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
Speaking Up for Peace
In last week’s edition we criticized the silence of most Jewish organizations after Secretary of State John Kerry, addressing an American Jewish Committee forum in Washington, called on American Jews to support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Only a tiny number of organizations had taken up the call (including two we inadvertently omitted, Ameinu and the…
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Opinion Putin: Jews Ruined Russia – But Now We’re Pals, Eh?
If you’ve been following Vladimir Putin’s image troubles over the Schneerson Library, the priceless Chabad literary trove that the Bolsheviks seized, Russia held and Crown Heights wants, you may have heard about his weird remarks last Thursday (June 13) when he handed over a batch of the treasure to the new Chabad-run museum in Moscow:…
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Opinion Texting and the Power of ‘Half Shabbat’
Should observant Jews text on Shabbat — and if not, why not? I personally do not text on Shabbat because I believe doing so violates the prohibition on working on that day. Gershom Gorenberg eloquently expressed the same viewpoint in the Daily Beast’s Open Zion blog. I’m not sure how well this message would resonate…
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Opinion The Specter of Xenophobia Stalks Europe
Poetry, Robert Frost famously said, is what gets lost in translation. But as “L’Allemagne Disparaît,” the newly issued French translation of Thilo Sarrazin’s “Deutschland Schafft Sich Ab,” reminds us, demagoguery survives translation all too well. While the translation of the French title, “Germany Is Disappearing,” transforms that of the German title, “Germany Does Itself In,”…
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Culture Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas?
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Culture We tried to fix Hallmark’s Hanukkah problem. Here’s the movie we made instead
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Holy Ground One of America’s first Jewish farms was nearly lost to history. Now these Brooklyn parents are risking everything to keep their family’s legacy alive.
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