Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of former U.S. president Barack Obama and his relationship to the Jewish community.
Barack Obama
The Latest
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Opinion Barack’s a Hit With Israeli Audience
Barack Obama had young Israelis eating out of his hand, during his speech in Jerusalem, ticking all the boxes that the audience hoped, and throwing in a few good laughs. He reiterated his commitment to Israel’s security, spoke of the importance of the missile defense systems in the south to ensure that children can “sleep…
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Opinion Meeting Obama: Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon
Moshe Ya’alon was one of the first ministers that Obama met for more than a handshake and a brief chat, as he was part of the small party that accompanied him to the Iron Dome. Moments before they viewed the installation, Obama said: “We stand together because peace must come to the Holy Land,” which…
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The Schmooze #ObamaInIsrael Has Its Own Pinterest Page
Social media loves a good diplomatic visit. Pictures abound, attempts at speaking other languages often fail, and the agonizing possibility that something will go horribly wrong — like a car breaking down, perhaps? — makes for great third party commentary. All of you avidly following President Obama’s trip to Israel this week will be happy…
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Opinion Hamas’s Not-Too-Subtle Reminder to Obama
Israelis awoke this morning to hear that four Palestinian rockets were launched towards Israel from Gaza and two had slammed in to the town of Sderot, without causing injuries. After months of quiet on the border following Israel’s Gaza operation in November, the Gaza militants who launched the rockets clearly intended to send a strong…
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Opinion Trying to Put Detainees on Obama’s Agenda
Obama went to Ramallah and held a summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today. The comments that the two men made afterwards were predictable enough – harsh criticism of Israeli settlement by Abbas along with Obama’s reiteration of his opposition to settlements; affirmation by Obama that he wants a Palestinian state along with warnings from…
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Opinion Ancient and Modern Lessons for Obama
Barack Obama’s first engagement today was a visit to the Israel Museum with an agenda that was, as the Forward’s Nathan Guttman has noted, laden with significance. So what did he actually see? He started in the Shrine of the Book, where he seemed genuinely fascinated by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Many of the documents…
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Breaking News Israeli Town Hit by Rockets From Gaza
Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed on Thursday in a southern Israeli border town that U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned in a speech on his arrival in Israel a day earlier. Police said there were no casualties but some damage in the attack on Sderot near the Gaza frontier. There was no immediate…
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Breaking News Barack Obama Faces Chilly Reception From Palestinians After Backslapping in Israel
After an effusive welcome in Israel, U.S. President Barack Obama travelled to the occupied West Bank on Thursday for talks with Palestinian leaders who accuse him of sidelining their dream of statehood. Obama flew by helicopter to the Palestinian government headquarters in Ramallah, where disillusioned Palestinians held out little hope that their moment in the…
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Fast Forward How Adams’ indictment is shaking up New York Jews
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Culture How a real-life rabbi coached Netflix’s ‘Nobody Wants This’ about making interfaith relationships realistic
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