Opinion

• Opinion

  Converts Who Changed the Church

  Fifty years ago this fall, Catholic bishops gathered in Rome for a council that would bring the church “up to date” by making it speak more directly to the modern world. After three years of deliberation, the bishops voted on and accepted statements that permitted the faithful to attend mass in their own languages, encouraged…

  By John Connelly

  7 min read
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  Opinion

  Mitt’s Note and a Prayer

  Most of the people wouldn’t have known who Mitt Romney was if wasn’t for the large entourage. But word travelled fast around the courtyard of the Western Wall that the Republican presidential candidate had arrived. The weather in Jerusalem is scorching and the atmosphere at the wall is intense, as people recite the special Afternoon…

  By Nathan Jeffay Jul 29, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Out Bibi-ing Bibi

  Mitt Romney has out Bibi-ed Bibi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is famous for saying that history is repeating itself. The way he tells it, we’re in the late 1930s, and today’s Nazis are the leaders of the Iranian regime, who threaten Israel’s future and perpetrate attacks like the recent one in Bulgaria through its…

  By Nathan Jeffay Jul 29, 2012 | 3 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

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  NYT: Health Law Worsens Doc Shortage…Not (Oops)

  Here’s an object lesson in the power of headlines to mislead: The lead headline in today’s Sunday New York Times, the paper’s most-read edition, warns: “Doctor Shortage Likely To Worsen With Health Law.” Sounds bad, right? Whatever you think of Obama and his Care, you can’t be happy if the reform results in fewer doctors…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jul 29, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Stoking Fears of ‘Other’ Obama

  Obama the Foreigner: It began back in January, and sure enough, here it is again. This is Romney in January, celebrating his New Hampshire primary win: “This president takes his inspiration from the capitals of Europe; we look to the cities and small towns of America.” And, “I want you to remember when our White…

  By Leonard Fein Jul 29, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Standing Up for Israel

  In recent days, Republican strategists and conservative mega-donors have lined up behind a campaign to distort President Barack Obama’s strong record of support for the state of Israel in hopes of winning over Jewish voters in a few swing states. I wonder what those critics would have said if they had been in the Oval…

  By Barbara Boxer Jul 29, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  What’s Israel’s Capital, Jay?

  White House spokesman Jay Carney refused to reiterate the official U.S. position that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, sparking a mini-frenzy on the internet. When questioned by reporters during a press briefing, Carney dodged a reporter’s request to clarify the policy, the Times of Israel reports. In an exchange caught on video, Carney said:…

  By Blair Thornburgh Jul 27, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Mitt’s Balancing Act

  Mitt Romney started off his overseas tour on the wrong foot, with a series of gaffes in his first stop in London. But the presumptive Republican nominee seems well aware of the pitfalls waiting ahead as he reaches Israel on Saturday night. The main point for Romney is to avoid overtly criticizing President Barack Obama…

  By Nathan Guttman Jul 27, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Boy Scouts’ Anti-Gay Stand Betrays Jewish Roots

  “What is a nice Jewish boy doing in a uniform like this?’” asked Maryland psychiatrist Alan J. Horowitz in his 1986 essay entitled “Reflections of a Jewish Scouter.” Today, almost twenty years later, it may seem like the Boy Scouts of America may be moving further than ever from Jewish values, as evidenced by the…

  By Blair Thornburgh Jul 26, 2012 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Little Israel Buzz About Romney’s Trip

  I remember the day clearly. The buzz was everywhere. Israelis were certainly suspicious, but they were fixated by Barack Obama’s visit, ahead of his successful Presidential election. Four years on, with Republican presumptive nominee Mitt Romney about to visit Israel on Sunday, the situation could not be more different. Back in 2008, the daily newspaper…

  By Nathan Jeffay Jul 26, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish Angle in Chinese Dissident’s Struggle

  My documentary “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” about a Chinese artist who fights for freedom of expression and clashes with authorities because of it, had its first public screenings in January at the Sundance Film Festival. I was wide-eyed, dazzled and overwhelmed that week, my first film festival experience with my first film: audiences clapping, countless…

  By Alison Klayman Jul 26, 2012 | 3 min read