Opinion

• Opinion

  GOP Platform Changes Little on Israel

  When it comes to Israel, the Republican Party platform is noteworthy for being more of the same. The key changes are in style and emphasis as the GOP (along with the Democrats) seek to woo pro-Israel voters. For example, the 2008 platform asserted Israel to be “a vigorous democracy, unique in the Middle East.” But…

  By Liam Hoare

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Vote Romney — It’s a Real Mitt-zvah

  There’s an early entry in the category political pin of the year. Not sure how everyone missed this pun for the first eight months of the political year, but finally someone realized that Mitt Romney’s first name can be turned into a Jewish good deed without too much trying. As the Republican National Convention officially…

  By Seth Berkman Aug 28, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Order the Veal, Sheldon

  Jewish Republicans closed Monday night at a fancy Cuban-style restaurant in Tampa’s Ybor City district. Sheldon and Miriam Adelson entered the Columbia restaurant accompanied by RJC director Matt Brooks and what appeared to be a bodyguard. Adelson, sporting a short sleeved shirt in an otherwise jacket and tie crowd, seemed at home with the many…

  By Nathan Guttman Aug 28, 2012 | < 1 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson I supported Israel’s actions in Gaza in October 2023 — not anymore

  

• Rob Eshman The staggering hypocrisy behind Trump’s deal to free the last living American hostage

  

• Nora Berman She’s a titan of Israeli architecture. Her story contains troubling lessons for her country

  

• Dan Perry It looks like Israel totally underestimated Trump

  

• Emily Tamkin This week proved it: Trump’s approach to antisemitism at Columbia is horribly ineffective

  

The Latest

• 
  Opinion

  Do No Harm

  On September 13, the New York City Board of Health is scheduled to vote on a controversial proposal that would officially define an ancient Jewish ritual practice as dangerous to an infant’s life. It would require parents to agree in writing that the ritual about to be performed on their son could lead to brain…

  Aug 28, 2012 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Adelsons Heading for Tampa

  As Hurricane Isaac rumbled ominously off the coast, two of the Republican Party’s biggest supporters were expected to touch down in Tampa for the Republican National Convention Monday. According to CNN.com, Miriam Adelson will be in attendance for Mitt Romney’s speech and other activities this week, alongside her husband, noted Republican donor Sheldon Adelson. One…

  By Seth Berkman Aug 27, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Soloveichik To Give GOP Invocation

  A fast-rising young Modern Orthodox rabbi who is in contention to be Britain’s chief rabbi will give an opening invocation at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik, the director the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and a rabbi at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York, will speak…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Aug 27, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Surviving Apartheid — and New South Africa

  My first visit to South Africa, and the impressions were jarring. I grew up in liberal America, where apartheid was a curse and a cause rather than a way of life. I knew very few South Africans, Jewish or otherwise. And then I moved to Israel, and then Nelson Mandela whooshed to president from prisoner,…

  By David Hazony Aug 27, 2012 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Touting Circumcision’s Benefits

  The American Association of Pediatrics has doubled down on its position that the health benefits of infant male circumcision outweigh the risks. But the AAP’s new policy statement, released today, stops short of recommending routine circumcision of boys. The report did warn against “mouth-to-penis contact during circumcision,” which has been linked to a seldom-performed, ultra-Orthodox…

  By Paul Berger Aug 27, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Predicting Jewish Vote for President

  The Republican Party has a death wish, and has for at least the last 32 years and longer. No, I am not talking here about the passing episodes of outright stupidity or sophomoric high jinks we have recently witnessed. I am talking about a fundamental and even willful misunderstanding of the connection between Jews and…

  By Leonard Fein Aug 26, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Keep Obama’s Rabbis

  The Republican Jewish Coalition and the Emergency Committee for Israel this week urged a group of rabbis supporting President Barack Obama’s reelection to purge members of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council from its ranks. The conservative groups claimed they were shocked by the inclusion in the “Rabbis for Obama” list of those whose…

  By Alissa Wise and Brant Rosen Aug 24, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Florida Fixation Warps Emphasis on Israel

  One of the inescapable narratives of the 2012 presidential election has been, and will continue to be, Mitt Romney’s attempts to woo a slice of Jewish voters away from the Democratic ticket. Except, of course, neither Romney nor President Barack Obama are wooing the entirety of American Jewry. Because the presidential election is determined by…

  By Liam Hoare Aug 24, 2012 | 2 min read