Opinion

• Letters

  Action, Not Talk

  As a Jewish climate activist, I was pleased to see the tight causal linkages drawn by the Forward between climate change and Hurricane Sandy in the November 9 editorial “Sandy’s Lessons.” The Forward, unlike many media outlets, clearly and responsibly informed its readers about the causes of Hurricane Sandy and illustrated how Sandy was a…

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Is ‘Gay Cure’ Suit a Watershed Moment?

  An unprecedented lawsuit against a Jewish non-profit whose programs aim to “convert” gay men could become a “watershed moment” in history, says the head of a national advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Jews. The case against Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH), brought yesterday in New Jersey Superior Court, would also…

  By Michael Kaminer Nov 29, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Who Stands Against Peace?

  The last days of November 2012 were an awkward time for Israel in the international arena. After years of presenting itself as the reasonable party in the conflict, saddled with a Palestinian negotiating partner that won’t negotiate, its ruling Likud party wound up a two-day Knesset primary vote on November 26 by choosing a slate…

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 29, 2012 | 4 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

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  Opinion

  Gray Lady Puts Jodi Rudoren on Tweet-Watch

  My recent interview for The Forward with New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren, while she was covering the recent conflagration between Israel and Hamas from inside Gaza, was instigated by a remark I read in one of her Facebook posts. So, obviously, I regarded Rudoren’s providing personal reflection and commentary on the situation…

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Nov 28, 2012 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Watch: Jon Stewart Scolds God for Messing Up Gaza

  Here’s Jon Stewart Leibowitz doing his best Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev: Ribono Shel Olom, what the @!*#! are you doing? The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

  By J.J. Goldberg Nov 28, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Behind the French ‘Oui’ for Abbas

  The announcement, made by Laurent Fabius, France’s foreign minister, that his government will support the Palestinian Authority’s bid for “non-member observer status” at the United Nations next week is hardly news, but nevertheless newsworthy. The news, of course, has been in the offing for quite some time. France’s Socialist Party, which has historically enjoyed closer…

  By Robert Zaretsky Nov 28, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Jews Should Back Palestinian U.N. Bid

  I rather doubt that more than a few of those whose knees have jerked in opposition to the planned request by the PLO that its status at the United Nations be upgraded have actually read the resolution. Instead, they rely on Israel’s bitter opposition and on America’s predictable opposition. Israel has ludicrously announced that if…

  By Leonard Fein Nov 28, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Abraham Lincoln the Jew

  “He,” a somber Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise intoned after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, “is a sin-offering for our iniquities.” This sentiment, expressed in a black-draped congregation in Cincinnati, was echoed in countless other memorial services across the North. Peace had been declared but days before; now, synagogues recited the Kaddish for the fallen president….

  By Adam Mendelsohn Nov 27, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  ‘Solidarity Forever’ Means Now

  When it was announced that the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) had signed contracts with Hyatt Hotels for upcoming conventions — including their signature Consultation on Conscience and L’Taken Social Justice Seminars — many who stood in solidarity with Hyatt workers believed it was moment of truth for the Jewish community. Would the…

  By Brant Rosen Nov 27, 2012 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Tiptoeing Along the Fiscal Cliff

  With Congress plunging into talks to avoid the much-feared fiscal cliff, the Jewish community’s umbrella organization for policy is cautiously weighing in. In a letter to Congress, Rabbi Steve Gutow, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs’s president and CEO, urged lawmakers to keep in mind the impact of budget cuts on the poor and needy…

  By Nathan Guttman Nov 27, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  No Divisions Between Jews When Rockets Fly

  Like many Jewish leaders, I have devoted the majority of my professional life to advocating on behalf of my denomination. Sometimes the need is concrete, other times ideological. From supporting the worldwide network of the 600-plus Conservative kehillot to agitating on behalf of a Judaism that is pluralistic, intellectually compelling and rooted in tradition, my…

  By Steven C. Wernick Nov 26, 2012 | 3 min read