Opinion

• Opinion

  Israel Needs Constitution, Not Basic Law

  Israel’s Justice Minister, Yaacov Neeman, has floated a proposal for what is known in Israel as a “Basic Law” that would streamline and codify the legislative process of the Israeli government. If it passes, by Independence Day next year Israeli kindergarteners will be chanting “How a Bill becomes a Law” — in Hebrew. Along with…

  By Yoav Sivan

  3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Force in Our Newsroom

  Being managing editor is a singular job in journalism, requiring the organizational skills of an MBA, the fortitude of a prize fighter and the patience of a pastor. For three and a half years, Lil Swanson has occupied that position at the Forward, and now, sadly, she is saying farewell. Her appointment in the fall…

  By Jane Eisner May 7, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Debated Book Illuminates Essential Truth

  I have many quibbles with Peter Beinart’s new bombshell book, “The Crisis of Zionism,” and, here and there, some substantive disagreements. But quibbles and disagreements alike pale in the bright true light Beinart casts on Zionism’s current condition — and ours. Nowhere does that light illuminate more than in a paragraph very near the end…

  By Leonard Fein May 6, 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 A US official just made history in the West Bank — did he imperil prospects for peace?

  

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

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  What the Survivor and Historian Know

  Jeff Cohen’s “The Soap Myth,” as produced by the National Jewish Theater Foundation and directed by Arnold Mittleman, has brought to life on the New York stage the inherent tensions between Holocaust historians and Holocaust survivors over facts and interpretation of facts. Time and again, survivors speak of the Nazis’ making human fat into soap,…

  By Michael Berenbaum May 4, 2012 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Evict Jews From Homes? ‘Car 54’ Did It Years Ago

  Prime Minister Netanyahu is not the first public servant to run into trouble trying to end an occupation and remove Jews from their homes. Way back in 1962, Officers Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon faced just that problem in their efforts to remove sweet old Mrs. Bronson (played brilliantly by the great Yiddish stage diva…

  By J.J. Goldberg May 4, 2012 | 2 min read
• Letters

  Getting Higher

  I have been involved for many years in substance abuse prevention. Having seen too many children start with “harmless” marijuana and go on to addiction and/or death, I was saddened to see the article, “Israeli Gas Masks Help Get You High(er),” on the front page of the April 27 Forward, which treated the issue in…

  May 3, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  A Different Way

  In regard to the article “MSA: A Radical Group or a Campus Partner” (May 4) it seems clear that each Muslim Student Association group acts independently and not necessarily in concert with those on other campuses. To be sure, there are campuses where politically motivated, radicalized groups excoriate Israel and intimidate Jewish students and others…

  May 3, 2012 | 2 min read
• Letters

  Out of Context

  “What Stirred the Hornet’s Nest” (April 27), J.J. Goldberg’s unreflective assault on my review of Peter Beinart’s book, is a perfect example of how responsible writing is not done. A few examples will suffice. He says that I believe that Judaism “mandates a xenophobic rancor” against non-Jews, when, in fact, I specifically asked whether the…

  May 3, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  What Says the Cynical Palestinian?

  A new Israeli social media meme caught my eye yesterday. Although it was in Hebrew, I felt as though I had seen a version of it in English at some point. It reminded me of the “Unimpressed Native American” meme. You, too, may have come across this meme in your Facebook feed recently. It’s the…

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

  Thoughts on Beinart vs. Gordis

  I got a chance to go to the Peter Beinart-Daniel Gordis debate last night at Columbia (you can still watch it here) and walked away with a few impressions I thought I’d share. It’s much harder to be mean to someone to their face. The tone of the Beinart book reviews have been strangely personal….

  By Gal Beckerman May 3, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Rocking the Vote?

  Will President Obama rock the vote in 2012 as successfully as Candidate Obama did in 2008? Will Mitt Romney’s attempts to woo young voters by pinning blame for their economic woes on the current administration make a dent in November’s electorate? That’s the chatter on the campaign trail in the last few weeks, at least…

  May 3, 2012 | 3 min read