In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Can Labor Turn Defeat Into Victory?
The leader of Israel’s Labor party, Shelly Yachimovich, met with President Shimon Peres, and reiterated her resolve to sit in opposition. “Our commitment to the national interest comes before all else, we are thinking of the good of the country and re-starting the peace process,” she told Peres, adding: “That support we will be able…
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Opinion 4 Jewish Things at the Chuck Hagel Hearing
Chuck Hagel will step into the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday morning to face what is expected to be the toughest grilling any Obama nomination has yet to encounter. It will be long, grueling, and could easily draw some sweat from the Vietnam veteran sitting across the room from his former Senate colleagues. But at…
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Opinion How We Got It Wrong
David Remnick wasn’t the only journalist to inaccurately forecast the outcome of the January 22 Israeli election, but because he is arguably one of the best practitioners of his craft, his mistaken prediction really stung. In a 9,000-word piece on the ascendant religious right, published in The New Yorker just before the election, Remnick confidently…
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Opinion Hamas Accepts 2 States, ’67 Borders: Report
Zvi Barel, Haaretz’s impeccably cautious Middle East commentator, reports (might be paywall; here is the Hebrew original) that Hamas secretary general Khaled Meshaal has agreed to accept a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state alongside Israel based on the 1967 borders. This follows talks in Amman this week between Meshaal King Abdullah of Jordan. Barel…
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Opinion The Cartoon and Anti-Semitic ‘Mission Creep’
When it comes to cartoons, it’s usually Muslim fundamentalists that throw hissy fits. But, in a turn of events, some of our storied communal defenders, Abraham Foxman and Marvin Hier among them, have been taking the lead. Indiscriminately tossing around accusations of anti-Semitism, our fearless leaders have attacked at least three editorial cartoonists over the…
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Opinion Jewish Day Schools Need Security Rethink — Now
The horrific murder of 20 small children and six adults at an elementary school in the quiet suburb of Newtown, Conn., was a jolting reminder of just how vulnerable our schools remain. Practically overnight, parents around the country demanded that schools significantly improve their security, and administrators began the process of deciding what changes needed…
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Opinion British Lawmaker’s Holocaust Day Shame
Prior to Holocaust Memorial Day — officially commemorated across Europe on Sunday — a Book of Commitment was placed in the British House of Commons for Members of Parliament to sign. The purpose of this simple act is to “publicly commit both to remembering the Holocaust and to working towards a future in which prejudice…
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Opinion Israel’s Shooting Star Yair Lapid May Quickly Crash Back to Earth
Is there a future for Yesh Atid (There Is A Future), the party that was the surprise star of the recent Israeli elections? If past is precedent, the future of the new party is not promising. The history of parties that emerge suddenly out of nowhere strongly suggests that they return, in short order, to…
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Opinion 5 Jewish Things About Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal turns 100 this year, and the party kicks off February 1 with celebrity appearances, musical entertainment and vendor promotions, including vintage 1913 prices at selected shops in the terminal. But six-cent loaves of rye bread at Zaro’s aren’t the only Jewish connection to the famed station. Here are five Jewish things to…
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Opinion Did Israel Want Ethiopians on Birth Control?
More questions are raised than answered with an Israeli government official’s letter on the birth control scandal in the country’s Ethiopian community. Health Ministry Director General Ron Gamzu has instructed HMOs to stop injecting women of Ethiopian-born women with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera. The background is that last month an Israeli television report alleged that…
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Opinion The Oscar Goes to — Israel’s Dirty Laundry
This is a big year for Israel at the Oscars. After a half-century of snubs and near-misses, Israel’s film industry stands its best chance ever of taking home the statuette. Of the five best documentary nominees, two are Israeli. Unfortunately, many Israelis aren’t celebrating. Both nominees are about Israeli-Palestinian relations, and both make Israel look…
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