Opinion

• Opinion

  How #Jewish Brings Newtown Rampage Home

  Like thousands of others, I read the headlines and Tweets from the Forward and other Jewish publications about the Newtown school massacre. One read, “Rabbi consoles relatives of #Newtown shooting victims … fears one victim could be #jewish..” And I read replies on Facebook, which lambasted the paper for focusing on Jewish victims. They apparently…

  By Tanya Tolchin

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  At Western Wall, Who Is the Zealot?

  The Orthodox rabbi who oversees the Western Wall has vowed not to soften his confrontational approach toward Jewish women seeking to pray at the holy site in Jerusalem. On Friday, police detained four women for wearing prayer shawls as they tried to start a prayer service. There have been numerous similar incidents in the past….

  By Nathan Jeffay Dec 18, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Hail to the Chief (Rabbi)

  As soon as I heard the name of Great Britain’s newly named chief rabbi, I knew it sounded familiar. I met Ephraim Mirvis back in 1986, when I was a foreign correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer based in London, and he was the relatively new chief rabbi of Ireland. I was young for my job….

  By Jane Eisner Dec 17, 2012 | 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 ‘Israel is seen as violent’ — and Israeli chefs, once global culinary icons, are feeling the heat

  

• 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

• Opinion

  Greek and Latin, Yes. Hebrew, No.

  Ancient Greek and Latin, yes. Hebrew, no. That’s the headline from a new British government proposal that excludes Hebrew from plans to encourage primary school children to learn a second language. The plan, which remains under discussion and would come into effect in September 2014 if implemented, would mandate that pupils aged 7 to 11…

  By Liam Hoare Dec 17, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Newtown Rabbi’s Prayer for the Fallen

  Rabbi Shaul Praver moved many to tears when he recited El Maleh Rachamim, a prayer of mourning, at last night’s vigil for those killed in the deadly rampage in Newtown, Conn. Today, he will oversee the funeral of Noah Pozner, the youngest victim of the shooting.

  By Forward Staff Dec 17, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Opinion

  Rabbi Pinto and the Sheens

  What do Charlie Sheen’s children, an Israeli gangster, and Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto have in common? They were all at one Los Angeles wedding. Pinto, who conducted the ceremony, is the kabbalist who was under house arrest in Israel this fall after allegedly bribing a police officer. The bride was C.C. Fontana, reportedly a former…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Dec 17, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Let’s Act on Guns To Avoid Next Newtown

  It has been 13 years since the murders at Columbine High School, when two teenagers killed 13 people and wounded 21 others. Since that time, ABC reports, there have been 31 school shootings. “Senseless” seems to be the most frequently used word to describe the awful events at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, and senseless…

  By Leonard Fein Dec 17, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Was Nechemya Weberman on Trial — or Satmars?

  On December 10, Nechemya Weberman, an unlicensed youth and marriage counselor in the Satmar community of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, was convicted of 59 counts of sexual misconduct against a minor. As in any trial, the judge reminded the jurors that the defendant’s guilt must be proved “beyond reasonable doubt.” But with Weberman now facing a possible…

  By Batya Ungar-Sargon Dec 17, 2012 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Better Together

  Just about four years ago, as the most recent American financial crisis was deepening, it seemed like an opportune time for a kind of right-sizing of the Jewish communal world. The Bernie Madoff scandal had suddenly robbed many Jewish organizations of funds they never, in fact, had, while the national recession depressed donations and decimated…

  Dec 16, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Muzzled by the Gray Lady?

  Has Jodi Rudoren allowed the Gray Lady to muzzle her? The New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief has steered clear of controversial topics since the paper’s brass ordered her to submit all social media posts to a special editor on the foreign desk last month. A Forward review of her Twitter and facebook posts reveals…

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Dec 16, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  France’s Rising Star Takes on Extremists

  The French media are feasting on this week’s revelation that the fading star Gérard Depardieu, who brought to the screen such icons of French patriotism as Astérix and Cyrano de Bergerac, is settling in Belgium. The move, it appears, is dictated less by the scenery (there is none) than the lower tax bracket, an issue…

  By Robert Zaretsky Dec 14, 2012 | 3 min read