Sruli Fruchter, a contributing columnist to the Forward, is a rabbinical student at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and the director of operations at 18Forty, a media company exploring Jewish thought in a modern age. He studied International & Global Affairs at Yeshiva University, where he was the 100th editor-in-chief of The YU Commentator.
Sruli FruchterContributing Columnist
By Sruli Fruchter
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Opinion As a new resident of Israel, I’m learning what it means to grieve with a nation
The gulf between native-born Israelis and myself has been the most profound in the months since Oct. 7
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Opinion Oct. 7 upended my sense of safety. Studying the Exodus story is helping me reclaim it
Learning Torah about the antisemitism our ancestors faced in biblical Egypt is the only thing consoling me since the Hamas attacks
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Opinion The hostages in Gaza need our empathy, not our hot takes
There are enough politicians, policymakers and experts crafting sophisticated arguments for Israel’s next moves. For the rest of us, empathy demands more of our attention
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Opinion As a new immigrant to Israel, all I can give is my blood
I wish my blood could be enough to save Israel, to revive those murdered. But nothing I do can bring those innocent souls back.
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Opinion As we approach the High Holidays, I’m making amends for my smartphone addiction
I'm doing teshuva for choosing screens over faces
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Opinion I’m devastated by Israel’s judicial overhaul, but I’m still moving there
Israel needs us now more than ever
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Opinion As I plan my move to Israel, I fear for its future
American Jews with a connection to Israel watch the protests from afar, impassioned but powerless
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Opinion As antisemitism skyrockets, both the left and the right have abandoned U.S. Jews
I pride myself on being an unapologetic Jew. Donning a black knit yarmulke on my head, with white tassels known as tzizit flowing from the corners of my shirt, I walk through New York City with a confidence my Holocaust-survivor grandparents could never know. But now, as a 20-year-old college student living in New York…
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Culture Uh, was Taylor Swift wearing tefillin at the VMAs?
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Opinion Trump and Harris are both vague on Israel-Gaza, but in starkly different ways
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Opinion A daring attack on Hezbollah may reveal Israel’s strengths — and its most terrifying weakness
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Fast Forward Steve Witkoff, Trump’s golf buddy when would-be assassin took aim, said they became friends over a ham sandwich
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Opinion Get ready for an extraordinary example of Netanyahu’s wanton corruption
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Fast Forward Man pleads guilty to gun possession in connection with 2022 NYC synagogue threat
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News LA and Jerusalem rabbis step in as battle rages over who should run German rabbinical schools
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News Analysis: In twin speeches, expect Trump to present himself as Jews’ secular savior
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