Scribe, the Forward’s curated contributor network, is a place for showcasing personal experiences and perspective from across our Jewish communities. Here you will find a wide array of reflections on Jewish issues, life-cycle events, spirituality, culture and more.
Community
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You say matzah — and matzo and matzuh and matzee and more
Readers respond to our editor-in-chief’s column about a Passover copy-editing conundrum
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MeToo: Academia Has Its Fair Share Of Sexual Predators
When I was a graduate student I met a professor at a conference overseas who attended my panel and showed interest in my research. He offered to read my work and provide constructive feedback. Several weeks later he told me he was coming to the country I lived in for a conference and asked if…
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Want ‘Official Israel’ To Respect You, Diaspora Jews? Here’s How To Make It Happen.
Israel boasts that it is the Jewish homeland. A home for all Jews. It declares solidarity and inclusion that in reality it fails to deliver. A perfect example of this gap was demonstrated in the Cabinet meeting on June 25, 2017. The topic of the meeting was Israel-Diaspora relations, and Natan Sharansky, chairman of the…
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The LIU Anti-Semitism Conference and Its Implications for New York’s Jews
On September 13, 2017, I was privileged to attend a conference at LIU Post on the State of Anti-Semitism. It was called by congressman Steve Israel because of the “alarming 86 % rise of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017,” according to the Anti-Defamation League, both on Long Island and around the country. It was attended by…
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This Long-Forgotten Book Is The Key To Understanding Donald Trump
Doing research for a history of theories of anti-Semitism, I recently read a long-forgotten book published in 1949, “Prophets of Deceit: A Study of the Techniques of the American Agitator.” It decodes Donald Trump more acutely than anything published since his election. Since it is so unknown, it is different from the other titles that…
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MeToo: Because Not All Nice Jewish Boys Are Nice
Somewhere out there — I think he is in Brooklyn now. This is a nice Orthodox Jewish boy — now a man. Facebook tells me that he has children, and his wife wears a sheitel, a wig. Who sodomized me against my will when I was 17 years old — 20 years ago. He was…
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Was Mayim Bialik’s New York Times Op-Ed A Smart Take Or A Shondah?
This weekend, Mayim Bialik wrote an op-ed in the New York Times entitled “Being a Feminist in Harvey Weinstein’s World.” While the piece “resonated with so many,” according to Bialik, it was also met with swift criticism for making a Hollywood tragedy all about her and perpetuating stereotypes that women are targeted because they are…
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Elie Wiesel Was No Sellout
Ron Rosenbaum’s September 29 article in Tablet Magazine, Elie Wiesel’s Secret, is an exercise in misguided sensationalism built solely on the author’s formidable powers of projection and distortion. I found it perplexing – and its subject, Elie Wiesel, with whom I worked closely for several years as his TA at Boston University – utterly unrecognizable….
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Cookies for Charity
At five years old, I watched my sister Danielle, who has special needs, ride a horse for therapy. From the first time Danielle rode the horse, her body and mind were positively impacted. My mother explained to me that insurance didn’t cover this necessary therapy which many children need, but couldn’t afford. I knew I…
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What Sukkot Teaches Us About Protecting The Dreamers
A version of this piece originally appeared in the Jewish Advocate. As the temperatures drop and the leaves begin to turn, Jews embrace the High Holiday season. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot all fell within one month of each other, and each brought with it a significant lesson. On Rosh Hashanah, we began a…
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Can Jews Be Anti-Semitic?
It might seem counterintuitive, but 8 in 10 polled respondents agree: yes, Jews can be anti-Semitic. Can a Jew be anti-Semitic? — Laura E. Adkins (@Laura_E_Adkins) October 10, 2017 What do you think? To add your voice to the conversation, email [email protected].
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Check Out These Next-Level Torah Scroll Deli Rolls
The end of Sukkot / Jewish holidaypalooza season is nigh and the holiday of Simchat Torah, a celebration of completing the annual Torah cycle, is almost upon us. Traditionally, Jews celebrate by dancing with Torah scrolls in the synagogue — but some adventurous chefs are dancing with their Torahs and eating them, too. “Love experimenting…
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