In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Israel has become a defining fact of Jewish life for Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews alike
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently made an urgent plea to global leaders: “If you don’t help us now, if you fail to offer a powerful assistance to Ukraine, tomorrow the war will knock on your door.” The war is already knocking. Ukrainians — especially women and children — are fleeing their cities, enduring unimaginable risks….
In 1911, my grandpa Jake was born in the small Hungarian village of Torun in the Carpathian Mountains. While he was still a child, the village became a part of Czechoslovakia, and after World War II, it fell within the borders of Ukraine. My grandpa was just a little boy when World War I broke…
In 1929, my great-grandfather was given two weeks to leave Ukraine. Soviet authorities were intent on seizing his business. My great-grandfather Avrum owned a house in Uman and a dacha— a summer home — in Crimea. He was a NEPman— one of the successful traders who sprung up under the New Economic Policy of the…
“Sure, I do interfaith marriages, but I have conditions,” the portly rabbi said, as he guided us to the two worn leather chairs in front of his desk. Then he sat down and clasped his hands together. A few weeks before, on a warm summer afternoon, my fiance Chris had popped the question at the…
At our table, we savored the plates of hummus, pita and shakshuka. It brought back wonderful memories of Jaffa and Jerusalem, places I haven’t been in a long time. My friends, colleagues and I, 11 of us in total, chose to go to Miriam restaurant as an act of friendship and solidarity with the Jewish…
BERLIN (JTA) – I watch what is happening in Ukraine and I feel helpless, scared for the state of the world, terrified for my friends and former students and anxious about the future of the place that I called home for nearly four years of my life. When I first arrived in Ukraine 12 years…
I’ve always viewed myself, growing up with an Indian Jewish mother, as an experimental new dish added to the menu of life. Add one cup of challah, another cup of sari’s and chutney, a dash of Germanic roots and blend vigorously until you get one enthusiastic and occasionally confused me. I have not always appreciated…
In a recent HBO special, superstar NBA player and coach Amar’e Stoudemire is seen by millions — not dunking, but davening. He followed that by making headlines in the Jewish world, announcing he’s ready for a shidduch and to remarry. Not to be outdone, another celebrity — top-selling rapper and producer Nissim Black — last…
(JTA) — If I have learned anything over the past month, it is that racist tropes are not harmless words. They must be actively and consistently challenged. You know them and so do I. The racist tropes peddled about Jewish people are plentiful. What you may not know is that antisemitic tropes caused my friends…
Everything you need to know about George Washington and the Jews
Presidents’ Day is just plain odd
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