Opinion

• Opinion

  Are New York Jews Abandoning Obama?

  New York’s Jews aren’t overwhelmingly pro-Obama. That’s one finding in a poll released last week by Siena College, and backed up by months of similar reports from the same organization. The monthly survey of New York State voters breaks out the Jewish vote from the non-Jewish vote. The sample size of Jews is small, fewer…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis

  2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Israel’s Best Friends

  ‘I am obligated to uphold the law and preserve the settlements, and I say here that there is no contradiction between the two.” Anyone aware of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement in early June can be forgiven a despairing reaction. Only the prime minister and the dwindling number of supporters of Israel’s settlement enterprise…

  By Naomi Chazan Jun 18, 2012 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Where Is Class Consciousness?

  An absolute precondition for class warfare is class consciousness. And one of the great mysteries of American history is that with just a few transient exceptions, there has been near zero class consciousness here. Or, more precisely: The very rich have been well aware of their class privilege and have labored mightily to protect and…

  By Leonard Fein Jun 17, 2012 | 3 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 I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel

  

• Nora Berman ‘Eddington’ is full of conspiracy theories but it’s not about Jews. Or is it?

  

• Dan Perry Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  Flotilla Flub: Bibi Acted Poorly, Public Did Worse

  Israel’s state comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, in his second-to-last report before retirement, delivers a searing critique of the Netanyahu-Barak government’s handling – make that catastrophic mishandling – of the lead-up to and aftermath of the May 2010 Turkish flotilla incident. The report charges haphazard, seat-of-the-pants decision making in place of planning, consultation and staff work. Yediot…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 15, 2012 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Adelson "Limitless" Pledge Attacked…By McCain

  Jewish Billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s recent pledge to pour $10 million into the Romney campaign coffers as part of a “limitless” cash infusion has shaken up the race for campaign dollars and is now coming under fire from an unexpected front — Romney’s own supporters. Senator John McCain, who was the Republican presidential candidate in 2008…

  By Nathan Guttman Jun 15, 2012 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Lawmaker Rebuked after Invoking Genitals and Judaism

  Democratic State Rep. Lisa Brown won some local notoriety, and a temporary speaking ban from the Republican-controlled Michigan House of Representatives for invoking “my vagina” during a passionate floor speech in defense of abortion rights Wednesday. But for all the notice it garnered, Brown’s bodily personalization of the issue was just part of her broader…

  By Larry Cohler-Esses Jun 15, 2012 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Avert Your Eyes from the Big Apple!

  “Dear Jew: You are entering a dangerous place. Shield your eyes.” That’s the Hebrew-language text on a huge billboard that an Orthodox group has paid to post alongside a Brooklyn highway. The “dangerous place” is Manhattan. The danger isn’t specified, but it’s clear they’re not talking about muggings. Presumably directed at ultra-Orthodox Jews traveling to…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Jun 15, 2012 | < 1 min read
• 
  Opinion

  The Depths of Nixonland

  Will the extent of our 37th president’s anti-Semitism ever cease to shock? Just when it seems we might have arrived at the last recorded utterance of “Jew boy” (sometimes said in front of Henry Kissinger, the Jewish secretary of state), there are new tapes to endure. The latest piece of evidence to add to the…

  Jun 15, 2012 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Time To Rethink the New York Jew

  If you’re thinking that the newly released survey of New York’s Jewish population looks uncannily familiar, like you’ve seen it somewhere before, that’s because you have. The astonishing trends unearthed by UJA-Federation of New York’s researchers bear a striking resemblance to the much-reported demographic patterns currently keeping Israeli leaders awake at night. What both great…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 15, 2012 | 4 min read
• 
  Opinion

  The Fallout From Two Soldiers Holding Hands

  No one should have been surprised that a photo of two male Israeli soldiers holding hands would have gone viral and provoked a huge response after the IDF posted it on Monday on its Facebook page in honor of Pride Month. As of Tuesday evening, it had garnered 9,500 likes, 7,330 shares, and 1,360 comments….

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Jun 14, 2012 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Bomb Iran, Says Bill Kristol’s ECI

  The United States should bomb Iran today, a new advertisement released today by the Republican-linked Emergency Committee for Israel says. The ad, first posted by the website Buzzfeed, hits President Obama for failing to order military strikes on Iran. “President Obama has spent four years talking,” the narrator intones. “Iran has spent four years building.”…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Jun 14, 2012 | < 1 min read