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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Ripples, Circles and Why PREPENT?
Rabbi Amichai’s Welcome Note Imagine throwing a stone, gently, into the middle of a quiet lake. The stone sinks and the ripples ripple out, one by one, until the lake is once again calm. Sometimes I am the stone, the ripples, the lake. Each perfect circle creates another, each spin expands into the next, and…
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Introducing PREPENT 2017 with Lab/Shul’s Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie
Lab/Shul Presents: PREPENT 2017/5778 40 Circles of Return High Holy Days Blog 2017/5778 August 23rd — September 30th Start your new Jewish year with life refocused and recharged, powered by PREPENT, Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s forty daily doses of inspirational spins for self-reflection and renewal. This year Rabbi Amichai is partnering with his friend and longtime…
The Latest
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Where In The World Are Jared And Ivanka?
In an August 15 speech, the President of the United States equated actual American Nazis with liberal counter-protestors. Throughout his campaign and his nascent administration, President Donald Trump has ideologically and materially aided neo-Nazis and other hate groups with anti-Semitic goals and values. When asked if he thought the alt left was the same as…
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We Need To Talk About Child Marriage
As I have every August in recent years, I am busy preparing my children to return to school. While I am excited for them to continue learning and growing, I can’t help but think about the millions of children—especially girls—in other parts of the world who are denied the right to an education. Tragically, many…
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Upset About Charlottesville? Stop Demonizing Zionists.
The process of the dehumanization of Zionists — which in this context (and most contexts) is interchangeable with Jew — has been a long one in our current culture. It has existed as an idea within the ranks of the KKK since its early days and continues today in various corners of the political spectrum….
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Israeli Trump Backer: Both Sides At Fault In Charlottesville
As the “Republican Leader” cited by your paper, I strongly protest your use of the August 14, 2017 headline “Israeli Trump Backer Suggests ‘Leftists’ Set Up Deadly Charlottesville Car-Ramming.” This is journalism at its yellowist, and a gross misrepresentation of the thrust of my comments. You should be embarrassed. First, I shouldn’t have to clarify…
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As Jews, Dreamers Are Our Children, Too
Five years ago, the US government began implementation of President Obama’s 2012 executive order deferring deportation for US residents without papers who were brought here by their parents as children. The order came about after the proposed Dream Act, which would have given legal status to those same immigrant children, failed to pass Congress. In…
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Fighting What The Nazis Fear
“Prophetic resistance is only possible for those who still dream. You must be able to dream to see justice in the midst of it all.” — Rev. Dr. Traci Blackmon at interfaith rally in Charlottesville, VA August 11, 2017 On one side of us hundreds of white supremacists were shouting “You will not replace us”…
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Three Vital Life Lessons I Learned From My Jewish Fraternity
The following is adapted from an address Daniel Elbaum delivered at Alpha Epsilon Pi’s 2017 International Convention: Every fraternity story that I have ends the same way. “Thank God, there were no smart phones then.” While that remains true, after holding senior positions at two major Jewish organizations, I find myself thinking back with gratitude…
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Over 100 Rabbis Denounce The Death Penalty
We, the undersigned Rabbis across denominations, express our opposition to the use of the death penalty in America. As Jews and citizens, we believe that governments must protect the dignity and rights of every human being. By using the death penalty, our country fails to live up to this basic requirement. Too often, the wrong…
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WTF: Is It Against Jewish Law To Be Fat?
Editor’s Note: In this series, What the Forward?, we attempt to shed light on confusing Jewish customs, questions and observances. A version of this article originally appeared in the Texas Jewish Post. Q: I know rabbis that are quite obese, and I just don’t get it. I mean, doesn’t the Torah command us to be…
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