Opinion

• Letters

  Grasping Benedict

  The essay on Pope Benedict XVI’s second volume of “Jesus of Nazareth” by Rabbi Eugene Korn evinces a mature understanding of the pope’s philosophy and theology (“Benedict’s ‘Jesus’ and the Jews,” March 18). Sadly, this is something often missed by Catholics, so it is especially gratifying that Rabbi Korn nicely captured the essence of the…

  < 1 min read
• Opinion

  In Praise of Reform Theology

  Last month, I published an opinion article in these pages arguing that Reform Judaism’s theology contributes to the sociological factors that are weakening the Reform movement in our open, pluralistic society. In my February 25 article, “The Theological Roots of Reform Judaism’s Woes,” I wrote that contemporary Reform Judaism’s pluralistic theologies and focus on individual…

  By Dana Evan Kaplan Mar 16, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Reform Judaism Isn’t an Island

  These days, everyone seems to have something to say about what they think is wrong with Reform Judaism. We have heard that the Reform movement is, at best, in stasis and, at worst, facing a significant decline in its membership rolls. Some argue that Reform institutions are insufficiently nimble and overly bureaucratic. Others point to…

  By David Ellenson Mar 16, 2011 | 3 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson I supported Israel’s actions in Gaza in October 2023 — not anymore

  

• Rob Eshman How anti-Israel rhetoric led to the killing of two in Washington, D.C. 

  

• Nora Berman How the Oct. 7 aftermath splintered the New York Dyke March

  

• Dan Perry It looks like Israel totally underestimated Trump

  

• Emily Tamkin This week proved it: Trump’s approach to antisemitism at Columbia is horribly ineffective

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  The Knesset’s Feminist Awakening

  Something has changed in Israeli politics. Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich found that out the hard way. Last month, Shamalov-Berkovich, a Kadima Knesset member, made some outrageous remarks about single mothers, feminists and victims of sexual harassment. Ignorance and callousness regarding mistreatment of women is nothing new — even for elected officials. What made this incident unusual was…

  By Elana Maryles Sztokman Mar 16, 2011 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Make Music, Not Boycotts

  Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has come out in favor of the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign targeting Israel. The British rock legend [recently issued][1] “a plea to my colleagues in the music industry, and also to artists in other disciplines, to join this cultural boycott.” Below, Israeli musician Kobi Oz responds to Waters’s boycott…

  By Kobi Oz Mar 15, 2011 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Video: Poking Fun at Tznius

  There’s a young Orthodox woman named Dina Mann whose hilarious new YouTube video has gone viral. In it, she impersonates a mamish chasidishe woman who takes a trip to Miami and is surprised at the pool when men arrive. You can watch Mann’s video here. For those who want to fully appreciate the Miami trip…

  By Debra Nussbaum Cohen Mar 12, 2011 | < 1 min read
• Opinion

  ADL, Reform Hit House Hearings on Extremist Islam; AJC Praises Them

  The major American Jewish civil rights organizations are reacting strongly to Rep. Peter King’s congressional hearings into American Muslim radicalization, which opened Thursday on Capitol Hill. The Anti-Defamation League issued a public statement arguing that the hearing has “engendered an unfortunate atmosphere of blame and suspicion of the broader American Muslim community.” The Religious Action…

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 11, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  A Question of Loyalty

  One person’s terrorist may be another person’s freedom fighter. Surely, Peter King knows that. The Long Island congressman essentially uses that argument as a defense when confronted by his own past support of the Irish Republican Army as it was bombing and terrorizing in the name of Irish freedom. His justification — “the I.R.A. never…

  Mar 9, 2011 | 2 min read
• Letters

  Exhibition Will Look at Jews and the Civil War

  In his March 11 column “What the Civil War Meant to American Jews,” Jonathan Sarna argues correctly for the war’s significance to the Jewish community. He is right to bemoan the fact that Jewish organizations today have largely foregone the opportunity presented by the war’s sesquicentennial to commemorate its historic impact on Jewish life. However,…

  Mar 9, 2011 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  Reports of Stereotype’s Death Are Premature

  Contrary to what Lenore Skenazy wrote in her March 4 column “Were JAP Jokes a Justification for Intermarriage?” the JAP stereotype is hardly a thing of the past. In fact, JAP jokes are alive and well among today’s young people. Look no further than “University of Michigan Pursuit of Jappiness,” a parody video of Kid…

  Mar 9, 2011 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  Liberal Judaism Needs To Find a Worldview

  The crisis in the liberal streams of Judaism is twofold (“Liberal Denominations Face Crisis as Rabbis Rebel, Numbers Shrink,” February 18). The decline of 14% of Conservative families in a decade is jaw-dropping. Yet demography is only one part of the crisis. There is also a crisis of meaning in the larger denominations of American…

  Mar 9, 2011 | < 1 min read