Opinion

• Opinion

  Born in Jerusalem, Israel?

  On the floor of the Democratic National Convention, former Ohio governor Ted Strickland, chair of the party’s platform committee, proposed the tardy insertion of language affirming that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, with a declaration that “President Obama recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” The chair of the Democratic National Committee, Representative Debbie…

  By Nathan Lewin

  3 min read
• Opinion

  Norman Finkelstein Was the Moderate on Panel

  The New School’s program, “The Jewish-American Relationship with Israel at the Crossroads,” raised my suspicions for two reasons: the one-sided composition of its panel and its scheduling from 4 to 6 PM on a Saturday afternoon. Was this meant as a deliberate slap at pro-Israel and religious Jews, I wondered? The announced panel featured the…

  By Ralph Seliger Oct 7, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Pitting Family Against Politics in Ohio

  I’ll forever remember Gene Wilder in the 1979 movie “The Frisco Kid.” He plays a Polish rabbi newly arrived in America in the days of the Wild West. In the first scene, he sees some Mennonite farmers dressed as he is, in black hats, and, overjoyed and relieved, he mistakenly calls out: “Landsman!” The grown-ups…

  By Austin Ratner Oct 7, 2012 | 5 min read

Columnists View All

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

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman There’s a shocking new report on civilian deaths in Gaza. If only it were accurate.

  

• Nora Berman Is Netflix’s new show the most Jewish cartoon ever?

  

• Dan Perry Israel’s new gift to the far right could help end the Gaza war

  

• Emily Tamkin Entering motherhood — and an obsession with the works of an Italian Jewish literary hero

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Live Blogging Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly

  Despite the widespread system failures that deprived thousands of viewers live streaming footage of the Bill O’Reilly vs Jon Stewart smackdown your Forward live blogger was here glued to a computer that was working and plugged in and was live blogging it. 7:45 Tension is mounting as the first entertaining debate of the presidential election…

  By Dan Friedman Oct 6, 2012 | 7 min read
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  Opinion

  New Cause for Muslim Leaders: ‘Defamation’

  Something serious happened at the United Nations this September, and it should be getting a lot more attention than it’s gotten. A string of Muslim heads of state rose before the General Assembly at its annual summit and demanded that America and the West substantially abridge their notions of freedom and human dignity. What they’re…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 5, 2012 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Watching the Debate in a Swing State

  At the Republican debate watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida, Romney supporters were exulting. At the Democratic debate watch party ten minutes away, Obama supporters were getting into shouting matches with Republicans. The Democratic event, hosted by the Obama campaign in Florida, was held at a sports bar on a main drag in downtown…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Oct 4, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  The Jewish Sulzberger

  In the many thousands of words written in The New York Times about its venerated longtime publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, who died on Sept. 29 at the age of 86, not a one mentioned his Jewish roots. Sulzberger’s paternal grandparents hailed from prominent Jewish families — one Ashkenazic, one Sephardic — and his father, Arthur…

  Oct 4, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  Missing Contributor

  The October 5 article, “Haggadah Editor Admits Using Another’s Texts,” identifies three of the four contributors to the Haggadah: Jeffrey Goldberg, Lemony Snicket and Nathan Englander. It failed to mention the fourth contributor, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, who, as a MacArthur Fellow, National Jewish Book Award Winner, Koret Prize winner, and author of nine books, is…

  Oct 4, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  An Oversimplification

  In his apparent drive to combat the real-world problem of anti-Semitic bias, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen (“Fuel for the Days of Rage,” September 28) seems unfortunately — and ironically — oblivious to his own counterproductive stereotyping of another group: “political Islamists.” Without defining the term, he glibly suggests that those so identified seek, as an “annihilative…

  Oct 4, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  An Offensive Ad

  You have accepted an ad from the Republican Jewish Coalition (September 14 edition) that is loaded with innuendo and advances the name calling and rumor mongering that often characterize this political campaign season. The ad from Republican Jews is just one step from libel, but it makes it all the way to vulgar and demagogic….

  Oct 4, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Opinion

  Some More Snap Thoughts on the Debate

  Was tonight’s debate a turning point in the campaign? Republicans believe it was, and that’s important. Republicans believe Romney won and they’re energized. The money that was fleeing Romney in the last several weeks is going to come back. Romney’s campaign was collapsing until tonight, and now it’s not collapsing anymore. He’s got a second…

  By J.J. Goldberg Oct 4, 2012 | 2 min read