In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Y.U. Report’s Three Paragraphs Fails To Do Justice to Abuse — or Jewish Ethics
On August 26, the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, hired by Yeshiva University to look into allegations of past abuse at the university’s High School for Boys, finally concluded its eight-month investigation and released a report detailing its findings. As one of the high school students abused in the early 1970s and as one…
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Opinion As Egypt Falls Apart, Israel Whispers: ‘We Told You So’
Were there any satisfaction to be gotten from saying “I told you so” about Egypt, Israel would have every reason today to be a satisfied country instead of a worried one. While just about everyone else was giddily celebrating the fall of Hosni Mubarak and the wondrous “Arab Spring,” Israeli government circles were among the…
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Opinion On 50th Anniversary of March on Washington, Recalling Jews’ Singular Role
As we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the majestic “I Have a Dream” speech, we should reflect on the singular role the Jewish community played throughout the civil rights struggle and, in particular, remember with pride Jewish participation in the March on Washington itself. No segment of American society outside…
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Opinion Where Was Rabbi Heschel at March on Washington?
When the Forward decided to run a feature commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the Jewish influence on the seminal civil rights event, the first name discussed was that of Abraham Joshua Heschel, a close friend of Martin Luther King. Was he there? What role did he…
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Opinion Leo Frank Trial Still Reverberates a Century Later
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the trial of Leo Frank in Atlanta, let’s begin by stating for the record: No, the Leo Frank case was not the impetus for the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. It is true that the organization, now celebrating its centennial, was founded the same year as the…
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Opinion ‘Daily Show’ Picks Jon Stewart’s Top Jewish Bits
On the eve of Jon Stewart’s return from his long film-making absence, “The Daily Show” compiles a few minutes’ worth of what they apparently consider his best Jewish routines. (Hat tip to Chemi Shalev for finding and tweeting this.) For my money, though, they left out at least two of his most memorable Jewish bits,…
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Opinion Struggle and Triumph of College for Hasidim
For most Americans, a solid high school education is a stepping stone to college. But Hasidic boys and girls who chose to pursue a higher degree do not have this foundation to build on. Most Hasidic boys receive one hour of English studies per day, four days per week, from third grade to bar mitzvah…
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Opinion Change Sexist Attitudes — Not Ancient Prayer
Josh Halpern’s essay, Should Men Thank God They Were Not Born Women? sensitively and articulately outlines many of the tensions facing those of us who are committed to the halacha and Orthodoxy and at the same time live in a world a seemingly incongruous world: a world where women are first-class politicians, lawyers, doctors, educators…
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Opinion Saving Polari
A push in underway to save a most unusual language. Polari is a language — or to be exact a lexicon of 500 words approaching a language — used over the years in Britain by sailors, criminals, circus performers, prostitutes, immigrant Jews and Italians, and the gay community. In short, a bunch of people that…
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Opinion Should Men Thank God They Were Not Born Women?
Late this spring, my sister asked the administration at her Modern Orthodox high school if it would consider instituting a change to the morning prayer service. Instead of the usual practice of hurrying through the morning blessings, she wanted the male hazan to pause after reciting the blessing of “Shelo Asani Isha” (“Blessed are you…
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Opinion News Quiz: Nixon, Weiner and Ginsburg (Oh, My!)
You’ve got Richard Nixon to kick around again this week, thanks to newly released anti-Semitic tapes. There’s also Anthony Weiner and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — but not together!
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Culture Gene Shalit, a mensch with a personality as big as his mustache, turns 100
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