In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
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Opinion
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Opinion
Ready for Separation of Synagogue, State
In an earlier phase of the argument between Israel’s Orthodox sector and the rest of society, the issues that were most heatedly debated involved the status of Reform and Conservative Judaism and of their rabbis. The battles were over inequities in the support provided Reform and Conservative Judaism as compared to the lavish support provided…
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Opinion Obama Trumpets Support From Israel
One day after a New York Jewish fundraising event bought in $500,000 towards President Obama’s reelection effort, the Obama campaign has released a new video touting the president’s support for Israel, and citing praise for the president from Israeli leaders. Titled “America and Israel: An Unbreakable Bond,” the seven-minute web video intersperses Obama’s December 2011…
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Opinion Turkey Taps Jewish Star For Eurovision Song Fest
In what seems a pretty clear message to the world (“Hey, guys, we’re still the open democracy you thought we were”), Turkey has chosen a Jewish pop star, Can Bonomo, to represent it at this year’s Eurovision song contest May 22-26 in Baku, Azerbaijan. JTA’s Ron Kampeas reports that the choice has stirred some grumbling…
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Opinion Falling in Love With Dusty Treaties
One of the more surprising twists in recent Middle East punditry is a sudden surge of interest among pro-Israel hard-liners in the fine points of international law. The topic isn’t usually popular with hawks; they tend to see it as an infringement on national sovereignty, employed mainly as a club for bludgeoning Israel. Seeing it…
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Opinion A Movement Lives On
The future of the social justice movement that swept Israel last summer and fall may rest in the hands of the young woman with the red-tinted hair tucked in the corner of a cramped, noisy café in the old city of Jaffa. Stav Shaffir looks like a graduate student from anywhere, her iPhone within easy…
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Opinion At Obama Fundraiser, a ‘Shout-Out’ to Koch
At a fundraiser for Jewish supporters in Manhattan, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to military cooperation with Israel, and to the imposition of tough sanctions on Iran. The 100-person gathering on January 19 at high-end Upper East Side restaurant Daniel raised upwards of half a million dollars, according to an estimate by Alan Solow, a…
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Opinion Perry Drops Out, Boosts Newt’s New Surge
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, throwing his support to Newt Gingrich. Perry, who was trailing the rest of the Republican field in national and South Carolina polls, received less than 1% of the vote in the January 10 New Hampshire primary. But Perry did pull…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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