Opinion

• Opinion

  Poll: New Vote Would Net Lapid 30 Seats, Bibi 22

  A new opinion poll shows that if Israel were to hold new elections today, Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party would win with 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, up from its current 19, putting the former television personality in line to be prime minister, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Beiteinu would drop from 31 seats to 22….

  By J.J. Goldberg

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Battling Climate Change, the Jewish Way

  The rally in Washington D.C. last Sunday on climate change, organized by the Sierra Club, 350.org, and hundreds of other groups, was the largest of its kind in U.S. history, attended by up to 50,000 people, from all over the country. Buses came from all over, some traveling for several days to bring people to…

  By David Seidenberg Feb 21, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Our Search for America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis

  Two weeks ago, when the Forward launched its special editorial project America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis, we had no idea what to expect. We asked people of all ages, denominations and backgrounds to nominate a rabbi who has inspired them or who had a profound effect on their lives or in their communities. But would readers…

  By Abigail Jones Feb 21, 2013 | 3 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 A billionaire Gen Z influencer is reinventing philanthropy — with this South African rabbi’s help

  

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

  

• Dan Perry Israel is not deliberately killing journalists in Gaza. But it does bear responsibility for their deaths

  

• Emily Tamkin Trump’s attack on George Soros is ludicrous. It also endangers Jews (and everyone else)

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  The Wrong Way To Fight BDS

  Is censoring disagreeable speech ever a good idea? A porn star and an aging Jewish icon seem to think so. Both men, Michael Lucas and Abraham Foxman, have recently opined that speech in favor of “BDS” — boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel — is hate speech and should be banned from Jewish, LGBT, and…

  By Jay Michaelson Feb 21, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  The Next Pope and His Name

  Far be it from me, a Jew and a rabbi yet, to get involved in the internal decision making of the College of Cardinals as they ponder this most weighty decision of the election of a pope. But I do want to make a comment about the poignancy and power of names as well as…

  By David Gutterman Feb 20, 2013 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Let’s Turn Jewish Practice Into Something Competitive

  In the past few weeks, I’ve become an expert at epidemiology. I didn’t watch a documentary or read a magazine article or take a class — I simply played a videogame called “Plague,” which requires players to pursue a single objective in order to win the game: Place a virus or bacteria somewhere in the…

  By Noam Neusner Feb 20, 2013 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  What Is Tzipi Livni Thinking?

  Given that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hardly famed for his enthusiasm on the peace process, it’s interesting that his first signing for his new coalition is the party that ran the campaign with the strongest make-peace-with-the-Palestinians emphasis Today, Netanyahu recruited the six-seat Tzipi Livni Party, and announced that the party’s leader Tzipi Livni,…

  By Nathan Jeffay Feb 20, 2013 | < 1 min read
• Opinion

  Lapid to Haredim: ‘You Won’

  A fascinating speech that Yair Lapid delivered last year has emerged. It offers a glimpse into his views on religion and secularity in Israel, and specifically on the role the Haredim play and will continue to play in Israeli society. For anyone interested in understanding what philosophy Lapid will be bringing to his role in…

  By Gal Beckerman Feb 19, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Obama’s Israel Trip: The Logo

  In marketing, they say that branding is everything. And apparently there isn’t anything these days that can’t be branded — including a presidential trip to Israel. Believe it or not, President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to Israel already has a name, and an official logo to go with it is in the works. “Unshakeable Alliance”…

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Feb 19, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Tale of Two Jewish Conservatives

  Earlier this month, Eric Cantor brought the Republican Party to a turning point and failed to turn. In the days leading up to an address he delivered at the American Enterprise Institute, many in the news media predicted a game changer: “GOP Leader Aims To Change Party’s Message,” The Wall Street Journal heralded, while Politico…

  By Robert Zaretsky Feb 19, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  From Zimbabwe, With Faith

  Modreck Zvakavapano Maeresera comes from the southern African nation of Zimbabwe with a message of shared faith. A leader of the Lemba group that claims ancient Jewish ancestry, Maeresera is on a monthlong tour of the U.S., meeting with Jewish communal leaders and giving lectures about his community. “We are all joined together by our…

  By Dave Goldiner Feb 19, 2013 | 3 min read