“But it is to say that in our efforts to create a safer American environment for Jews, we must reckon with the ways in which our community may have inadvertently helped make it easier for these ideas to spread. At the same time that concerns among Americans about Israel’s conduct toward Palestinians have soared, space in which to rationally discuss those concerns has shrunk. When a student can face the threat of deportation for writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed; when American Jewish institutions suggest that merely considering the possibility that Israel’s actions in Gaza could be called genocidal is antisemitic; when universities are taken to court for allowing pro-Palestinian protests, public debate is stifled. And so instead of debate, we have declarations in spaces that are less beholden to civic norms. That is to say, among extremists.”

For @forward.com, I wrote about Joe Kent and why just going shh isn’t working forward.com/opinion/8140...

Antisemitism is exploding on the right but the Jewish establishment is focused on the left Obsessed with Israel, the anti-antisemitism industry is failing to confront the threat of right-wing nationalism — and, in some cases, making it worse

"Not only is the Antisemitism Industrial Complex failing to focus on the most dangerous forms of antisemitism, many of its efforts are making matters worse."

—Rabbi @jaymichaelson.bsky.social in the @forward.com

forward.com/opinion/8123...

We're forgetting the lessons of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire States have been gradually rolling back the protections that activists like Pauline Newman and Clara Lemlich bravely fought for

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, 115 years ago tomorrow, galvanized a century's worth of workplace safety laws that are now getting shredded.

Come work with me at @forward.com! We're looking for a managing editor to work with our phenomenal team.

Just pubbed @forward.com – an exclusive interview with AJ Edelman, the Israeli Olympic bobsled captain, who pulled no punches defending the ill-fated switch that got his team disqualified.

Read here: forward.com/news/sports/...

An Arizona cemetery now requires mourners to leave before burial. A rabbi plans to sue. Jewish families say a Scottsdale cemetery’s new policy requiring loved ones to leave before a casket is lowered disrupts a core burial ritual

A new safety policy at an Arizona cemetery requires families to leave before a casket is lowered into the ground. Jewish clergy say the policy interferes with a core religious ritual, and one local rabbi is preparing a lawsuit.

We're losing the fight against antisemitism. Here's how to turn the tide The old ways aren't working. That doesn't mean that hope is lost

Unlike some people whose names are Bret, I don’t think the answer is to give up on the fight against antisemitism and only invest in Jews, but instead to think more about how antisemitism interacts with the rest of society. For @forward.com forward.com/opinion/8072...

In the aftermath of Oct. 7, many rush to paint the pro-Palestinian movement in the U.S. as supporters of Hamas terrorism — often relying on tenuous claims about slogans and political platforms that didn't hold up to scrutiny. 🧵

She's a democratic socialist who affirmed Israel's right to exist. Can she be LA's next mayor? Nithya Raman thinks she can win over the city's Jewish voters. Step one: Convince them she’s not Zohran Mamdani.

Just pubbed @forward.com:

I spoke with Nithya Raman about her run for mayor of Los Angeles, her engagement with the Jewish community in her district and how voters should read her breaking with DSA on Israel.

Gift link!
forward.com/news/806134/...

The Muppets are my rabbi, and they should be yours A one-off "Muppet Show" special, guest-starring Sabrina Carpenter, contains deep spiritual lessons. A full reboot should follow.

“The Muppets’ philosophy of meeting the outrageous with the outrageous, the unhinged with the unhinged, and the grouchy with the grouchy has its lessons for us humans, too,” writes Talya Zax.

These rabbis are making an Orthodox case against AI. Will anyone listen? The leadership of the Orthodox Jewish community is addressing the challenges of AI use and its perceived spiritual risks.

“I want you to open [the Torah] and read it and come up with a question and come up with an answer,” explained one rabbi concerned with using AI as a shortcut to religious enlightenment. “It’s not just end result. It’s the process.”

This Hasidic Reporter Has a Few Questions for Mayor Mamdani

Our intrepid political reporter @jacobkornbluh.bsky.social, profiled this weekend by @nytimes.com.

As editor-in-chief, I'm finding my way Forward (and back) As a longtime muckracker turning my lens to Jewish affairs at a time of political tumult, I’m mindful of the legacy set by Abraham Cahan.

@alykatzz.bsky.social's first essay as @forward.com EIC: "It’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was and will be — that I arrive as your new editor-in-chief, at a moment like so many before when the Jewish world (and the world, period) urgently needs unflinching journalism."

Could this be the most Jewish musical that never admits its own Jewishness? A new West End production of 'Oliver!' featuring Simon Lipkin as Fagin brings back the sounds and rhythms of a Friday night dinner table.

“Oliver! may be the most Jewish musical ever written that refuses to admit as much, and watching Simon Lipkin’s sly, buoyant portrayal of Fagin on London’s West End recently, I felt a jolt of something I hadn’t expected: Home.”

