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.
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.
Here is just one of the very many Tucson stories that have now become part of who we are: It is a story told by the political commentator Mark Shields, quoting his friend Allen Ginsberg, a historian in Maine: What we have witnessed (in part) is a white, Catholic, Republican federal judge murdered on his…
Two points struck us as we read the fascinating story in the January 16 edition of The New York Times detailing the reputedly intricate arrangement between America and Israel to test and unleash a computer worm that appears to have seriously undermined Iran’s efforts at making a nuclear bomb. The story quotes military and intelligence…
The speech that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered January 13 at a forum in Doha, Qatar, has been rightly lauded for its bold and direct push for governmental reform in the Middle East. Her argument was not based on a civics lesson, nor on the need to embrace democracy for democracy’s sake, but…
On January 27, the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the United Nations and much of the world will be observing Holocaust Remembrance Day. Sadly, the rhetoric of commemoration will once again be severely undercut by the international community’s wholly inadequate response to the numerous genocides that have taken place, and continue to take…
A few summers back, I took my kids up to the Kinneret to see the first kibbutz, Degania Aleph, and to visit the lakeside cemetery where the prophets of modern Israel are buried. I wanted the children to sit for a moment beside the grave of the poet Rachel, whose love song to that lake…
As word spread that Debbie Friedman was gravely ill, people around the world prayed for her recovery. Many turned to “Mi Shebeirach,” her version of the traditional Jewish prayer for healing and probably her best-known song. Our prayers and our loving song did not prevent Debbie’s death, but neither were they offered in vain. Indeed,…
Must reading on Barak’s resignation from Labor: Haaretz military correspondent Amir Oren writes today about the very complicated relationship between Barak’s defection, the retirement of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and his replacement by Yoav Galant, and the Turkish flotilla. Barak defected to save his own skin, of course. Avi Braverman and Buzhi Herzog were…
On January 17, Americans will once again commemorate the birth of Benjamin Franklin, honoring his contributions to culture, science and American independence. American Jews, perhaps, have double reason to celebrate. For Franklin (1706-1790) — in addition to being an author, editor, inventor, natural philosopher, scientist, businessman, musical-innovator, abolitionist, diplomat, statesman and Founding Father — also…
1144: 12-year-old William of Norwich, England, found dead. A priest accuses local Jews, but king’s sheriff dismisses charges, leading to uprising, canonization of William by local bishop. At coronation of King Richard II, 1189, mob turns on Jews; massacres follow in London, York. 1255: 8-year-old Hugh of Lincoln, England, found mutilated. 19 Jews executed. 1475:…
Menachem Begin is today widely regarded as one of the most effective and far-sighted statesmen in Israeli history. At one end of the political spectrum, he is fondly remembered for surrendering the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and uprooting Israeli communities there. At the other end of the spectrum, he is hailed for taking strong…
Amid the fierce and often partisan debate sparked by Sarah Palin’s use of the words “blood libel,” one thing is clear: The phrase has become increasingly detached from its historical context. For centuries, the phrase “the blood libel” — with the definite article — has been used to signify a unique false accusation against a…
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