Opinion

• Opinion

  Abbas vs. Netanyahu

  Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu once again avoided speaking to each other yesterday, as they have done for the past three years. Despite both claiming that they want to restart conflict-ending talks, there was little evidence of that in either leader’s speech to the United Nations’ General Assembly. Abbas was on the attack from the…

  By Jonathan Cummings

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  The RJC Wants to Give You An iPad 3

  Want a new iPad 3? Spend fifty hours phone banking for the Republican Jewish Coalition and the $599 model is yours. Only have forty hours? That’s okay — the RJC can still hook you up with the $499 version. RJC volunteers in California, Washington, New York and Florida who rack up phone banking hours between…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Sep 28, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  France Confronts Sins of Past — And Present

  Despite its claim as une ville fleurie (city of flowers), Drancy is a dim and dreary northern suburb of Paris. This was fitting, however: President François Hollande was there in late September to address the town’s grim role as the transit camp for French and foreign Jews to Auschwitz, and the burden this past places…

  By Robert Zaretsky Sep 28, 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 Pro-Palestinian protesters are suddenly supporting Iran. They might want to talk to some Palestinians

  

• Nora Berman Did Netanyahu coerce Trump into attacking Iran? No — but he tried with Obama

  

• Dan Perry For Trump and Netanyahu, statecraft is now synonymous with stagecraft

  

• Emily Tamkin Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

The Latest

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  Books

  Mulling Over Monica Lewinsky

  When word leaked out in late September that Monica Lewinsky was writing a tell-all book, the story shot to the top of the “most read” list on our website within hours. We reported that, according to the New York Post, Lewinsky — the world’s most famous, and infamous, White House intern — had secured a…

  By Jane Eisner Sep 27, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Bronx Cheer for Anti-Muslim Subway Ads

  A day after anti-Muslim ads appeared in 10 subway stations across New York City, they got the ultimate Bronx cheer. At least five of the ads, which read “Support Israel. Defeat Jihad,” were marked with stickers denouncing “racism” and “hate speech” on Tuesday. Critics of the campaign sponsored by Pamela Geller and the American Freedom…

  By Andrea Palatnik Sep 25, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Opinion

  We Don’t Do Forgiveness Well

  The High Holidays don’t work for me. I know that Yom Kippur is supposed to be the holiest day of the year, and I’ve read and listened to many great ideas about how Yom Kippur is supposed to work on supreme spiritual issues and in sanctifying relationships and community. And I’ve been trying it out…

  By Elana Sztokman Sep 25, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  The Devil You Know

  The Israeli government has approved 5,000 new work permits for Palestinians to work in Israel. The decision comes just a few days after the government released a report stating that permit allocation has increased by 40% over the last year-and-a-half, meaning that today 32,000 Palestinians earn their living in Israel. The ability of Palestinians to…

  By Nathan Jeffay Sep 25, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Real Friends Are Honest — Even With Israel

  During his July experiment with international diplomacy, Mitt Romney’s encomium about the Israeli health care system provided a delicious illustration of one of our few remaining bipartisan sports: pandering to all things Israel. “Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of GDP in Israel? Eight percent,” Romney intoned. “You spend 8%…

  By Ken Schechtman Sep 25, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Ban Kippahs, Madame Le Pen?

  Aside from the latent anti-Semitism that motivates the European political fringe, there are two possible explanations for why Marine Le Pen felt it necessary to explain that if France is to proscribe the hijab or chador in the public square as she favours, “it is obvious that we must ban the kippa.” She added that…

  By Liam Hoare Sep 24, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Sheldon’s Latke Envy

  What’s a few million among friends? Sheldon Adelson says he doesn’t remember the size of the first check he cut this election cycle. “I gave 5 million or 10 million – I forget – to Newt Gingrich,” the Jewish mega-donor told Politico in a rare interview published last night. (A reminder, Mr. Adelson: It was…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Sep 24, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Swinging the Chicken for the First Time

  When I was growing up in the 1960s on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, “awe” was a word to be memorized for spelling tests. My High Holy Day memories were of new patent leather shoes, Lichtman’s round raisin challah dipped in honey and a synagogue service that was more “night at the opera” than a meeting…

  By Carol Ungar Sep 24, 2012 | 3 min read