Opinion

• Opinion

  Human Rights Watch Calls Out the Palestinians

  In certain circles, the very name, Human Rights Watch, has become a profanity. There are those convinced that this is an organization set on attacking Israel unmercifully and disproportionately. Among these people is even Bob Bernstein who founded the group in the 1970s and recently left in protest to start Advancing Human Rights, which he…

  By Gal Beckerman

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Remember Iowa? Santorum Really Won

  Remember the Iowa caucuses? Well, there’s a new winner in Des Moines. Republican Rick Santorum claimed a delayed-reaction victory after a final count showed him ahead of frontrunner Mitt Romney by 34 votes. The original count on the January 3 election night showed Romney on top by 8 votes. But certified results found Santorum received…

  By Forward Staff Jan 19, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Jack Lew and the Power of Shabbat

  I hold two truths to be self-evident: First, the Jewish people and the world need Shabbat like never before. Second, the Torah intends for Jews — especially observant ones — to be visible, engaged in society and capable of taking on responsibility for others as opposed to just looking out for their parochial interests. In…

  By Ethan Tucker Jan 19, 2012 | 4 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

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  Opinion

  Conservativism Masks a Tolerant Tradition

  Although Jewish voters will have little direct impact on the outcome of South Carolina’s presidential primary on January 21, a culture of religious tolerance and freedom is deeply embedded in the state’s history. And it is this underappreciated aspect of South Carolina’s political culture that we see playing out in this year’s contest, especially with…

  By Jack Bass Jan 18, 2012 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Knesset Poetry Slam: She Spilled a Kos & Ran Amok

  Outrageous and, yes, hilarious: Knesset member (and onetime Arafat adviser) Dr. Ahmad Tibi got himself suspended for one week from Knesset debates (though not from votes) for reading an outrageous little poem he had made up in honor of fellow lawmaker Anastasia Michaeli. Michaeli, a member of Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, was herself suspended…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 17, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  The Quieter Upheavals

  The narrative of last September from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide is strikingly similar. The high point in Israel came September 3, when nearly half a million people took to the streets in peaceful protest against an economic system that they argued betrayed the Zionist dream. A few weeks later, the Palestinian Authority president…

  Jan 17, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Day School Numbers Not So Bad

  The Avi Chai Foundation’s newly released data on current day school enrollments has drawn attention from many, including J.J. Goldberg in a column on these pages. Like Goldberg’s, these assessments have been mostly pessimistic, a reflection of findings that show a decrease in attendance in all but the Orthodox day schools. What is missing, however,…

  By Jack Wertheimer Jan 16, 2012 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Dems: Don’t Distort Prez. Blogger Distorts That, Too

  Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent reported the unremarkable news January 7 that the Obama campaign is planning to “go on the offensive” against conservative critics of the president’s “stance on Israel.” Behind the plan, Sargent reports, is a worry that “conservatives are having some success in distorting his record.” In what was either an unconscious…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 16, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Romney Tags Obama as ‘European’

  Mitt Romney’s brilliant campaign strategy: Never ever mention Obama’s race, but find an alternative way to call attention to Obama’s fundamental alienness. So run against Obama the Europhile: “He wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society. We want to ensure that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity.” Or: “This President…

  By Leonard Fein Jan 15, 2012 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  In Defense of 15-Year-Olds Shooting M-16s

  More and more frequently, I am confronted with alarming examples of the growing chasm between Israeli Jews and American Jews. Sometimes it is the Israeli misperception of American Jewish life that rankles me. On other occasions, I am dumbfounded by the lack of understanding of Israeli realities and sensibilities on the part of American Jews….

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

  Hysterical ‘Anti-Semitic’ Claim Backfires

  The decision in late December by Rachel Kleinfeld, founder of the Truman National Security Project, a defense-oriented Democratic think tank, to sever publicly all ties with former fellow and ex-AIPAC spokesman, Josh Block, brought to an end what was an ugly episode in Washington’s Israel-focused policy community. Block had orchestrated a sloppy smear campaign against…

  By Eric Alterman Jan 13, 2012 | 5 min read