Opinion

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  Forgotten Alaskan

  I’m surprised that the Forward, a Jewish newspaper, could have devoted a whole page to Alaska in its August 10 edition without once mentioning the great Ernest Gruening, who turned the territory into a state as one of the last territorial governors (1939-1953) and its first United States senator (1959-1969). The Vietnam War has faded…

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Occupation, Not ‘Culture,’ Holds Back Palestinians

  As a Jew of Iraqi descent living in Israel, I was taught to take prideful note of the role that my ethnic group played in building the country. ”You see that bridge?” my uncle would ask me as we watched footage of a Tel Aviv sports event. “An Iraqi Jew built it.” And when the…

  By Sari Bashi Aug 9, 2012 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Mitt’s Big Fat Jewish Wedding Snafu

  Sometimes a candidate doesn’t have to chase after the Jewish vote. It chases him. That could be Mitt Romney’s conclusion from an unusual set of events he experienced in New Jersey today. Speeding from Newark Airport to Lake Terrace, N.J., Romney’s motorcade crossed paths with a Jewish Orthodox wedding party, posing for photos with the…

  By Nathan Guttman Aug 8, 2012 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz What I learned at a Holocaust survivors’ Purim party

  

• Rob Eshman Trump is backed into a corner on Iran. Get ready for him to start blaming Jews

  

• Dan Perry Viktor Orbán may fall. Netanyahu should be next

  

• Emily Tamkin Hungary is poised to topple an authoritarian leader. American Jews have something to learn

  

• Jay Michaelson Passover’s 4 cups of meaning

  

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  Opinion

  Golden Gate Jumper Lives to Tell — and Pray

  Twelve years ago, Kevin Hines jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge, suffering from bipolor disorder and wishing to end his life. As soon as he hit free-fall his first thought was, “What have I done? I don’t want to die! God, please save me.” After Hines, who is Catholic, hit the water, he struggled to…

  By Simi Lampert Aug 8, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Sheldon’s $60M Suit Over Hooker Claim

  Sheldon Adelson has filed a libel suit against the leadership of the National Jewish Democratic Council over a claim that Adelson condoned prostitution at his casinos, Bloomberg News reported today. The $60 million complaint, filed in federal court in New York, named the NJDC, CEO David Harris, and chairman Marc Stanley, according to Bloomberg. Adelson…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Aug 8, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Free Speech Movement Hits Back

  A group of California free speech advocates is urging University of California President Mark Yudof to reject a proposal to ban hate speech at UC campuses, saying that it runs counter to the spirit of the free speech movement, which started at Berkeley in the 1960s. “We hereby remind the university of its stand affirming…

  By Naomi Zeveloff Aug 8, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Religious Freedom for Israelis, Too

  I am the son of a Yekke. My father was born in Germany. His parents escaped to Palestine in the nick of time, just before World War II broke out. Both were doctors, but they came with no Hebrew and there was no work for them. It was tough. They may have left Germany behind…

  By Yizhar Hess Aug 8, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Mitt Romney Attacks….the Kibbutz

  Maybe Mitt Romney didn’t know what he was talking about when he praised Israeli culture. The Republican presidential hopeful controversially explained during a trip to Israel last week that the country’s economic success was due to its culture. Now it turns out he’s no fan of the kibbutz. “America is not a collective where we…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Aug 7, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  We’re Nobody’s ‘Jew-Washing’ Pawns

  In his latest column, Philologos correctly parses the linguistic problems with Yitzhak Santis and Gerald M. Steinberg’s invented term, “Jew-washing.” His political analysis, alas, fails miserably. Philologos has it completely wrong when he speaks of the “anti-Semitism in boycotts of Israel.” To begin with, Santis and Steinberg did not use the term “Jew-washing” in reference…

  By Alissa Wise and Brant Rosen Aug 7, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Strange Way To Express Sympathy With Sikhs (Update)

  UPDATE: JFNA defends reference to Homeland Security grant program The Jewish Federations of North America chose an odd way to offer condolences to the Sikh community over the weekend shooting rampage that killed six people at a temple in Wisconsin. After offering its “deepest sympathy” to the victims, the JFNA claimed the mass shooting spotlights…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Aug 6, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  The Passing of Sami Rohr

  I just learned of the death yesterday of Sami Rohr, the businessman and philanthropist powerhouse behind the growth of Chabad around the world. He was also the namesake of an incredible literary prize that his children endowed in his name on his 80th birthday and that I was so grateful to receive this past year….

  By Gal Beckerman Aug 6, 2012 | 3 min read