Opinion

• Opinion

  SOTU: Big Government, Small Footprint

  Five thoughts on President Obama’s State of the Union address: • Obama called for “smarter government” but, as many noted, he also called for a bigger government – or, more precisely, a federal government with bigger ambitions to educate, protect and defend. (More on this in a moment.) But that expansive vision did not translate…

  By Jane Eisner

  2 min read
• Opinion

  I Am Jewish

  God has burdened human beings with the task of being the carriers of God’s vision for human history. The law and the commandments express not only God’s legislative authority but also, and above all, God’s need for human beings.” Despite the varieties of lifestyles and outlooks among Jews today, there are certain organizing principles that…

  By David Hartman Feb 12, 2013 | 6 min read
• Opinion

  Jewiest Dog in Show

  I have spent my entire life avoiding dogs. They make me sneeze, wheeze and itch, and please, don’t start with the hypoallergenic dog argument; I’m indiscriminately allergic to all of them. Also, when I was five years old, the dog next door — a gigantic, snarling, barking, brown fuzzy beast — chased me halfway around…

  By Abigail Jones Feb 12, 2013 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson What can really be done to prevent antisemitic attacks like Bondi Beach?

  

• Rob Eshman Australia shooting terrifies Jews worldwide — and strengthens the case for Israel

  

• Nora Berman Did crypto-Jews invent the modern tarot deck?

  

• Dan Perry An Israeli media mainstay is crumbling. Will liberal democracy go with it?

  

• Emily Tamkin The Holocaust survivor writer who can help us through this ominous era

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  4 Jewish Things in the SOTU

  It will be President Obama’s first State of the Union address in his second term and White House leakers are already promising an aggressive speech, designed to push Republicans ahead of the upcoming battle over budget sequestration cuts. It will also be a chance for Obama to outline a vision for his second term and…

  By Nathan Guttman Feb 12, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Losing a Dad, Gaining a Voice

  When I found myself having a long and enjoyable phone conversation with one of my daughter’s peers and former classmates, it was with a sense of genuine surprise and delight. But it was bittersweet as well. I was speaking with Sami Rahamim of St Louis Park, Minn., who was in my daughter’s class at Heilicher…

  By Beth Kissileff Feb 12, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Pope Benedict Leaves Behind Mixed Record of Relations With Jews

  With his resignation announced this week, Pope Benedict XVI opened the door both to reflection on his contributions to Catholic-Jewish relations and to concerns about where his unknown successor will lead the church. Benedict brought to his position a formidable intellect — one, however, most inclined to focus on complex theological ideas. This has shaped…

  By Ruth Langer Feb 12, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  How Not To Close Digital Divide

  A powerfully reported story published in last week’s edition of the Forward by our Josh Nathan-Kazis detailed how ultra-Orthodox groups in New York City were exploiting a federal program meant to help poor schools and libraries. The article has prompted two glaring questions. Why is a program that dispenses $2.5 billion a year of our…

  Feb 11, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Two Ways To Die

  The stories of Ariel Sharon and Happy Fernandez are a study in contrasts. Sharon, as we all know, is being kept alive in an Israeli hospital seven years after suffering a massive stroke. He was prime minister at the time, had just dramatically pulled Israel out of Gaza and founded a new centrist political party,…

  By Jane Eisner Feb 11, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Institution of Chief Rabbi Has Outlived Its Usefulness

  Finally, after more than a year of deliberation, the United Kingdom has chosen Ephraim Mirvis to be its new chief rabbi, replacing Lord Jonathan Sacks. Actually, much of that sentence isn’t correct. It isn’t “the United Kingdom” that chooses the chief rabbi. For all its pretensions to established status, the chief rabbinate has only a…

  By Keith Kahn-Harris Feb 10, 2013 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Gun Lobby’s Jewish Enemies List

  The National Rifle Association compiled a list of its enemies and it reads like a Jewish who’s who list. The list, prepared by the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action includes 506 individuals, organizations, media outlets and corporations that “have lent monetary, grassroots or some other type of direct support to anti-gun organizations.” The groups listed…

  By Nathan Guttman Feb 8, 2013 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish Day Schools’ Dirty Little Secret

  Two annual events in the Jewish community took place this week — the North American Jewish Day School Conference and the start of Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month. Perhaps not coincidentally, despite the fact that the Day School conference is the largest in history with more than 1,000 educators and supporters gathering in Washington, it does…

  By Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi Feb 8, 2013 | 4 min read