Opinion articles that represent the views of the Forward’s editors.
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Opinion Why the Mikveh Scandal Cuts So Deep
The sordid story of the Washington rabbi accused of spying on naked women in his synagogue’s ritual bath is more than just a local scandal, an Orthodox scandal, a conversion scandal. It is a Jewish scandal, tearing deep into the heart of a religious hierarchy that is dominated by men who are rarely held to…
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Opinion Take Sex Assault Probes Off Campus
What happens when institutions or communities don’t want to properly investigate allegations of sexual abuse for fear that it will harm their reputations or expose their powerful? We cry for reform, and in this case, reform means going outside. So U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York introduced the Military Justice Improvement Act earlier this…
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Opinion How Rudy Giuliani Got ‘Klinghoffer’ Right
Never thought I’d say this, but Rudy Giuliani got it right. The former mayor of New York laid out a principled, informed stand against the controversial opera “The Death of Klinghoffer,” arguing that the murder of a disabled American Jew is presented in a way that glorifies and excuses terrorism. I don’t agree with Giuliani’s…
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Opinion Tale of Two Sermons on Israel
After a brutal, confusing summer of fighting between Israel and Hamas, many American rabbis were supposedly skittish about talking about Israel from the pulpit. Why, even The New York Times reported on this rabbinic reluctance: “Debate among Jews about Israel is nothing new, but some say the friction is now fire,” Laurie Goodstein wrote on…
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Opinion Finding Hope in Images of Sarajevo
I went to the opening of the modest but powerful exhibit “Survival in Sarajevo” in Manhattan on October 7 hoping for a hint of optimism about Jews, Muslims, Christians and co-existence after such a brutal summer. It was there — in well-meaning speeches, poignant images and a genuinely inspiring story about Jewish goodness. But lurking…
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Opinion Two Bad Speeches — and Scant Hope for Peace
Well, that was helpful. If you were the leader of your people and you really wanted to extend a hand to your enemy, you wouldn’t call him a racist. And genocidal. You probably wouldn’t want to say that this enemy assassinated thousands of children, devastated homes and schools and destroyed the dreams of a generation….
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Opinion Haredim and Hollywood
We never thought we’d say this, but there is a dangerous similarity between children raised in the wealthy, sun-soaked Los Angeles enclave of Westside and children whose families follow an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who runs a prominent yeshiva in Philadelphia. Both are victims of their parents’ misguided decision to bypass science and civics by ignoring the…
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Opinion An Unlikely Friendship Between 2 Men of Letters
Tony Auth, the award-winning editorial cartoonist, died Sunday of brain cancer, way too soon at age 72. The obituaries lauded the way he employed artistry, intelligence and biting humor to his running commentary on the day’s news. They speak of his ceaseless devotion to craft, his fierce political independence, and the kindness he showed other…
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News Orthodox Jewish groups have been quiet about ICE. This Minneapolis rabbi wasn’t.
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Fast Forward NJ church deletes video of pageant featuring antisemitic character but says critics took it ‘out of context’
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Culture A new exhibit honors writer Lore Segal, a child survivor and lifelong skeptic of easy truths
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