Opinion

• 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

  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

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 The 3 responses to the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack that could make Jews safer

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

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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
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  Opinion

  Confronting Abuse

  This has been the year when the historically opaque veil of secrecy about child sexual abuse has been lifted. Thanks to courageous reporting by our Paul Berger and others in the Jewish and mainstream media, the belated activity of law enforcement officials and, most importantly, the willingness of victims to come forward, Jewish institutions and…

  Dec 14, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Kippah Controversy Erupts at Orthodox College

  How Orthodox should Israel’s Orthodox university be? There’s a major controversy at Bar Ilan University about the institution’s policy of compulsory yarmulke-wearing during Jewish studies classes. It has long been policy that male students should cover their heads when studying sacred texts, though many professors turn a blind eye when they don’t. However, a recent…

  By Nathan Jeffay Dec 13, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Why I Can’t Quit B’nai Jeshurun

  “You’re taking them to BJ after what the rabbis there did?” the text message from my ex-husband read. He was referring to the fact that I’d taken my two boys to Shabbat services that morning at the Upper West Side congregation B’nai Jeshurun. And he wasn’t the only one expressing disbelief. “If MY rabbis wrote…

  By Jordana Horn Dec 13, 2012 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Shining Light on ‘Dark Money’

  New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced plans to shed light on the so-called “dark money” groups that spent millions during the 2012 election cycle. The move follows demands for regulation by good government groups – and by this newspaper. A proposed rule change that could go into effect by the 2013 elections would…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Dec 12, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Eli’s Big Blue Boost for Charity

  In this week’s issue, we profile Nechama — Jewish Response to Disaster, a not-for-profit group from Minnesota that has been helping clear debris from buildings damaged during Hurricane Sandy. We didn’t realize that the little-known group had a famous friend in the form of football superstar Eli Manning. While Nechama volunteers were working in northern…

  By Seth Berkman Dec 12, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  South Africa’s ANC Lurches Into Anti-Semitism

  In October, the African National Congress dropped all pretense and announced its support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. The declaration came at the third International Solidarity Conference, a conclave of left-wing groups that was hosted by the ANC in Pretoria and overwhelmingly endorsed the call. Baleka Mbete, ANC chairperson and former…

  By James Kirchick Dec 12, 2012 | 5 min read