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
Egypt: U.S. Strategists’ Fail, Turkey’s Nightmare
Looking at Egypt’s latest earthquake from the sober distance of a few solid hours, two important takeaways, each nicely captured in an eye-catching headline. One frames a fresh column by Bloomberg Businessweek deputy editor Romesh Ratnesar: “Revolt in Egypt Marks the End of America’s Illusions About Arab Democracy.” The other sits atop a column by…
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Opinion Can Orthodox Jews Watch Fireworks On The Fourth Of July?
When, in the course of Jewish events, it becomes necessary for one people to both be Orthodox Jews and patriotic Americans on the Fourth of July, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires a bit of explanation. About every three years, American Orthodox Jews are faced with a painful dilemma. The Fourth of…
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Opinion Fighting Anti-Refugee Tide in Canada
Progressive laws and generous benefits have long made Canada a haven for refugees. But the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been raising the drawbridge with laws that strip new immigrants of health-care benefits – and restrict immigration from countries that are supposedly “safe” to stay in. Jewish leaders have formed an advocacy…
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Opinion News Quiz: Satmars Out West, Jon Stewart in Egypt
Burgers, Bibles, Bernie Madoff: There is little news that this week’s quiz doesn’t touch on, except, perhaps, for brisket. Oh wait! That’s here, too, courtesy of Rick Moranis. Go forth!
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Opinion Minority Inequality Falls, Income Inequality Rises
Some interesting new ideas today about inequality in America. First, Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson offers an important insight into the different kinds of inequality that exist and the differing responses. Over the past half-century, he writes, public pressure for black, women’s and gay rights has brought down barriers confronting those excluded because of their…
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Opinion Norman Lamm, the Truth — and Me
Norman Lamm has retired as chancellor of Yeshiva University. The exit of one of the most revered figures in Modern Orthodoxy has been tarnished, perhaps indelibly, by Lamm’s admission to me last year that he covered up sexual abuse of students during his tenure as president of Y.U. between 1976 and 2003. Since I first…
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Opinion Jane Eisner Talks to The Marker
Forward editor-in-chief Jane Eisner discusses the paper’s coverage of political and socio-economic events in Israel, and about the future of journalism in the digital age in a video interview with The Marker, a Tel-Aviv-based economic news outlet that is distributed as a supplement of Haaretz. The interview touches on important issues in Israeli society, including…
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Opinion Top U.S. General: Climate Is No. 1 Security Threat
In the latest climate news: heat waves and wildfires in the West, record flooding in the Northeast. But first—get this—top British and American military brass warn that climate change constitutes one of the most serious security threats (that’s the British view—the American says it’s the most serious) facing the two nations in the decades ahead….
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Opinion Norman Lamm Deserves Better
Among the people who enter our lives, enrich our minds and inspire our hearts are at times those we barely, if at all, know personally. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, who has just announced his retirement as chancellor of Yeshiva University after a remarkably distinguished career, has for decades played such a role in my life….
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Opinion At Battle of Gettysburg, Jewish Heroes Fought for Both North and South
A few years ago, I delivered a lecture at Bowdoin College in Maine. Arriving early, I was promptly led to the college’s archive, where a permanent exhibit memorializes the heroism of a former president, Joshua L. Chamberlain. While on leave of absence from Bowdoin during the Civil War, then-professor Chamberlain led his Maine soldiers, who…
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Opinion The Chabad Rabbi and NBC’s Abuse ‘Smear’
Did NBC smear a prominent Chabad rabbi over his position on reporting child abuse to the police? The Peacock Network’s ‘Rock Center’ show on June 21 ran a story about Judy Brown, who has written for the Forward and whose bestselling book, ‘Hush,’ chronicles her spiritual journey away from the Hasidic world and discusses sexual…
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