Opinion

• Opinion

  The Brooklyn D.A. Stonewalls

  Three weeks ago, the Forward published a story about the dramatic increase in arrests of Orthodox men for child sexual abuse in Brooklyn. The figure that the Forward published — 89 men arrested and charged between October 2009 and October 2011 — was given to this newspaper during two separate conversations with the Brooklyn District…

  By Paul Berger

  2 min read
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  Opinion

  Embargo Hampers Gross Freedom Talks

  To understand the reason that Alan Gross, an American citizen, has been languishing in a Cuban jail for the past two years, it is instructive to listen to an exchange that took place recently at a hearing of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) demanded that Wendy Sherman, undersecretary of state…

  By Arturo Lopez-Levy Dec 6, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  ‘Help Them Go Back Home’: The Response

  For my money, the response to the Israeli absorption ministry’s “Bring ‘Em Home” video campaign was a tad overblown. It’s not like tenuousness of the next generation’s Jewish identity and the fraying of ties to Israel haven’t ever come up before. Be that as it may, some of the replies have been particularly entertaining. Here’s…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 5, 2011 | < 1 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 Israelis have no idea where the Iran war is going. But they know it’s part of Netanyahu’s campaign

  

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

  

• Jay Michaelson Epstein and Iran are an antisemitism mega-crisis. Here’s what Jewish organizations should do about it. 

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Watching What We Eat

  The Thanksgiving turkey leftovers are finished or in the freezer, but a central question remains: Were you eating poultry that was stuffed not only with fresh herbs and bread crumbs, but also with antibiotics that are proven to be dangerous to humans? This is no longer an idle threat. Good research shows that up to…

  Dec 5, 2011 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  U.S. Envoy ‘Blames’ Israel for Bias (Echoing IDF)

  The long knives are out for another Jewish liberal who committed the sin of stating the uncomfortably obvious truth about the causal effect between Israeli policy and Muslim anti-Semitism. It’s a truth that has been studied by Israeli security experts and acknowledged by Israeli governments, but it runs counter to the right-wing doctrine that Israeli…

  By J.J. Goldberg Dec 5, 2011 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Only Nice Words for Obama

  You wouldn’t expect a host to say anything bad about his guest of honor. But American Council for World Jewry chairman Jack Rosen was especially gracious about the message delivered by President Obama at a fundraiser held at Rosen’s Manhattan home. “He made, I think, a solid case for having stood with Israel on the…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Dec 4, 2011 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  It’s Time for Dialogue With Hamas

  I was not in Stockholm in 1988. More precisely, I had declined an invitation to join what turned out to be a five-person delegation of American Jews who flew to Stockholm to meet with Yasser Arafat. I had cogent reasons for demurring, but I applauded the gumption of the five who went, and was pleasantly…

  By Leonard Fein Dec 4, 2011 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Dissenting Opinion on ‘Aba-Gate’

  This is a difficult moment for American Jews. To wake up and discover, as did the Forward’s Gal Beckerman, that the Israeli Ministry of Absorption is actively trying to convince Israeli expatriates living in the U.S. that they should come back to Israel by dramatizing the risk of assimilation of their kids and grandkids —…

  By David Hazony Dec 2, 2011 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Occupy Protests Show Radical Potential

  At the end of a long day of peaceful demonstrations in Oakland this past November, a few hundred protesters — many wearing masks or covering their faces with bandanas — massed for a night of rage, smashing windows, chucking rocks and sparking bonfires. In the aftermath, the city’s police chief described the perpetrators as “generally…

  By Thai Jones Dec 2, 2011 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Robin Hood in Reverse

  Senator Tom Coburn, Republican from Oklahoma, votes with his party far too often for our taste on issues such as abortion (he’s against it), gun control (ditto) and tax cuts (he’d keep them). But the medical doctor from Muskogee is admirably willing to challenge the GOP presumption that the very rich can’t possibly pay a…

  Dec 2, 2011 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Obama Trumpets Pro-Israel Record

  President Barack Obama reasserted his administration’s support for Israel to a group of donors convened by one of America’s most influential Jewish fundraisers in Manhattan Tuesday night. “I try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than…

  By Josh Nathan-Kazis Dec 1, 2011 | 2 min read