaltzy, over-the-top, joyful and endearing tribute Tuesday night to Israeli President Shimon Peres on his 90th birthday. “We in Britain have our Queen,” the former British prime minister said, “and you have your Shimon.” Indeed, it felt like a coronation of sorts, an odd mixture of loving familiarity…

  By Jane Eisner Jun 19, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Syria Refugee Crisis Demands Action From Jewish World

  June 20 is World Refugee Day. Let’s use the opportunity of this annual commemoration by the United Nations to put the “refugee crises” facing the U.S. and Israel in perspective with the true crisis exploding in Syria. The United States and Israel are countries built by refugees. A refugee is someone who flees persecution in…

  By Mark Hetfield Jun 17, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Two Sides of Intermarriage in America

  Intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews is in many ways symbolic of the American Jewish experience. While Jews are a tiny minority — just 2% of the population — America is home to the world’s largest and arguably its freest Jewish community. Jewishness has ceased to be an obstacle to success as it was for much of…

  By Sylvia Barack Fishman Jun 17, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why a Rabbi Should Not Marry Outside the Faith

  When Jews choose to become Jewish leaders, their actions leave the realm of private decisions rendered for their personal benefit and become public decisions that carry deep symbolic and practical significance for us all. Of course, not everyone agrees. Rabbi Ellen Lippmann recently described in these pages her experience as an intermarried rabbi, arguing that…

  By Harold Berman Jun 17, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Does Jewish Law Permit Snooping To Prevent Terrorism?

  As we now know, the National Security Agency has been engaged, for at least six years now, in massive surveillance of electronic communications in order to locate and apprehend terrorists. Opponents say that this is a case of the government spying on millions of innocent people without their knowledge, while those in favor say that…

  By David Golinkin Jun 17, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Trying To Reach Out to Unaffiliated Jews

  In her recent piece “The ‘Unaffiliated’ Danger Within,” the Forward’s editor, Jane Eisner, cites the growing numbers of Jews who do not engage personally with Jewish communal life. Eisner raises the troubling question of how these numbers will affect the future of American Jewry, implying that the answer is intra-Jewish outreach. Eisner says, “Many non-Orthodox…

  By Edgar M. Bronfman Jun 17, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  How CIA-FBI Tech Fiasco Spawned the NSA Scandal

  Of all the startling disclosures to emerge from the unfolding NSA data-collection scandal, perhaps the most shocking is this: As the Washington Post reported on June 8, the material collected from Internet company servers is electronically “pushed” to classified FBI computers in Quantico, Virginia, and then “shared with the NSA or other authorized intelligence agencies.”…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 17, 2013 | 4 min read