Twitter logo Image by Getty Images

We went there. We saw the trend on Twitter with people asking their followers about their most controversial opinions on a certain subject matter, and we wanted in on it. We did it knowing that the words “controversial” and “Judaism” could create a bit of a stir.

We considered a more softball version — what’s your most controversial opinion about challah, or Chanukah (beyond how to spell it) or, heaven forbid, bagels. But we saw other Twitter communities having thoughtful conversations and wanted to hear our diverse readers’ thoughts on the complexities of our shared religion and identity.

So we stuck with the straightforward: “What’s your most controversial opinion on Judaism?”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

It’s not like we don’t address these questions indirectly on Jewish Twitter every day. And it’s definitely not like we haven’t talked amongst ourselves about this very topic since the dawn of Jewish time. (Remember the old adage: “Two Jews, three opinions?”) Or, in this case, 700 responses in less than an hour.

And yes readers expressed their concern over us even asking the question, but what gave us pause was the amount of concern we received.

We knew we were opening ourselves up to the hate that we and other Jewish publications and individuals receive on social media each and every day. And we got a little of that. It’s an occupational hazard when you work in the media, especially at a Jewish publication. We reported it to the Twitter police, as we always do, and moved on.

But what was a surprise was the overwhelming number of Tweets criticizing us for even posing the question in the first place.

These are charged times for our community and there was a vocal group of people who viewed our question as either a ploy for clicks, in bad taste, or, even worse, an attempt to feed the trolls.

It was not a ploy for clicks — indeed, there was no article linked to the Tweet, it was just a question to provoke conversation, reflection, debate. At The Forward, we start each morning asking, “What are American Jews talking about today?” Asking this question on Twitter was a natural extension of that. Anti-Semites and bigots are a sad fact of life, and as one Tweeter (and former Forward colleague) put it, “if you let the anti-Semites dictate public conversations about Judaism, they win.”

The anti-Semites didn’t win in this case, because amidst the fracas about whether the question was appropriate were some very thoughtful personal statements on what it means to be Jewish in America today. Many frank and honest conversations soon developed.

There were also many moments of levity, with food being a common uniter (and divider).

At The Forward, we value your input and we want to keep the conversation going. As @illgirlsdontcry put it, “I also felt the act spoke of our very specific sense of humor while also prompting intellectual dialogue.”

Thank you for letting us be your kvetching board and let’s keep talking.

John Kunza is The Forward’s audience editor. Follow him on Twitter @johnkunza.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount