Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of former U.S. president Barack Obama and his relationship to the Jewish community.
Barack Obama
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The Schmooze Twitter Mourns Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert, America’s most famous film critic, died yesterday at the age of 70. Every celebrity he had ever lauded with praise or declared inapt — cough Rob Schneider —rushed to give his life a thumbs up. Ebert, an avid tweeter himself, would have been proud. Saddened to hear of the passing of Roger Ebert….
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Breaking News Will Boxer Jack Johnson Win Pardon for Jim Crow Era Crime?
Civil rights activists in Texas are seeking a pardon from President Barack Obama for the late boxer Jack Johnson, an African-American convicted a century ago for the crime of taking a woman across state lines. “Here in 2013, this man shouldn’t still be carrying the stigma of being convicted,” said Leon Phillips of the Galveston…
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Opinion Barack Obama’s Speech Appeals to Israelis’ Best Instincts — and Interests
President Obama’s speech in Jerusalem was not merely a home run; it was out of the park. Few people — truth to tell, I can think of none — combine eloquence and substance as well as Obama, and the shame of it is that there was no one on base when he delivered his major…
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Breaking News Number of Israelis Who View Obama as Pro-Palestinian Drops 20%
The number of Israelis who view President Obama as pro-Palestinian dropped by 20 percent following his first presidential visit to Israel, according to a new poll. In the poll, conducted Sunday by Smith Research for the Jerusalem Post, 27 percent of 500 Israeli respondents said they considered the Obama administration more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian, 16…
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Opinion Is Barack Obama Less Pro-Palestinian?
A new poll indicates that Barack Obama’s Middle East visit left Israelis less convinced that he is pro-Palestinian. A survey conducted before the visit found that 36% of Israelis considered the president more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli. This fell a remarkable 20% to 16% in a survey published today. Smith Research conducted both surveys. Though Israelis…
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Opinion The Empathy Rule
Forty-one minutes into his powerful speech in Jerusalem, President Obama went off script. This spontaneous moment wasn’t the one replayed endlessly on cable television, when he paused to describe meeting with Palestinian young people his daughters’ ages. No, this diversion was only four words, easy to miss, but significant. It was in the “peace is…
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Opinion Can Barack Obama Turn Israel Into a Blue State — With Benjamin Netanyahu’s Help?
Of all of the gestures performed during Barack Obama’s trip to Israel, that of the president of the United States bowing to the president of the State of Israel as the former accepted the Presidential Medal of Distinction was among the more extraordinary. But even before that, there was another moment of symbolism when the…
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Breaking News Jewish Groups Push for Immigration Reform on Passover Eve
An array of Jewish groups urged President Obama and Congress to ease the path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Nineteen national groups and dozens of local groups and clergy signed on to a letter sent last Friday that was timed for Passover. “American Jews know too well the impact of restrictive immigration policies, and we…
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