Opinion articles that represent the views of the Forward’s editors.
Editorials
The Latest
-
Opinion Facing Up to the Fraud
When board members of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany gather next month at their annual meeting, they must seriously consider the continued leadership of their chair, Julius Berman. Berman is a rabbi, a lawyer — first in the class of 1960 at New York University Law School — a longtime communal volunteer…
-
Opinion How the Forward Got it Right
Julius Berman, chairman of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, has responded to criticism of his leadership in an 11-page letter sent May 30 to members of his board. In the letter, he lashes out at media coverage and communal leaders who have questioned his handling of a 2001 letter that could have…
-
Opinion Breadwinner Moms
Suddenly there’s a new term in our social lexicon to describe a trend both exciting and challenging: the breadwinner mom, the mother who is either the sole or primary breadwinner in her family. In 1960, only 11% of American households fit that description. Now, a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census data puts the…
-
Opinion The ‘Unaffiliated’ Danger Within
Is the “unchecked growth of Jewish fundamentalism” the greatest existential threat to the fabric of American Jewish life? Our columnist Jay Michaelson seems to think so. In a passionate (some might say incendiary) column on these pages last week, Michaelson called on mainstream Jewish organizations to distance themselves from the ultra-Orthodox fundamentalist leaders who he…
-
Opinion A Moral Responsibility
In November 2010, when the Manhattan U.S. attorney announced the arrest of 17 Brooklyn residents on charges that they bilked the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany out of many millions of dollars, he minced no words. This was “perverse and pervasive fraud,” said prosecutor Preet Bharara. The leadership of what is known as…
-
Opinion Food and Faith
Five years ago, what was considered the largest immigration raid in American history trained a harsh spotlight on abusive conditions for workers and animals at the nation’s biggest kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant. The raid on Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, and the subsequent conviction of its owner on federal financial fraud brought more than…
-
Opinion A Bronx Fire, Rekindled
It was just another fire story. Cities are riddled with them: images of flames gushing from an aging building, firefighters scrambling to contain the blaze, neighbors agape, traffic rerouted, burnt holes created in the crowded urban landscape. This story appeared in the New York papers May 2. A five-alarm fire devastated a block of small…
-
Opinion The Case for a New Kotel
To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the demise of a bold plan to provide equal space for egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem are greatly exaggerated. But that doesn’t mean they may not become true. Which is why it is so important that American Jews find every bit of common ground they can…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Theater Why is everyone laughing at Anne Frank?
- 2
Opinion It’s time for the pro-Palestinian movement to make a radical change
- 3
Film & TV How a complete unknown created one of the most iconic music events of the 1970’s
- 4
News Should synagogues remove the Israeli flag from bimahs now? How a New York shul made the decision
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Prominent Jewish figures call for sanctions on Israel: ‘The ceasefire must be the beginning, not the end.’
-
Opinion I was a villain on ‘Love is Blind.’ The antisemitic backlash brought me back to Judaism
-
Fast Forward Every Friday for 26 years, this rabbi has circled Manhattan to inspect the eruv — even missing the birth of his 13th child. Now, he’s getting help
-
Fast Forward Northwestern can legally block enrollment for students who boycotted antisemitism training, federal judge says
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
