Opinion

• Opinion

  Take This Out of Context, Morsi

  A delegation of American senators met earlier this month in Cairo with a spokesperson for Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, according to the New York Times. The spokesperson clarified press accounts of Mr. Morsi’s recent description of Jews as “bloodsuckers,” “pigs” and “dogs.” The remarks, he explained, were “taken out of context.” The senators left the…

  By Robert Zaretsky

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  Bibi’s Deciding Vote

  The Israeli electorate has spoken. And the results of the January 22 parliamentary elections were not quite as predictable as expected. For one thing, the supposedly apathetic Israelis turned out in higher numbers than the four previous elections — a victory itself for Israeli democracy. And, Benjamin Netanyahu, though his party (which had combined its…

  Jan 23, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  What’s Yair Lapid’s Next Move?

  What is Yair Lapid’s next move? The man who shocked Israel with a stunning showing in the elections could try to establish a “blocking coalition” by uniting parties that want to stop Benjamin Netanyahu from forming the next government. Labor would definitely be game for that, as would Meretz, Hadash, the Arab parties and probably…

  By Nathan Jeffay Jan 22, 2013 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Jay Michaelson Mamdani’s victory is an opportunity for Jews to relearn the art of disagreement

  

• Rob Eshman Want to understand what’s wrong with the ‘pro-Palestine’ movement? This Palestinian can help

  

• Nora Berman Did Netanyahu coerce Trump into attacking Iran? No — but he tried with Obama

  

• Dan Perry Trump wants to control the Israeli judiciary. Uh, good luck

  

• Emily Tamkin Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Bibi Faces Grim Math of Polls

  Exit polls are just out in Israel, and the results are, simply put, astonishing. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s list — an alliance between his Likud party and the further-right Yisrael Beytenu — was placed with 31 of the Knesset’s 120 seats according to all three polls that were conducted. The Yesh Atid party headed by…

  By Nathan Jeffay Jan 22, 2013 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Whatever Happened to Kissing Babies?

  The Israel Land Administration is a notorious government bureaucracy, whose precise functions are a mystery to most Israelis. And yet, one day before polling opens here in Israel, the whole country is talking about it. The reason is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday that the popular minister Moshe Kahlon, who aid ahead of…

  By Nathan Jeffay Jan 21, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  5 Jewish Things at the Inauguration

  President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009 was full of Jewish side events. There was a fancy ball at a downtown hotel co-sponsored by major Jewish groups and attended by Jewish politicos, activists and even Dr. Ruth Westhehimer, plus a string of private events hosted by Jewish Democratic donors and supporters. WATCH President Obama’s inauguration LIVE:…

  By Nathan Guttman Jan 21, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Israel’s Other Impending Election

  While attention remains focused on the election of a new Knesset and the formation of a new government, the battle over another election — for Israel’s Chief Rabbinate — is just heating up. These elections, too, have far-reaching ramifications for the American Jewish community and for the well-being of Israel. In recent decades, the well-organized…

  By Uri Regev Jan 21, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Noah Pozner’s Emmett Till Moment

  This week, the Forward’s web site was overwhelmed by traffic from the social news site Reddit, which featured my piece about the Newtown school rampage, “Wrestling With the Details of Noah Pozner’s Killing.” In the post, I outlined and explained the Forward’s decision to publish Noah’s mother’s description of her son’s body during our December…

  By Naomi Zeveloff Jan 20, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Dr. King’s Memory and the Jewish Conscience

  This year, we commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 21, the same day that we celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama to his second term as president of the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. Day also marks the beginning of a year-long observance of the 50th Anniversary of King’s…

  By Marc Schneier Jan 20, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  I Love Bibi — No, I Love Him More

  In the past, Israeli political parties have gotten themselves in to trouble for slurring their opponents during campaigns, with election authorities clamping down on what they see as negative campaigning. Strangely enough, there’s the opposite problem this time — a contest to campaign for Bibi. Given that it’s pretty much taken-as-given that Prime Minister Benjamin…

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

  Lance Armstrong and the Meaning of Chutzpah

  Two confessions: I am neither a speaker of Yiddish nor a fan of professional cycling. But as we hover in the halftime break of Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, I can’t help but wonder if the televised confession has implications for the meaning of chutzpah. Most of us are familiar with Leo Rosten’s classic…

  By Robert Zaretsky Jan 18, 2013 | 2 min read