Chabad attack suspect had previously sought ‘spiritual guidance’ from rabbi The Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway was attacked by a 36-year-old who had previously visited Chabad in New Jersey.

Rabbi Levi Azimov, who leads Chabad of South Brunswick in New Jersey, said the suspect, who has not yet been identified by police, attended a Purim service at Chabad in March of last year. He visited there twice more, seeking spiritual guidance, Azimov told @forward.com.

What we talk about when we talk about Anne Frank hiding from ICE Is it ok to invoke Anne Frank in discussing kids hiding from ICE? Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum disagree.

For @forward.com, I wrote about Anne Frank, ICE, and what we risk in making - and in refusing to ever make - comparisons
forward.com/opinion/8009...

How an ‘all-American boy’ became a Mississippi synagogue arson suspect There was little warning that Stephen Spencer Pittman, who police arrested for arson, was poised to strike Jackson’s lone synagogue.

“Anybody who’s in this area will tell you that if he belonged to a Klan branch and did all that, then you got it, right? But if he played baseball? Went to St. Joe’s? I mean for all intents and purposes that’s an all-American boy.”

Hi Craig- we just wanted to say that we really appreciate the support you've provided us and our journalism. It's helped make our audience development work possible. Thank you!

There's a vicious antisemitic precedent for Trump's demonization of Renée Nicole Good Trying to link Renée Good, who was killed by an ICE agent, to George Soros serves Trump's conspiratorial anti-immigrant rhetoric.

For @forward.com, I wrote about Soros (surprise) and Orbán, Trump, antisemitism, xenophobia, Hungary, and us
forward.com/opinion/7986...

How 'a bundle of letters' became a cornerstone of life advice for American Jews Started by legendary editor Ab Cahan, The Forward's advice column, A Bintel Brief, celebrates its 120 anniversary.

My latest for @forward.com is a bit of a change of pace, looking back at the history of A Bintel Brief, one of the oldest advice columns in the US, which is celebrating its 120th birthday today, and how the advice it dispensed to Eastern European Jewish immigrants in 1906 still resonates today.

Emma Goldman, superstar? The Jewish anarchist has a surprising role to play in American musical theater While she was a radical and critic of capitalism, Emma Goldman was in fact a devotee of the opera. Maybe that's why she fits into musicals.

Thx to @forward.com PJ Grisar for citing @universityofkansas.bsky.social Jewish Studies chair Samantha Cooper, whose expertise is involvement of NY Jews in opera. forward.com/forward-news...

Synagogue arson suspect posted antisemitic cartoon on day of the attack Stephen Spencer Pittman has been charged with the arson attack on Jackson, Mississippi synagogue Beth Israel.

Three days ago he reposted an animated video of a woman seeing a Jewish caricature holding moneybags and exclaiming, “A Jew in our backyard!” It was unclear whether he posted the video before or after the arson attack, which occurred Jan. 10 at around 3 a.m. local time.

She helped rescue the Torahs from their burning synagogue. A year later, Pasadena's mishkan is thriving. A year after wildfire destroyed Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, its congregation is still gathering, growing and planning a new synagogue.

Over the past year, she has watched people return to Jewish life who had once drifted away from it — not out of fear, but out of need.

“It surprised me how relevant a Jewish community can be in times of crisis,” she said. “I knew it from books. I had never experienced it.”

The Eaton Fire that razed Pasadena was different.

“What surprised me,” she said, “was how loving and caring and strong and vibrant a community can be in the midst of tragedy. There was no doubt that we were going to be OK.”

She grew up in Buenos Aires and lived through two acts of mass violence that targeted the Jewish community there — the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy and the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center, which killed 85 people, including friends of hers.

She helped rescue the Torahs from their burning synagogue. A year later, Pasadena's mishkan is thriving. A year after wildfire destroyed Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, its congregation is still gathering, growing and planning a new synagogue.

Cantor Harris Berman recalls the experience with @forward.com's @benyamincohen.bsky.social.

As smoke filled the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center one year ago, Cantor Ruth Berman Harris searched for her husband through the darkness, calling out to make sure the Torahs were being carried out.

By night’s end, the building was destroyed, but all 13 Torahs were safe. 🧵

So, what’s the deal with the honey scene in ‘Marty Supreme?’ A harrowing story of survival in Auschwitz has been misinterpreted by some viewers, sparking online discourse.

For those of you who've seen Marty Supreme, how did audiences react during the honey scene? @forward.com editorial fellow Olivia Heynie explores the disconnect between Josh Safdie's intent and how many viewers have responded to it.

The Holocaust survivor writer who can help us through this ominous era Arnošt Lustig, a Czech Jewish writer, survived the Holocaust and incorporated its horrors in his writing — but came out hopeful all the same.

For my last piece of 2025, I wrote about reading Arnošt Lustig and hoping against hope for @forward.com

forward.com/opinion/7938...

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