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
Looking at Law Through Purim’s Prism
Sometimes great reservoirs of meaning reside in a single word. There is an Aramaic word that appears every once in a great while in the Hebrew Bible. It appears once in Deuteronomy, here and there in the Book of Daniel — and no fewer than 12 times in the Scroll of Esther, or the Purim…
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Opinion Seizing New Middle East Opportunities
The Egyptian uprising for freedom has appropriately received an enthusiastic response from citizens of democratic countries around the world. Of course, there are still potential pitfalls on Egypt’s path to democracy. Many worry that the military will, in the name of stability, refuse to allow needed political reforms or that the Muslim Brotherhood will hijack…
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Opinion Benedict’s ‘Jesus’ and the Jews
The second volume of Pope Benedict XVI’s “Jesus of Nazareth” has already created a splash. Even before the book’s release, numerous Jewish leaders lavished effusive praise on Benedict for the volume’s exculpation of the Jews in Jesus’ crucifixion. But is anything new here? Has Benedict broken any ground regarding how Catholics need to understand their…
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Opinion What Obama Should Say to Israelis
There’s a growing clamor for President Obama to visit Israel (and, presumably, once in Jerusalem, Ramallah as well). But there’s a bit of a problem in imagining such a visit: What would the president say? He would likely deliver a very elegant speech; that’s one of his great skills. But beyond reassuring the Israelis of…
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Opinion Sesame Hamentashn: Burt & Arnie, the Purimman’s Friends
Bert and Ernie, as portrayed by Burt (Visotzky) and Arnie (Eisen), have fun arguing over who’s got the bigger Hamentash. Coincidentally or no, one is an ordained rabbi, former PBS star, friend of Bill Moyers and author of an unlikely hot-selling 1997 re-examination of Genesis. The other is a professor of the sociology of religion,…
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Opinion Must-See TV: Hitler Learns About Scott Walker’s Fake Koch Brothers Crank Call
In this rare piece of footage, Adolf Hitler is informed about the fake Koch brothers crank call to Scott Walker.
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Opinion Obama Backs the Rebels. No He Doesn’t. The Islamists Are Coming. No They’re Not. (Forget It, Jake, This Chinatown)
I’m getting a headache trying to figure out whether or not to be mad at President Obama for his position on Libya and the Middle East’s big democratic moment. The biggest problem is that I can’t figure out what his position is. The second problem is that every time I think I’ve figured out where…
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Opinion Getting to Egalitarian
A cantor at a Conservative synagogue, Congregation Beth El in Vorhees, N.J., is featured in this video, put up by the professional organization Cantors Assembly. It’s a lovely portrayal of female cantor Alisa Pomerantz-Boro, who works at at what had been a non-egalitarian shul. The video shows how she has changed the hearts and minds…
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Letters Halachists Need To Catch Up With Science
Organ donation for the saving of a life or for the restoration of some major biological function seems to me to be quite a humanitarian and moral gesture (“Case for Organ Donation Remains Solid,” February 11). Halachists continue to consult learned scholars of ancient texts for answers. In keeping with the medical realities of 21st-century…
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Opinion Dear Congresswoman
This is addressed to the Republican members of the House of Representatives who are women. It’s not a large group — 24 to be exact — representing less than a third of all women in the House, and just shy of 10% of the GOP caucus. But they could potentially provide the decisive votes to…
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Letters Portrayal of Scholars’ Group Is Misleading
Your February 25 article, “Top Genocide Scholars Battle Over How To Characterize Israel’s Actions,” refers to the establishment of the International Network of Genocide Scholars as a “rival” organization to International Association of Genocide Scholars that in 2005 “broke away” from the latter. This is misleading. There was never a “split” from IAGS, as INoGS…
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Opinion Progressive Jews are trying out post-Zionism. There’s one big flaw in their approach
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