This is the Forward’s coverage of the continent of Europe and its Jews.
Europe
The Latest
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Fast Forward Scandinavia Health Chiefs Resist Circumcision Ban
Resisting calls to ban the non-medical circumcision of boys, the governments of Norway and Denmark have taken steps to preserve the practice’s legal status. Norway’s health ministry has submitted a bill that proposes placing some limitations and fees on ritual circumcision but not banning it outright, while Denmark’s health board issued guidelines stating that the…
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Fast Forward Austrian Candidate Who Called Nazis ‘Liberal’ Quits Race
A far-right Austrian candidate for a seat on the European Parliament withdrew from the race over remarks in which he called Nazi Germany more liberal than the E.U. Andreas Moelzer, a candidate from the far-right Freedom Party, withdrew his candidacy on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Austrian Jewish leader Oskar Deutsch, president of the Federation of Jewish…
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News Norway Nurses Back Ban on Ritual Circumcision
The Norwegian Nurses Organization reported the plea in an interview with its director, Astrid Grydeland Ersvik, which was posted Tuesday on the organization’s website. “We need to gain acceptance for setting a minimum age limit of 15-16 years for circumcision, so that the boy himself can decide,” Grydeland Ersvik said, outlining a presentation she made…
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Fast Forward European Jews Fret About Rising Populist Far Right
The European Jewish Congress fears far-right gains in upcoming European elections and believes a grouping presenting itself as simply populist and eurosceptical is just as dangerous as out-and-out extremists, the EJC’s president said. Some analysts forecast that a group of anti-euro parties could capture 20 percent of seats in May’s European parliament elections as high…
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Opinion Ukraine’s Reform Rabbi Cheers Protest’s Victory
A man stands beside a military oven in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine. / Getty Images Over the weekend, the Forward contacted Ukraine’s chief Reform rabbi, Alexander Dukhovny, to ask him about how he felt seeing the months of protests on Kiev’s central square lead to a clear resolution in the president’s ouster. This is…
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Fast Forward British Orthodox Candidate Refuses To Shake Hands
An Orthodox Jewish candidate for the European Parliament has caused a stir by refusing to shake women’s hands. Shneur Odze told the members of the right-wing populist UK Independence Party, or UKIP, that he will not shake women’s hands due to his religious beliefs, which proscribe physical contact with any woman other than his wife,…
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Opinion Anti-Semitism? Self-Segregation Isn’t the Answer
Anti-Semitism in Europe is, once again, making headlines. In Paris, crowds sang, “Jews, France is not yours” at an anti-government protest last month. In Rome, a right-wing extremist mailed three pig heads to major Jewish sites, and Italy had its own anti-government protest — complete with anti-Semitic slogans — a couple of months ago. Plus,…
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Opinion Academic Freedom — Not Boycotts — Should Be Focus of Israel Academia Debate
The uproar in the Jewish community over the American Studies Association’s vote to boycott Israeli universities has largely overlooked one point: Are we, who oppose these sorts of boycotts, truly committed to academic freedom for people of all views on the Israel-Palestine conflict? Of course there are reasons, aside from academic freedom, to oppose the…
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News No Jews allowed: White supremacists are building a segregated community in Arkansas, but is it legal?
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News Zohran Mamdani has represented Astoria’s Jews for 4 years. What do they think of him?
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News Curtis Sliwa has a plan to beat Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayor’s race — and it starts with apologizing to Jews
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News What Zohran Mamdani has actually said about Jews, Israel and antisemitism
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Fast Forward Melbourne protesters chant ‘Death to the IDF’ days after attacks on local synagogue, Israeli restaurant
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News He wrote the book on American Jewish history. Stepping back from teaching, Jonathan Sarna says he has plenty of chapters still to go.
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Fast Forward Trump says he didn’t know antisemitic history of ‘Shylock’ when he criticized bankers using the term
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Fast Forward Most New Yorkers deterred by Zohran Mamdani’s support for Israel boycott, but 1 in 3 see it as a boon, poll shows
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