In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Opinion
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Opinion
My Way or the Highway
If you say that the peace process, like the Wicked Witch, is not merely dead, but really most sincerely dead, no one will argue with you. Israel and the Palestinian Authority have not had a real negotiating session since September 2010, when so-called “talks” collapsed following a so-called settlement “freeze.” The last sign of life…
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Opinion ‘The Era of the So-Called Jewish Vote Is Over’
A new survey of New York’s Jews out today suggests the advent of a much more politically conservative Jewish community that could shift the balance of local New York politics. The study, conducted by the UJA Federation of New York, knocks down old conceptions of what it means to be a New York Jew. The…
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Opinion The ‘Kosher Burrito’ Can Get Messy
Latinos and Jews are increasingly seen as new partners within the American political story. And yet, the two communities are at very different points in their communal development. Latinos, who today comprise the largest minority community (16.3%) within the United States, with some 50 million residents, are described as a political force in ascendancy. In…
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Opinion Hasidic Superstar Meets Lady Gaga — Must See
Break-dancing Hasidic robots in metal yarmulkes. The anti-Internet rally meets Toy Story in a Lady Gaga video. Those seem to be the general concepts behind this new English/Yiddish music video by Hasidic pop superstar Lipa Schmeltzer, which you really need to watch. Schmeltzer, the biggest act in the Hasidic world, is a long way from…
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Opinion Reb Shmuley’s Candidacy Challenges Jewish Voters
New Jersey Congressman Steve Rothman’s defeat in the Democratic primary on June 5 has presented the state’s 9th district Jewish voters with a choice, between a non-Jewish Democrat and his rival, a Jewish Republican. Democrats consider the district safe, meaning they do not feel it is in danger of falling into Republican hands and most…
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Opinion Free Is (Not) for Me
To use a metaphor that young people will surely understand, one could say that the challenge of Jewish educators today is to ensure that the songs they make available will be ones Jews are willing to pay to download. In the music business, some downloads are offered for free because they exponentially increase audience size,…
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Opinion Republicans Have Become Party of ‘No’
Last week, alert readers recall, we talked about the “silencing of the liberal American Jew,” the narrowing of the range of acceptable discussion in much of organized Jewish life. I hope you’ve all come prepared to continue our discussion this week. Pencils out, please. Our primary theme wasn’t the suppression of unpopular minority voices, however…
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Opinion Separate Synagogue and State
They didn’t exactly turn handsprings, but their cheering was unmistakable. “This is a historic day for Israelis and Jews around the world,” proclaimed Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly. The head of Israel’s Reform movement, Rabbi Gilad Kariv, declared that the decision is “an important breakthrough in the effort to…
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Opinion Is Adelson Poised To Donate $10 Million?
Mystery solved? Yesterday, we asked whether you remembered billionaire Gingrich-backer Sheldon Adelson, whose future political giving plans were the matter of speculation in a Politico piece. Today, Politico has an unsourced report stating that Adelson has “talked about donating as much as $10 million to [pro-Romney super PAC] Restore Our Future.” That’s a pretty heavily…
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Opinion The ‘Footsteps’ of Those Leaving Ultra-Orthodoxy
At a party for ex-Orthodox Jews last night, celebration was tempered with anxiety for those still leaving Orthodoxy, and sadness for some who hadn’t quite made it. The crowd that packed a downtown loft for Footsteps, a not-for-profit that provides services to people leaving ultra-Orthodox communities, looked from afar like those at any other Manhattan…
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Opinion Rabbis Aren’t Always the Enemy
All competent rabbinic authorities are in agreement that cases of sexual abuse should be reported to law enforcement. Agudath Israel of America nevertheless requires parents to obtain rabbinic permission before reporting abuse to authorities. Although in the overwhelming majority of cases, abuse allegations turn out to be accurate, there has been a minority of cases…
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Holy Ground A Jewish farmer broke ground on a synagogue in an Illinois cornfield. His neighbors showed up to help.
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Opinion I discovered anti-Zionism at the University of Michigan. I’m glad it lives on there
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Opinion An alarming new battleground in campus fights over Israel
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Culture An Israeli genocide scholar looks to Israel’s history to understand ‘what went wrong’
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward Writer of sitcom airing instead of Eurovision in Ireland calls broadcaster’s boycott over Israel ‘disgraceful antisemitism’
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Fast Forward At Jewish Democratic event, Jacob Frey says anti-Zionism can blur into antisemitism
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Opinion All American Jews should acknowledge Nakba Day — for Israel’s sake, and Palestine’s
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Fast Forward Jewish students wanted to bring J Street to Sarah Lawrence. Why did the student senate say no?